Your guide to dodging the travel chaos

Just as some holidaymakers were making their Easter getaways this week, flight cancellations, airport queues and IT issues stopped them in their tracks. EasyJet cancelled more than 200 flights the previous week due to staff shortages, and British Airways ditched 90 on Monday. Hundreds more flight disruptions followed. There were also reports of queues and baggage control delays at Heathrow and Manchester airports.

But what does the future hold? Here are five potential stumbling blocks and tips on how to avoid them this summer.

COVID STAFF SHORTAGES

If your flight is cancelled due to another surge in cases, you will be eligible for a refund or placed on another service. You will also be due a refund for delays of a certain length. It’s best to hold fire and book your holiday at the last minute, at a time when UK cases are low – albeit at higher prices. Keep a keen eye on which airports and airlines are suffering worst now, and which are coping well, and book your trip accordingly.

NON-COVID STAFFING ISSUES Passengers at Manchester Airport have been facing delays at baggage control for weeks, due as much to redundancies as to illness: “Companies… got rid of far too many staff,” one airport worker said. “Everyone panicked in the pandemic, and now that everything is picking up again, we just can’t get the staff back.”

Given all the negative media coverage, it’s reasonable to assume management will begin a recruitment drive to avoid a summer of chaos – but the only sure fix is to avoid Manchester Airport until operations are back to normal.

TECHNICAL MELTDOWNS

While BA’s IT failure last week caused lengthy delays, bigger outages in recent memory have caused the cancellation of hundreds of flights. “Technical issues” have also led to delays at e-gate passport checkpoints at Heathrow.

Such glitches are impossible to predict. To minimise the chance of delays, book with an airline that has a good track record: Which? runs regular surveys based on criteria such as flight punctuality and passenger satisfaction.

DISRUPTION AT DOVER

The suspension of P&O ferry services has caused lengthy delays. If you are heading to France by ferry in the coming weeks, book with DFDS (dfds.com; services every 40 minutes) or Irish Ferries (irishferries.com). It is understood that P&O will resume services from Dover to Calais in due course. For now, however, anyone booked with P&O is advised to travel to the port as usual and be placed on an alternative service.

RISING HOLIDAY COSTS

The war in Ukraine is causing a spike in oil and gas prices. Tour operators are legally allowed to issue surcharges of 8 per cent, so a £1,000 holiday to Spain, say, will cost £1,080 max. Many airlines have hedged their fuel supplies, so fares should remain affordable. It is unlikely airlines that haven’t will allow ticket prices to skyrocket – but you will notice a hit when filling up your rental car.