Which? calls for travel rule overhaul to hold airlines accountable when breaking consumer law June 30, 2022 Consumer champion Which? has called for a significant overhaul of travel rules to hold airlines accountable when they flaunt consumers’ laws. The call comes at a delicate time for the aviation industry, as airlines and airports have been plagued by a raft of cancellations and delays caused by labour shortages and surging passenger demand . [...]
UK Government eases airport slot rules to avoid last-minute cancellations June 21, 2022 The UK Government has announced it will ease airport slot rules to avoid last-minute cancellations as travel chaos continues to rampage through the industry. The decision comes as Ryanair’s boss Michael O’Leary warned passengers disruption will stay throughout the summer. Under the new plan, airlines will have an “amnesty” period to give back the summer [...]
Airlines blame ‘shambolic’ government Covid response for travel disruption June 20, 2022 The airline industry has blamed world governments’ “shambolic” response for the ongoing travel disruption. “The cost of government mismanagement was substantial. It devastated economies, disrupted supply chains and destroyed jobs,” Willie Walsh, director general of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), said today during an industry summit. According to Willie Walsh – former chief executive [...]
EasyJet and Tui cancel flights ahead of school holidays and Jubilee Weekend May 28, 2022 Airlines EasyJet and Tui have said they plan to cancel hundreds of flights in the coming weeks, in disruption that threatens to cause chaos over Britain’s Jubilee Weekend. Budget airline EasyJet today said is set to cancel more than 200 flights over the next 10 days, just days after IT issues forced the firm to [...]
Travel chaos hits new low: Thousands of airline passengers forced to wait outside airport for hours May 9, 2022 Thousands of airline passengers at Birmingham Airport were forced to wait in long queues outside for several hours as the aviation sector continues to suffer from staff shortages. The situation on Monday was described as “absolute chaos” and “manic” by travellers on Twitter. One person said it took her “two hours to get through check-in [...]
British Airways owner IAG predicts bounce back to profitability on return of global travel May 6, 2022 British Airways owner International Airlines Group (IAG) today said it believes the easing of global restrictions and the return of global travel will see it bounce back to profitability. The firm – formed through the merger of Iberia and British Airways in 2011 – said its Q1 2022 passenger numbers were 65 per cent those [...]
Russia considers taking $1.3bn from wealth fund to recapitalise Aeroflot April 20, 2022 Russia is considering taking $1.3bn from its national wealth fund to recapitalise Aeroflot. According to Moscow sources, the wealth fund will buy Aeroflot’s new share issue through an open subscription and spend an additional $690.9m in equity stakes to help other struggling carriers. As a result of the new issue, the Kremlin’s stake will need [...]
EU court expands scope of flight refund policy to non-EU airlines April 12, 2022 The EU’s highest court has expanded the scope of its flight refund policy, by allowing passengers to claim refunds from non-EU airlines. The European Court of Justice ruled in favour of plaintiffs suing Chicago headquartered firm United Airlines in allowing them to claim a refund for a 223-minute delay between Brussels and San Jose, [...]
Airlines to pass oil prices to passengers, says ex IAG boss Willie Walsh April 6, 2022 Airlines are expected to pass increasing oil prices to passengers through higher fares, said former IAGA boss Willie Walsh. According to Walsh, the war-induced spike in energy costs has worsened the industry’s overall outlook for 2022 to include industry-wide losses. In the past oil prices would take around six months to pass onto customers but [...]
Virgin Atlantic reaps the rewards from oil bet in pandemic rebound March 13, 2022 Virgin Atlantic will offer the same number of seats for customers as this summer as it did in 2019 - prior to the pandemic.