Easyjet passengers who were unable to jet away during the coronavirus pandemic have been given more time to use their vouchers.
Over the worst of the coronavirus pandemic many Brits found themselves unable to head on breaks they'd had booked in due to travel restrictions designed to limit the virus's spread.
Many holiday firms gave customers vouchers instead of refunds, encouraging them not to cancel the break for good but to head on it at a later date.
While the coronavirus lockdowns are not - hopefully - just an increasingly distant memory, many people have yet to find time to use the vouchers.
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In recognition that there are a lot of customers due a trip away, easyJet has extended the deadline for the vouchers to January 31, 2024. (They were previously due to expire on July 31, 2023).
The extension is automatic, so you don't need to do anything to qualify for it. EasyJet has said it would let customers know via email about the elongated timeframe.
If you are worrying about how you'll fit a holiday in between now and the end of the year, fear not. All you need to have done is book a break by the end of the year.
It is important to note that you can't book a holiday with the vouchers, only a flight.
In September 2022 easyJet said that there was £111 million in vouchers still to be redeemed, although it is unclear how many individual customers are affected.
British Airways has also extended its voucher validity for passengers affected by Covid-19 disrupted flights to September 2024.
Last summer particularly hundreds of thousands of holidaymakers found themselves stuck in airports waiting for planes which either never arrived or were very late.
The holiday season was a particularly chaotic one as holiday starved Brits, desperate to get away after the coronavirus pandemic, rushed to airports that were struggling to get their staffing levels up post-lockdown.
It is important to know your rights if you find yourself in such a position. If your flight has been delayed, what you’re entitled to depends on how long the delay was and what distance you are flying.
The flight must be delayed by more than three hours and the delay is counted from the time the flight is meant to arrive - not when it takes off.
‘Arrival’ counts as the point at which the cabin crew open the doors… not when the plane touches down).
The flight must take off from the UK or European Union or be from an airline based in these areas. Connected flights count, even if you switch to a non-EU airline half way through your trip.
The issue must be ‘within the control of the airline’. So storms and bad weather or air-traffic control disputes are going to leave you without any compensation. However airlines strikes are generally considered to be ‘foreseeable’ as are the recent staffing issues and cancelations - so you should be able to claim.
Airlines can be a bit funny about the information they need to assess a claim, so to be on the safe side, including everything is usually better. This would be your booking reference and flight number, along with the details you used to book the flights, like your email.
Before Brexit, you’d get compensation in Euros. However, now the rates are in Pounds, which is why they might seem lower than before.
If the flight is up to 1,500 km and is more than three hours late, then you can claim £220.
If the flight is between 1,500 and 3,500 km and is more than three hours late, then you can claim £350.
If the flight is more than 3,500 km and leaving the EU, or is an EU airline flying into the UK and is between three and four hours late, then you could get back £260.
If the flight is more than 3,500 km and is more than four hours late, then you could expect up to £520.
