Thousands of UK holidaymakers are worried that they won’t receive reimbursements for recently canceled home flights. Meanwhile, they are grappling with high costs for alternative travel, accommodation and food amid the ongoing chaos in the industry. Travelers insisted that rules call for compensation, but the implementation might not happen. Recent reports indicate that the UK has canceled about 2,000 flights after a data glitch in the air traffic control system.
The National Air Traffic Services announced a rare system failure on 28th September. Thus, travelers were stranded in parts like Palma after EasyJet canceled flights to Brighton. EasyJet offered accommodation and an alternative flight within one week. However, some could not wait amid secondary school reopening and work. Thus, they opted for an overnight ferry to Toulon, France, to the Spanish Island.
The families remain conscious about extra accommodation and food expenses since they ought to provide reasonable details for claiming costs. In the meantime, most travelers complained that they could not reach EasyJet via the phone. Keeping the receipts would help them claim their money back. Other families were stranded in Turkey after EasyJet canceled flights to Gatwick from Antalya on the same day.
A 17-week pregnant Turkish woman said she felt overwhelmed and had run out of her blood pressure medication. On the other hand, EasyJet apologized for the disruption and announced they remained committed to providing hotel accommodation and assistance to their stranded customers. They also clarified that they would reimburse anyone who opted for alternative travel arrangements. They proposed using alternative larger aircraft with additional seats.
In any case, British Airways also canceled flights to London Heathrow from Ibiza on 28th September. The company suggested an alternative route through Barcelona, Doha and Manchester in four days. Thus, some travelers would miss schedule, so they opted to claim refunds and alternatives. BA also called for affected travelers to keep receipts, which would help claim refunds. BA travelers can claim £25-£35 per meal.
They can also claim £200-£250 per night for accommodation. Overall, the National Air Traffic Services faced system failure after receiving data it failed to process. The services receive millions of flight data, which implies fewer flights amid switching to a manual system. Above all, the UK Civil Aviation Authority clarified that the law directs flight companies to allow travelers to choose between refunds or alternative flights. Still, receipts would be handy for successful reclaims.
