As we near closer to the summer months, holiday goers are growing more anxious about the faith of the flights.
With the war on going war in Iran, and the closure of the strait of Hormuz, jet fuel has become very scarce, with the International Energy Agency issuing reports that Europe has about six weeks’ worth of fuel left.
Due to this shortage, those with flights booked are worried about what this means for their holiday plans.
With some reports saying that there will be few flights running this summer, to others like Ryanair operating as normal, it’s hard to know where us holiday-goers stand in this situation and how concerned we should really be.
According to the Chief Executive of the Irish Travel Agency Association Claire Dunne, if there happens to be a fuel shortage, flights will be consolidated rather than fully cancelled, particularly those busy summer routes.
“If they have multiple flights in the day or the week, it is likely they will reduce the schedule. That is more likely to happen then they just cancel flights,” she told RTÉ.
However, the reduction in flights might result in higher fare charges. Although we would love to get a last-minute bargain deal, those hopes are unlikely, with travel expert Eoghan Corry recommending that you book flights now.
While he does not anticipate that surcharges will be slapped on to flights booked to date, he does expect that late booker premium might be added. So, if you haven’t booked your flights yet, get booking now; these prices won’t be going down anytime soon.
In light of this crisis, KLM announced earlier last week that they will be cutting 80 of their European flights to and from Schiphol due to the price increase of Kerosene.
Closer to home, Aer Lingus has also made some changes to their schedule, with 500 flights removed over the coming weeks due to mandatory maintenance on aircrafts.
However, customers affected by these changes have been notified and are being accommodated on same day services at another time that suits them. These changes have affected 2% of its overall schedule.
Ryanair on the other have not announced any flight cancellations and instead are hosting a summer seat sale. Speaking to Sky News in the last few weeks, owner of Ryanair, Michael O’Leary says that the company “doesn’t expect any disruption until early May” and says that if this war continues then they may face disruptions in Europe as we enter June.
But for the time being, it seems nothing is changing Ryanair’s flight path.
The advice being issued to holiday-goes currently is to familiarise themselves with their rights and protections when it comes to travel and cancellation of flights.
Director of Communications at the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) Grainne Griffin says people need to be thinking about what will go wrong, whether or not issues in Iran are solved.
She recommends that anyone booking trips away looks at the terms and conditions to be educated in what they are entitled to.
She also recommends that those travelling take out travel insurance if they haven’t done so already. “Insurance is critical if you are booking a holiday yourself and to protect yourself if something goes wrong,” she says.
If you are looking to book a holiday and haven’t done so yet, it is advised that you book through a travel agent or package holiday for additional protections. These protections might come at an extra cost, but for peace of mind, it’s worth the spend.
Griffin warns that hotels are “under no obligation” to refund customers or change bookings as a result of flights being cancelled or changed. Not only should you read the airline’s terms and conditions but the accommodation you have booked too.
The question on most people’s minds during this time is whether or not they will be entitled to compensation, and honestly it depends. If the airline cancels a flight more than two weeks before departure, then unfortunately compensation will not be paid.
However, all other passenger rights when it comes to refunds or rerouting will still apply during this period.
Money that you are owed should be paid back within a month, however, if it takes any longer, you can contact the Irish Aviation Authority and issue a formal complaint.