Easter flight cancellations to continue for days

Airline EasyJet is expected to cancel more flights in the coming days due to high levels of staff absence.

About 60 flights to and from the UK are likely to be grounded on Tuesday following 62 cancellations on Monday.

British Airways withdrew six flights on Tuesday, having cancelled 62 on Monday, causing disruption ahead of Easter, the first holiday since the end of coronavirus travel restrictions.

EasyJet said staff absences were double their normal levels due to Covid.

It said it had decided to cancel more flights in advance "in order to give customers notice".

"We are contacting customers directly and providing them with their options," it said.

"We expect to make similar levels of pre-emptive cancellations over the coming days, due to the ongoing high level of sickness."

Covid-related absences are compounding staff shortages at airports and airlines. The industry is struggling to recruit staff quickly enough to meet resurgent passenger demand, after thousands of jobs were lost and many workers left the industry during the pandemic.

It's led to long delays at security and check-in at some airports, with travellers at Birmingham Airport complaining of "chaos" on Monday.

On Tuesday, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham said police and fire and rescue services could be drafted in to help tackle the delays at Manchester Airport, which has led to some people missing flights.

The airport's managing director, Karen Smart, is also to stand down amid the criticism.

Airports say Covid documentation checks at check-in, which most countries still require before passengers can board an aircraft, are adding to waiting times.

Lesley Offley was due to fly to Austria with her family to celebrate her husband's 60th birthday on Tuesday.

But the 62-year-old from Surrey was told on Monday morning their Gatwick flight had been cancelled.

"We've spent all morning unravelling all our travel plans for my husband's 60th birthday - first time we've attempted to travel since 2019 - and [I'm] completely fed up," she told the BBC.

"It's been phone calls and emails all day, accommodation is lot more money so we've lost out there and we're still trying sort out the travel insurance.

"We've re-booked for next week but I don't feel confident at all."

On top of this, Ms Offley said they have been refused a refund on their parking booking because they cancelled less than 24 hours before they were due to park.

John Strickland, director of transport consultancy JLS Consulting, said the situation for airlines was going to be "very difficult" over the next couple of months.

"I think certainly the next month or two are going to be very difficult," he told the BBC's Wake Up To Money.

"We know that Manchester has said that passengers should expect queues for one to two hours for the next several weeks while they undertake additional training."

According to the data firm Cirium, a total of 1,143 flights were cancelled to and from the UK in the week up to 3 April, with 382 of them grounded over the weekend.

Cirium said British Airways cancelled 662 flights to and from the UK last week, while EasyJet cancelled 357.

British Airways took the decision two weeks ago to remove some flights, mostly short-haul routes, from its schedules until May.

Aside from flight disruption, travellers hoping for an Easter getaway have also been affected by delays to the Eurotunnel and to ferry services.

Passengers who receive little or no notice about their cancelled flight, and ultimately arrive much later at their destination, may be entitled to extra compensation payments.

With many of the flights cancelled fewer than seven days before the scheduled departure, airlines are obliged to inform those affected of their rights - which can include putting them on a flight with a different carrier or getting a full refund.

Rory Boland of consumer group Which? said passengers affected on Monday may be entitled to at least £220 compensation to cover out of pocket costs, depending on the circumstances, and airlines should provide refreshments and accommodation as required while their customers await their new flight.

Full details of the Civil Aviation Authority rules are here. A guide from Which? is here.