With hundreds of cancellations affecting most major airlines, some travellers may want to hold off on their holiday plans.
For many it may not be worthwhile to go to an airport, wait in huge queues, and then find out in the departure lounge that your flight is cancelled.
Search terms like 'cancel my flight' and 'how to cancel flight' have skyrocketed in Scotland, suggesting that many are not confident that their flight will go ahead.
Here is all the information that you may need around cancellations, rebooking and refunds, for those who have had a flight axed, or are planning to ditch a holiday to avoid the chaos.
EasyJet
Cancelling your flight
With easyJet, if you cancel within 24 hours you will receive a full refund minus the cancellation fee, which costs £49 or £55 over the phone.
After that, you will not get any refund, however you could receive a fee waiver or flight voucher towards the value of a subsequent flight if you have had to cancel due to a 'serious illness or close family bereavement'.
You will have to deal with exceptional circumstances through the customer services team.
Rebooking your flight
According to the website, you can make changes to your booking, allowing you to change flight dates with a Flight Change Fee as well as fare difference if there is any for your new flight.
If you make the change more than 45 days before departure the fee will be £25 online or £30 through the customer services team.
For those making the change 45 days or less prior to departure, the fee is bumped to £42 online or £47 on the phone.
Getting a refund for a cancelled flight
The easyJet website says: "If we cancel your flight you can transfer to another available easyJet flight to the same (or a nearby) destination for free, or if you prefer you can get a full refund."
They add that under exceptional circumstances they may provide overnight accommodation for long delays or cancellations.
You may also receive a £3 voucher if your flight is delayed two hours or over.
Ryanair
Cancelling your flight
Ryanair say that once a flight is 'operational' you cannot cancel it unless there is a delay exceeding five hours.
They say on the website: "All Ryanair flights are changeable but they cannot be cancelled."
You can of course not take the flight but you still have to pay for the ticket.
Re booking your flight
Passengers do have the option to change a Ryanair flight date. Rebooking a Ryanair flight costs £45 online or £60 at the airport.
Like easyJet, you may also have to pay for the difference in ticket prices if there is any.
Getting a refund for a cancelled flight
If you cancel a flight that has been delayed by more than five hours, or has been cancelled you are entitled to a full refund from Ryanair.
Jet2
Cancelling your flight
You can cancel your Jet2 flight through the ' Manage My Booking ' portal however all scheduled flights are non-refundable.
Rebooking your flight
Rebooking your flight with Jet2 will involve a £35 administration fee and as well as any differences in ticket price.
This can be done through the booking portal or on the phone with their airport sales desks.
Getting a refund for a cancelled flight
Jet2 will give passengers a refund if they aren't able to offer a suitable alternative according to their website.
TUI
Cancelling your flight
Flights or package holidays can only be cancelled if you are given the option to do so by TUI, in which case you will receive your money back in 14 days.
Otherwise you will not receive a refund.
Rebooking your flight
You can manage your booking on an online portal, similar to Jet2, but pieces can vary depending on your holiday package.
There is also a Covid flexibility policy, where you may be able to get a fee free change if you had to cancel due to you or someone in your party testing positive for Covid five days before the flight.
The flexibility policy is also valid if your area goes into a local lockdown or if your destination changes its regulations. The policy is set to remain in place until 31 October 2022.
Getting a refund for a cancelled flight
If your holiday has been cancelled by TUI you can get a refund through their refund request form where you will receive the full amount that you paid.
They do add on their website, however: "Please note that any incentive associated with your booking will automatically expire once you submit your refund request and cannot be redeemed as cash as part of your refund."
British Airways
Cancelling your flight
British Airways website says that you can receive a refund if you cancel your flight with their rules as follows:
- More than 3 weeks before travel: Loss of deposit or claim voucher credit for amount paid
- More than 72 hours before travel: Loss of 60% of the total package price
- Less than 72 hours before travel: No refund due
This may not be the case if you have booked a package holiday with a non refundable hotel, and the above refunds depend on the date that you booked, you can see more on their website here.
Rebooking your flight
You can rebook your flight with British Airways without having to pay a fee so long as you booked on or before 7 June and are due to return before 30 September 2022.
They add that if you booked through a travel agent then it may be up to them to handle a change in arrangements.
You will have to cover any additional difference in fare if your new flight is more expensive.
Getting a refund for a cancelled flight
You can receive a full refund if your British Airways flight has been cancelled. You can also receive a refund for additional costs in a package holiday.
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