UK holidaymakers urged to make alternative travel plans as 13,000 flights cancelled amid jet fuel shortage
If you're heading off for some sunshine soon, you might want to look at alternative ways of getting there other than flying, according to experts.
It comes after one UK airline went into administration, blaming rising prices and a jet fuel shortage for the collapse.
Ascend Airlines supplied flights from Gatwick and Stansted for the likes of Oman Air, Air Sierra Leone and TUI Airways, and entered liquidation last week, cancelling all flights with immediate effect.
Some 13,000 flights have been cancelled elsewhere for May, according to the BBC, with aviation analytics firm Cirium revealing Munich and Istanbul were two of the worst-hit destinations.
Advert
Due to the cancellations, experts from digital ticket booking platform TrainPal have seen a sharp rise in the number of people searching for train tickets instead.
Ticket sales are up by nearly 40% year on year in April, with The Independent saying Sir Keir Starmer warned last week that 'people might change where they go on holiday this year.'
More people are booking staycations and European train trips
Many people are reported to be looking for trips closer to home, or seeking alternative ways to reach their planned European destinations via Eurostar or other international trainlines.
Alvaro Ungurean is the Commercial Director Europe for TrainPal, and said: “It’s no surprise that the discourse around jet fuel shortages is prompting a rise in domestic travel... we actively encourage those who are concerned about cancelled flights or international disruption to explore domestic rail travel as an alternative option."
Ungurean adds that people should book early to avoid disruption or disappointment due to the increase in popularity for many routes.
Ticket sales for the Eurostar, which features destinations such as Paris, Lille, Amsterdam, Brussels, Rotterdam, Lyon and Cologne, have also seen a sharp increase too.
Bookings have risen by over 25% year-on-year since last April, with a whopping increase of 42% since March this year.
It suggests that many people are turning to train travel to reach their destination instead of flying as the jet fuel crisis continues, and the war in Iran shows no sign of stopping soon.
More of us in the UK are booking tickets to France than anywhere else, with sales rising by 98% compared to last April.
In second place is Spain with train bookings rising by 61% this April compared to last.
Booking.com and Airbnb also told the BBC that UK bookings are on the rise.
They have seen searches for May half-term UK holidays up by 20% on Booking.com year on year, and May bank holiday UK stays up 15% on Airbnb.
Cancelled flights
An Ascend Airlines insider said their collapse was worsened by the war in Iran, confessing: "The fuel situation had a massive effect on it as well."
"It’s 40 percent cheaper to use airlines in Europe than the UK because taxes are too high."
However, Advantage Travel Partnership says flights from the UK to 'key summer sun destinations' are mostly unaffected, and pointed out that the 13,000 flights make up just one percent of the usual number of trips.
Aviation expert Ivan Stevenson predicted to LADbible that airlines will prioritise cancelling shorter trips or less popular summer holiday destinations, by consolidating passengers from quieter journeys onto fewer flights.
He said: "That will reduce the demand for fuel... and you're still able to deliver to the customers that have already booked.”
Passengers who have their flight cancelled should be offered either a refund or the chance to be rebooked onto an alternative service if there is one.
Most importantly, flights will need to be cancelled at least two weeks in advance so people will have enough advance warning.
Usually, airlines need to operate at least 80 percent of their allocated slots at airports or they risk losing them.
However, due to the crisis, temporary measures have been introduced which mean they could fly under that amount without risking losing the route.
Jen Thomas