Passengers wait at Gatwick Airport after UK flights were delayed over a technical issue. A new air passenger regulator which will take your rights seriously might be needed
Airlines haven’t caused this IT system meltdown. I have sympathy with them there. This summer has been tricky, with strike action across Europe as well as wildfires. However, they are routinely failing in something well within their control: their duty of care to passengers. Too often when flights are cancelled customer service is a distant dream, with phones jammed, digital helplines unresponsive and a lack of clear information. The result is a Darwinian scramble to find hotels and a rival route home at your own expense.
Flight options get withheld. Refunds can be slow. This has an impact on people’s financial and mental health.