We face the flightmare before Xmas

Covid-driven air crew and pilot shortages could ground Christmas getaway plans.

It is feared 185,000 Brits flying to or from the UK will be hit by flight cancellations or delays of three hours or more, entitling them to compensation. And with an

average payout of £520 per person, airlines will be forced to pay out £96million.

In the UK, there were more than a million job vacancies in the sector between July and September. Tom van Bokhoven, of Flight-delayed. co.uk, said: “In the past few years, about 1% of December flights have been cancelled and 29% delayed by at least 15 minutes.

“The situation will likely be even worse this year.

“Passengers should be ready to spend more time than usual at the airports.”