Airlines demand compensation reform as NATS outage leads to cancellation of 2,000 flights

Airlines have demanded compensation reform as air traffic control chaos led to the cancellation of 2,000 flights across Europe.

More than 2,000 flights have been canceled in the past three days, following an air traffic control system outage that lasted several hours and caused a collapse in flight schedules and left thousands of travelers stranded.

Industry body Iata has forecast a £100m revenue loss for airlines as customers recoup food, accommodation and alternative travel costs, urging the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to review the compensation scheme and have National Air Traffic Services (Nats) contribute to the cost.

“It’s very unfair because the air traffic control system, which was at the heart of this failure, doesn’t pay a penny,” Iata chief executive Willie Walsh told Reuters. BBC.

He added that the UK should “review how passenger compensation is managed to ensure that those responsible for delays and cancellations ultimately bear the costs”.

Fake social media ‘look-alike’ accounts are now contacting customers who have publicly contacted EasyJet for help on Twitter/X, aiming to trick them into providing phone numbers as part of a scam. phishing.

Exclusive story of Andy Gregory here:

UK air traffic control system crashed in response to faulty flight plan, Nats boss says The Independent.

Martin Rolfe, director general of the air traffic control service, first revealed that the problem was initially identified at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, almost three hours before the automatic system disconnected, leaving controllers to manage the planes. manually.

British Airways has again suspended its usual policy of leaving middle seats empty in Club Europe cabins to London Heathrow.

Business class passengers are told: ‘As you may be aware, like all airlines using UK airspace, our flights have been severely disrupted due to the recent NATS air traffic control issue.

“While the issue has since been resolved, we are still experiencing significant repercussions, including inevitable delays and cancellations.

“As you travel in our Club Europe cabin on Thursday August 31, please know that we have made the difficult decision to temporarily use the middle seats, which are usually unavailable.

“Our cabin crew will still be able to provide you with the full Club Europe service, but we understand space is important, and we ask for your understanding on this occasion to ensure we don’t leave any customers behind.”

“We are working hard to get as many of our customers as possible to their destinations as planned.”

During an “Ask Me Anything” session to The Independenttravel correspondent Simon Calder answered a wide range of questions from readers worried about their vacation plans and the impact of the blackout on them.

The last week of August is a time of high demand for air travel, especially from returning holidaymakers, so many people have been affected.

Here are seven questions Simon answered:

An easyJet spokesperson said the airline was now operating its normal flight schedule after three days of travel chaos, triggered by an hours-long air traffic control outage.

The airline also apologized for the difficulties caused to passengers in a statement to The Independent.

“Following problems with the UK air traffic control system on Monday, easyJet is now operating on its normal schedule,” the spokesperson said.

“We continue to work hard to support affected customers and bring them home, including operating five repatriation flights as well as flying larger aircraft to particularly busy destinations.

“As more seats become available, we are contacting customers who we know have not yet returned home to try to get them on earlier flights.

“Seats on these flights will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis. We therefore encourage those wishing to travel earlier to call us as soon as possible on + 44 (0) 330 5515147.

“While this situation is beyond our control, we are sorry for the difficulty this has caused our customers and remain focused on doing everything we can to help them,” the representative added.

A family of six stuck in Turkey due to UK air traffic chaos have found themselves with £3,500 out of pocket to fly home.

Shamila Kauser, from Rochdale, Greater Manchester, who traveled to Antalya with her husband, four children, brother and family, said they were experiencing a ‘nightmare’ after their travel plans to arrive Monday may be extended until September.

Ms Kauser, 40, who works in the restaurant industry, said booking a flight for her family of six was ‘impossible’ and she had spent £3,500 with a different travel provider to her to try and arrange the next available return flight.

Ms Kauser told the PA news agency: “I’m stressed and very anxious.”

The mother-of-six tried to find a booking, which cost her more than £3,000, which she does not know if she will be refunded, after fearing she would not return to the UK by September 8 due lack of available flights.

However, his travel provider, On The Beach, managed to secure a 11.55pm flight on Friday night for the six family members with airline Jet2, when they were initially traveling with easyJet.

She explained: “On The Beach had to rebook me with another airline as easyJet did not have a seat until September 8.

“I have to go to work and the kids have to go to school, so I don’t have time to wait that long.”

An estimated 300,000 passengers have had their flights canceled since Monday’s air traffic control failure, and the cancellations continue: British Airways grounded a dozen cancellations on short-haul flights on Thursday.

Two London Heathrow-Berlin return flights are blocked, as well as flights to Brussels, Jersey, Luxembourg and Naples. But with the airline’s increased capacity on flights from Europe, the delay is rapidly diminishing.

Travelers from mainland Europe returned to the UK on trains and ferries and found space on some flights – easyJet adding rescue services at key locations.

At the start of Thursday, I estimate that around 80,000 passengers are still not where they want to be, but this number will drop sharply during the day as we approach a very busy Friday-Sunday weekend.

Former British Airways boss Willie Walsh said he found it “staggering” that the UK’s air traffic control system could have “collapsed” because of incorrect data.

Mr Walsh, chief executive of the global air transport association, the International Air Transport Association (Iata), told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I find it amazing, really.

“This system should be designed to reject bad data, not to crash the system.

“If true, it demonstrates considerable weakness which must have been there for some time and I am amazed if that is the cause.

“We will obviously await a full assessment of the problem, but that explanation does not hold up to what I know of the system.”