THOUSANDS of TUI and Easyjet flights have been cancelled this summer, but what does it mean for your holiday budget? Will the money ever return to your wallet?
Mass cancellations have left customers furious as they complained of long queues and delays in airports as well as losing their precious holiday time this summer.
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Hundreds of flights have been scrapped just as parents packed up to whisk their children abroad over the half term break.
And with the summer holidays not far off either, there’s more fears the time-off will be further disrupted.
Police had to step in and tell exhausted Tui passengers their flight was cancelled after eight-hour delays in the latest bout of chaos.
The airline is also set to cancel hundreds of flights next month too.
Meanwhile, EasyJet has announced it will cancel more than 200 flights this summer.
Around 24 flights from Gatwick will be axed every day until June 6.
A statement from the airline read: “We are very sorry for the late notice of some of these cancellations and inconvenience caused for customers booked on these flights however we believe this is necessary to provide reliable services over this busy period.
“Customers have been informed and provided with the option to rebook their flight or receive a refund and can apply for compensation in line with regulations.”
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Meanwhile hundreds more were affected by TUI’s cancellations.
Its own spokesperson said: “We would like to apologise to our customers who have experienced flight disruption in recent days and understand that they have been looking forward to these holidays for a long time.
“The May half-term holidays are always an incredibly busy period with many customers looking to get away, and this year is no different.
“Unfortunately, due to ongoing challenges in our operation, we have had to announce a small number of planned cancellations from Manchester Airport only.
But travellers have been warned that disruption could get worse as unions have described all the airport madness seen as set to last throughout “the entire summer”.
Even Martin Lewis has warned you check your fine print and scrape back anything you may be owed for the inconvenience.
But can you get a refund or compensation on your flight and holiday, and how do you go about getting the money back in your wallet?
Can I get a refund or compensation if my flight is cancelled?
So long as you’re faced with a certain series of events, you can usually get your money back when your holiday goes wrong.
Most passengers will be protected by what’s called Denied Boarding regulations.
This means that you have to be offered either a full refund for a cancelled flight or a seat on the next possible flight, or another one at a better time.
You have to be catered for if you’re left waiting a while between the cancelled flight and your new one too.
That means if you’ve got an overnight stay between the reimbursed flight and the time of cancellation, then you’ll get meals, accommodation and transfers provided for the inconvenience.
You may also be able to get some money back if your flight is delayed by three hours or more.
How do I get back what I’m owed?
You’ll have to go straight to your travel provider if you want to get back anything you’re owed.
EasyJet customers can go to manage my booking on its website or app, where you can switch your flight for free, get a voucher to use in the next 12 months or request a full refund.
TUI customers meanwhile, can do the same on its own refund request page.
If you’re after a full refund you should get it back within seven days.
To claim compensation though, usually your flight needs to have departed from a UK airport, arrived into a UK airport and was with a UK or EU airline or arrived into the EU and was with a UK airline.
You could be able to claim for £220 per person on shorter journeys, and £520 on longer distances says one travel expert.
If these don’t apply, you need to contact the airline to get back anything you feel you may be owed.
Why wouldn’t I get my money back?
The airline doesn’t have to give you a refund if the flight was cancelled due to reasons beyond their control, such as extreme weather.
They’ll usually say this is because it is down to an “extraordinary circumstance” but it can be a tetchy subject, and one plenty of customers prefer to contest.
You can try challenging this if you think you should have got your some money back, or at least flown in the first place.
For example, other airlines may have set off at the same time yours was kept back.
Take any complaints to aviation regulator the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
You’re also not going to get any money back if you were forewarned of the cancellation.
If you’re told at least two weeks in advance you should have time to swap your booking without paying a penalty, at least that’s the airline’s thinking as they won’t dish out automatic refunds.
You also won’t be able to claim compensation for flights cancelled but rerouted that get you to your destination no more than two hours later than planned.
You can’t of course get your money back if you do opt for the alternative flight.
Should I take any action myself?
You might be worried about putting your holiday in jeopardy amid the recent travel chaos, but jumping the gun could leave you worse off.
If you cancel your own flights without the right cover you could be refused your money back altogether.
A good way to make sure your back is covered is by getting travel insurance.
If you can’t claim compensation directly through the airline, your travel insurance may refund you instead.
Policies vary so you should check the small print, but a delay of eight to 12 hours will normally mean you qualify for some money from your insurer.
Make sure to get written confirmation of your delay from the airport as your insurer will want to see some kind of proof so to pay-out.
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