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UP IN THE AIR
Summer holiday plans for millions of Brits are uncertain as travel chiefs admit flights may NOT take off in July
SUMMER holiday plans for millions of Brits are up in the air after travel chiefs admitted they cannot even guarantee flights in July.
TUI, Europe’s biggest tourism firm, is cancelling six flights a day for the rest of June amid fears airport chaos could now last the entire summer.
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As tensions rose yesterday, an armed cop stepped in to tell passengers who waited eight hours for a flight that it was cancelled.
And hundreds queued overnight at passport offices where delays meant newlyweds faced losing honeymoons — while a groom was on the brink of missing his wedding.
One dad told The Sun he had booked for Crete in the first week of the school holidays in late July but has now been warned of possible problems by TUI.
Trying to arrange alternative flights with easyJet, he said: “This will send a shudder down every parent’s spine.
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“Millions of families are desperate for some sunshine. But this admission that they can’t guarantee our flights in late July shows this isn’t just a problem for this half-term.”
Around two million people are set to fly over the Jubilee bank holiday weekend but yesterday saw yet more chaos at Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and Bristol.
EasyJet cancelled 42 flights at Gatwick while British Airways continued to scrap dozens more.
Tui Airways announced it will cancel 180 flights a month from Manchester through June — six every day.
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Passengers who had waited eight hours for a flight from Manchester to Greece were told it was cancelled by an armed cop.
He read a statement saying: “What’s going to happen is this — you’re all going to get a full refund for the holiday you have purchased.
“There is also going to be a £350 per person worth of compensation. You will also get a £200 holiday voucher per person to go on another holiday.”
Steven Hession and his wife Kerrie received a text from TUI while at their Manchester airport departure gate, saying their holiday to Kos was axed due to “significant operational disruption”.
British Gas worker Steven, 45, said: “It was horrendous.”
At Gatwick, Clare Clark and pal Catherine Hornsby were due to fly with easyJet to Paphos in Cyprus.
Clare said: “I’m constantly checking it’s not been cancelled. It’s so stressful.”
Bronwen Bullen and Sam Drage, both 27, from Toronto, Canada, were catching a connecting flight to Tenerife.
They said airports in other countries were also affected — but none as badly as Britain.
Travel expert Nicky Kelvin, head of The Points Guy UK, warned: “As flights and passenger numbers increase, problems could get worse. It’s important that passengers stay regularly updated.
“It may also be worth paying for extra privileges, such as priority security lanes or access to lounges, to make the airport experience better and more efficient.”
Meanwhile bride-to-be Cheryl Davis, of Whitby, North Yorks, was queuing in Durham to get a passport for her Ibiza hen do tomorrow.
The 36-year-old teacher said: “All the hens have their passports — it’s just me. A henless hen do would be awful.”
Care assistant Terressa Hall, 49, drove more than 300 miles from Southampton to queue for her passport to fly to Spain tomorrow for her 50th birthday party with 14 relatives.
She said: “This is the last resort as my passport is supposed to be here. If I have to miss my holiday I’ll be devastated. It’s all inclusive so if I don’t make it I’m out of pocket by £2,000.”
Ali Muhammad and his new wife Onima Baguen were also due to fly tomorrow — on their honeymoon to the Sunda Islands, near Malaysia.
Accounts manager Ali, 30, has been waiting for a new passport for more than ten weeks.
He said: “It’s turned a very exciting and happy event into a nightmare.”
Pipe fitter Damien Harrison, 39, of Wakefield, West Yorks, and his partner have lost £3,000 in wages taking time off to get passports for his sister’s wedding in Greece.
He said: “If we can’t make the flights the whole thing will have cost us £8,000. I’ve called them 150 times and sent 50 emails. I was on hold for four hours at one point.”
Welder Thomas Clapham, 23, of York, is due to fly to Bulgaria tonight to marry. He said: “If I miss my flight, I miss my wedding.”
The airport crisis was triggered by airlines laying off thousands of workers when demand collapsed during lockdown — then struggling to recruit and train replacements.
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Last night TUI said customers will get a full refund if it cancels their package holiday.
Flight-only customers will get a refund for their flights but will have to claim on travel insurance to recover other costs such as accommodation.
Gatwick wait ‘inhumane’
A MUM described waiting conditions at Gatwick as “inhumane” after she and her family were stranded at the airport for 22 hours.
Charlie Day, 33, with her husband Lewis and son Ernie, five, found their first flight to Barcelona last Friday on Vueling was overbooked.
The next flight, due to leave at 9.45pm, was first delayed and then cancelled at 1.30am.
Charlie, of Chelmsford, Essex, said: “There was no access to food, water or even a toilet. And everyone had been waiting around for so long.
“When we first arrived there was a bit of queueing but nothing too crazy. But when flights started getting cancelled it became packed.”
After staying at a nearby hotel the family flew out at 9am on Saturday, after another 45-minute delay.
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