TRAVELLERS FACINGA CANCELATION LOTTERY

It comes as airlines are accused of “harmful practices” in their treatment of passengers affected by disruption

ONE in three people who travelled abroad in the last month experienced some form of disruption - and around one in seven saw their flights cancelled. Staff shortages and increased demand after the pandemic have caused major delays and flight cancellations at airports around the country. And with travel chaos only likely to get worse as the UK enters peak holiday season, research by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows travellers were already facing a high risk of delays or cancellations. ONS researchers asked adults whether they had travelled abroad in the last four weeks. Of those who had, a third said they had experienced some form of disruption. Almost all of those who had encountered disruption saw their planes delayed (92%), while more than half (54%) reported longer than usual queues at the airport and 29% said they experienced longer waits for luggage. Meanwhile around one in seven (15%) said their flights had been cancelled. It comes as airlines have been accused of “harmful practices” in their treatment of passengers affected by disruption. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) have issued a joint letter to carriers, expressing concern that “consumers could experience significant harm unless airlines meet their obligations”. The letter stated: “We are concerned that some airlines may not be doing everything they could to avoid engaging in one or more harmful practices.” These include selling more tickets for flights “than they can reasonably expect to supply”, not always “fully satisfying obligations” to offer flights on alternative airlines to passengers affected by cancellations, and failing to give consumers “sufficiently clear and upfront information about their rights”. The letter said the CMA and CAA which share consumer protection law enforcement powers in the aviation sector - “will consider further action, including enforcement”. The CMA and CAA said they expect airlines to “not continue marketing tickets for flights if they cannot be reasonably confident they will go ahead”. After a flight is cancelled, airlines unable to offer a “timely replacement” flight must give passengers the option of flying with another carrier, according to the letter. But some companies ask passengers to make their own arrangements in these circumstances and the CMA and the CAA believe that in some cases “this is likely to breach professional diligence standards for those consumers who are not in a position to do so”. The letter added: “For example, those who may be unable to: investigate or book alternative routes; self-fund the purchase of flight tickets and accommodation; or to afford to wait for reimbursement, would not be able to benefit from their statutory rights in the event of flight cancellation. “We urge airlines operating this practice to quickly put in place mechanisms for these consumers to ensure re-routing is a viable option for them.” The CMA and CAA also said passengers’ rights must be “presented clearly”, and consumers “should not be required to hunt for such information”.