Thousands of UK passengers have been impacted by late-notice cancelations from British Airways and easyJet ahead of the bank holiday weekend. BA canceled around 50 flights to and from Heathrow, while easyJet scrapped ten Gatwick flights.

UK weekend travel disruption

Travelers in the UK have told of their dismay after their flights were abruptly canceled before the bank holiday weekend, many with just a few hours notice. Both British Airways and easyJet blamed adverse weather conditions in London and Europe for the sudden cancelations.

As reported by The Independent, among BA's 50 cancelations from London Heathrow include three round-trips to Rome, two to Copenhagen, Edinburgh, and Stockholm, and services to Athens, Venice, and Vienna.

A spokesperson for BA commented,

"Like other airlines, due to adverse weather conditions experienced in the London area and across Europe, we’ve made some minor adjustments to our short-haul schedule."

easyJet canceled around ten flights out of London Gatwick, including services to Athens, Edinburgh, Milan, and Valencia, and also scrapped over 35 flights on Thursday.

An easyJet spokesperson commented,

"Due to the impact of ATC restrictions across the network yesterday caused by adverse weather conditions across the UK and Europe which also resulted in the temporary suspension of operations at London Gatwick, some flights yesterday evening have been unable to operate as planned."

Busiest day since pre-pandemic

According to aviation analytics company Cirium, over 11,000 passengers were due to fly from UK airports on Friday. This would have been the highest level of traffic since October 2019 and a 10% increase on 2022, but almost certainly won't have reached this given the cancelations.

Photo: Tom Eversley | Shutterstock

The timing of the cancelations has been particularly bad for travelers, given it fell on one of the busiest holiday periods of the year. Airlines have struggled to find hotel rooms for affected passengers and will only cover up to a certain price. For example, passengers stuck in Edinburgh have been forced to pay up to £400 for a hotel, as the city is currently hosting the popular Edinburgh Fringe and Television Festival.

On a positive note for easyJet, a planned strike at Gatwick this weekend has been called off after ground handlers were offered an improved contract.

Which? calls for more fining powers

Consumer group Which? continues to campaign for rules changes that enable the UK's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to fine airlines directly. The idea is that if airlines were to face heavier penalties for cancelations, they would be more wary of making short-notice cancelations.

Photo: Rob Wilson/Shutterstock

Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel told The National,

"The CAA must be given the powers it needs to take action against airlines when they fail customers in the event of disruption – including the ability to fine companies directly."

Which? adds that over the past 20 years, no airlines operating in the UK have faced any fines for breaching consumer rights laws. As the CAA can't act directly, it has to apply to the courts if it wants action taken against an airline. Since 2003, it has only ever done this once - in 2018 - following Ryanair strikes, which led to a protracted four-year legal battle.

Are you scheduled to fly from the UK this bank holiday weekend? What is the worst travel disruption you have experienced? Let us know your stories in the comments.

Source: The Independent, The National