[Travel] Why are all these flights being delayed/cancelled ?

[Herr Tubthumper]

From a single-breasted Paul Smith travel suit in navy blue Italian worsted into quilted Fendi ski pants and mink gilet?

Good choices

Genuine lol

 

[Bedsex]

Lots of advice here

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/flight-delays/

I used MSE’s standard letter to request compensation many years ago. That was a TUI flight from India which was delayed overnight. No fightback from TUI and eventually a cheque arrived in the post.

Thanks, I’ll use that. Rather surprisingly we have actually ended up in Lisbon, the flight was delayed by 4 hours, but it still went. So we’ve arrived slightly tired and my wife is already planning how we spend our compensation money!

 

[seagully]

Oddly my daughter said similar last night when she got home, although it was her musings rather than any rumours she'd heard, but she works for them.

I used to work for TUI, I'm surprised they have lasted this long to be fair

 

[dazzer6666]

A number of reasons

1. Brexit many other nationalities working at airports left either found other jobs some here some in other countries
2. Covid19 travel stopped staff either lost jobs agency workers or put on Furlough
3. Government ended furlough to soon as such many workers immediately found they had no job and found other work
4. Travel companies in an rush to reopen sold travel that were not supportable
5. Airports unable to deal with the recruiting of vast numbers of new staff with security clearance and training
6. The Government, airports, customs, police, airlines, holiday companies for not seeing this was going to be an issue
7. The public being far to keen to get a holiday but not keen enough to listeria to advice to get to the airport extra early

Re 7, apparently one of the issues now at certain airports is people turning up too early (5 hours or more), causing overcrowding, longer queues and meaning those there 2-3 hours before can’t get checked in or through security

 

[jessiejames]

Don't know if it's been mentioned, but a former airline steward said that he was laid off and made redundant at lockdown. He has been asked back on longer contracted hours and less pay with no perks, if he takes up the position he will have to repay some of his redundancy back.

 

[Bry Nylon]

I used to work for TUI, I'm surprised they have lasted this long to be fair

“TUI: we cross the t’s, dot the i’s and put ‘**** u’ in the middle.”

 

[dazzer6666]

Don't know if it's been mentioned, but a former airline steward said that he was laid off and made redundant at lockdown. He has been asked back on longer contracted hours and less pay with no perks, if he takes up the position he will have to repay some of his redundancy back.

Pretty standard in a redundancy agreement to have a clawback on re-employment but would have thought the current crisis would have led to this being over-ridden. BA in particular seem to have used Covid as an opportunity to offload people on expensive contracts and replace them with much cheaper ones.

 

[WATFORD zero]

A number of reasons

1. Brexit many other nationalities working at airports left either found other jobs some here some in other countries
2. Covid19 travel stopped staff either lost jobs agency workers or put on Furlough
3. Government ended furlough to soon as such many workers immediately found they had no job and found other work
4. Travel companies in an rush to reopen sold travel that were not supportable
5. Airports unable to deal with the recruiting of vast numbers of new staff with security clearance and training
6. The Government, airports, customs, police, airlines, holiday companies for not seeing this was going to be an issue
7. The public being far to keen to get a holiday but not keen enough to listeria to advice to get to the airport extra early

I think that about sums it up, (nod to [MENTION=27279]dazzer6666[/MENTION]'s post above) - result complete clusterf***

Maybe the 2020's will be remembered as the decade of the clusterf*** It's certainly started that way, and shows absolutely no signs of getting any better

 

[Jim in the West]

Re 7, apparently one of the issues now at certain airports is people turning up too early (5 hours or more), causing overcrowding, longer queues and meaning those there 2-3 hours before can’t get checked in or through security

I got an email from Bristol Airport last week asking me NOT to turn up too early, promptly followed by a message from easyJet telling me to get to the airport in plenty of time....

 

[drew]

I think that about sums it up, (nod to [MENTION=27279]dazzer6666[/MENTION]'s post above) - result complete clusterf***

Maybe the 2020's will be remembered as the decade of the clusterf*** It's certainly started that way, and shows absolutely no signs of getting any better

Alternatively known as the 'Johnson Era'.

 

[Weststander]

I used to work for TUI, I'm surprised they have lasted this long to be fair

Directly owned/run these days by their huge German parent with €3.8b cash at bank and pan-European bookings at 85% of pre-pandemic levels.

 

[Weststander]

I went to Munich a couple of weeks ago. Decided not to risk the airports and took a train there. I arrived slightly late getting there but the way back was great. Comfortable seats, fast wi-fi all the way across Europe - I sat watching the Leics/Sussex game while we travelled- probably took a couple of hours longer than the plane, but no real hassle.

I'm not sure I'll go back to flying if I have to get to western Europe from now.

Agree. Trains in mainland Europe are an absolute breeze…6 and a half hours door to Austrian alpine guest house with just one change, lots of room and comfort and a nice restaurant car. It’s so pleasant and easy it’s as though they want to encourage you to take the train.

Agreed, I love continental train travel.

But it’s the combined cost for the 4 of us, compared to flying on carefully selected days away from the rip-off dates/days of the week, that make it unviable for us.

A different story if your paying for just yourself.

 

[WATFORD zero]

Agreed, I love continental train travel.

But it’s the combined cost for the 4 of us, compared to flying on carefully selected days away from the rip-off dates/days of the week, that make it unviable for us.

A different story if your paying for just yourself.

Those were the days

 

[Weststander]

I went to Munich a couple of weeks ago. Decided not to risk the airports and took a train there. I arrived slightly late getting there but the way back was great. Comfortable seats, fast wi-fi all the way across Europe - I sat watching the Leics/Sussex game while we travelled- probably took a couple of hours longer than the plane, but no real hassle.

I'm not sure I'll go back to flying if I have to get to western Europe from now.

Agree. Trains in mainland Europe are an absolute breeze…6 and a half hours door to Austrian alpine guest house with just one change, lots of room and comfort and a nice restaurant car. It’s so pleasant and easy it’s as though they want to encourage you to take the train.

Those were the days

I’ve presumed all along that The Bank of Dad will be financing the entire cost of family hols ad infinitum. I love their company though.

I recall your plan to share the cost of future ski trip a bit more …. good luck with that

 

[WATFORD zero]

I’ve presumed all along that The Bank of Dad will be financing the entire cost of family hols ad infinitum. I love their company though.

I recall your plan to share the cost of future ski trip a bit more …. good luck with that

That's it, I love going on holiday with them and they know I'm a soft touch. They both have more disposable income than me these days though

My daughter and her partner are off to travel round Australia/New Zealand for a year next Friday, so I'll only need to pay for my son and his partner next ski season

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Agreed, I love continental train travel.

But it’s the combined cost for the 4 of us, compared to flying on carefully selected days away from the rip-off dates/days of the week, that make it unviable for us.

A different story if your paying for just yourself.

It’s a fair point. The flight to Salzburg is a cheaper than the train.

 

[Weststander]

It’s a fair point. The flight to Salzburg is a cheaper than the train.

Before we had kids (also, just me when they were nippers), we took the amazing Eurostar from Ashford to Moûtiers or Bourg-Saint-Maurice, for skiing in Val D’Isere or The Three Valleys. Just 6 hours, only 5 minutes of Security at Ashford, travelling up to 185mph on a largely brand new line avoiding the entire Paris metropolis. Blooming brilliant. A nice feeling to save CO2 at the same time.

Due to the financial effect of the Pandemic, Eurostar and SNCF have kind of abandoned that daytime service now. I looked at the limited one that is back running, the cost for 4 was silly money.

 

[DavidinSouthampton]

Well Labour were very quick to blame the Government, I notice that’s not worth a mention in your rather obvious agenda posts

Not having studied it all in great detail, I am not particularly aware of what Labour have said about it all, which is why I haven’t quoted anything they have said.

And if you don’t like my agenda - or whatever you perceive my agenda to be - you don’t hVe to read my posts. There is also an ignore facility! No skin off my nose .

 

[Icy Gull]

Not having studied it all in great detail, I am not particularly aware of what Labour have said about it all, which is why I haven’t quoted anything they have said.

And if you don’t like my agenda - or whatever you perceive my agenda to be - you don’t hVe to read my posts. There is also an ignore facility! No skin off my nose .

Who do you think I am, HWT?

I don’t have anyone on ignore

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Gatwick bizarrely quiet this morning (9am).No queue for TUI bag drop, no queue for security - where the trial lanes mean no need to even remove liquids etc from hand luggage. Most importantly, no queue for Red Lion. Holidaytastic!