The UK is determined to keep travelers flying this summer. Photo: Shutterstock Summer travelers with special emphasis on airline passengers "will have their summer holidays better protected" as the UK government has set out its contingency plans to "cut the likelihood of last-minute flight cancellations this summer in the event of significant disruption due to ongoing global uncertainty caused by the Middle East conflict."
The goal is to offer families "greater confidence when traveling this summer by enabling airlines to plan realistically and lock in schedules earlier so that people are less likely to be affected by short‑notice changes at the airport," as the Department for Transport explains.
Officials also explained that, while airlines in the UK do not currently face any supply issues, the government will meet with industry representatives "to act quickly if needs be, before disruption takes hold, giving passengers and the aviation sector the certainty they need to plan ahead."
Among other things, airlines will be able to consolidate their schedules on specific routes with multiple flights to the same destination, on the same day.
Instead of announcing last-minute flight cancellations, the new measures will allow airlines to:
-move passengers onto similar flights at an earlier time, preventing stressful airport delays
-stop running flights that have not reached a significant number of tickets
-cut fuel waste from being forced to fly near-empty aircraft
The measures were discussed with key figures in the aviation industry, including representatives from Heathrow, Gatwick, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, and easyJet, "reaffirming the government’s commitment to keeping Britain flying this summer."
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander: "Since the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the government has been monitoring jet fuel supplies daily and working with airlines, airports, and fuel suppliers to stay ahead of any problems. This legislation will give airlines the tools to adjust flights in good time if they need to, which helps protect passengers and businesses. We will do everything we can to insulate our country from the impact of the situation in the Middle East."
The measures currently under consideration should enable companies to "proactively hand back a limited proportion of their allocated take-off and landing slots without losing the right to operate them" next season.
These "hand backs" should, in turn, result in realistic schedules and no more last-minute cancellations, building on the UK’s independent slot coordinators’ decision to update its guidance, ensuring airlines do not permanently lose their take-off and landing slots when they are incapable of using them because of lacking jet fuel.
The measures the government is considering go further by allowing airlines to plan ahead and act on the best information they have available on fuel supply or wider impacts of the Middle East conflict, rather than wait for a shortage to occur.
The government also took the opportunity to raise awareness regarding passengers' rights in case of flight disruption. "If your flight is cancelled by the airline, you have a legal right to a choice between being re-routed or a refund. If a flight is subject to a significant delay, at least 2 hours for short-haul, 3 hours for medium-haul and 4 hours for long-haul, passengers are entitled to care and assistance, including food, drink and overnight accommodation where necessary."
Rob Bishton, Chief Executive of the UK Civil Aviation Authority:"Passengers in the UK are well protected by some of the strongest rights in the world, offering reassurance if disruption does occur. Relaxing the rules around slots at airports will allow airlines more flexibility and so we expect them to give passengers as much notice as possible of cancellations during this period."
As a reminder, if you receive a notification regarding a change to their flights, you should speak to your airline, travel agent, or tour operator "in the first instance".