EasyJet has cancelled 1,700 flights during the peak summer holiday season.
The cancellations will affect about 180,000 customers between July and September.
If you’re unlucky enough to be one of them, here’s what you need to know about your right to be rebooked or refunded.
How will I know if my flight has been cancelled?
People whose flights are affected will be contacted by EasyJet – so if you don’t hear anything, you don’t need to worry.
You can also check your booking by logging on to the EasyJet website.
My flight has been cancelled – will I still be able to go on holiday?
Yes, the airline is obliged to offer assistance to rebook. This may involve rebooking you themselves, or reimbursing you if you rebook with a different airline.
EasyJet said 95% of travellers will be rebooked on alternative flights, although that leaves 9,000 people who have not been rebooked.
All customers will be given the option to rebook or receive a refund, EasyJet said. It has to do this by law.
What if I am rebooked to travel on a different day?
If EasyJet rebooks you on a different day, you can refuse that and fly with another airline on the original day of your departure – at EasyJet’s expense.
This is dependent on other airlines having seats available.
Can I get a refund instead?
Yes, you are entitled to a full refund if your flight has been cancelled.
If just one leg of a return journey is cancelled, you can ask for a refund for the whole trip.
Can I get compensation?
You may be entitled to compensation if your flight is cancelled less than 14 days before departure.
This will depend on the timing of the alternative flight you are offered.
If it leaves and gets you to your destination around the same time, you won’t get compensation.
But with under a week’s notice of cancellation, it will need to depart no more than one hour earlier than the original time, and arrive less than two hours after the planned landing.
For cancellations made with 7 to 14 days’ notice, the alternative flight must leave no more than two hours earlier than the original time and land less than four hours after the original time.
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Why have flights been cancelled?
EasyJet said it had been forced to act in response to the impact of air traffic control strikes in Europe and the knock-on effects of the closure of airspace due to the Russia-Ukraine war.
The airline is presenting this as a pre-emptive move – saying that by “consolidating” flights now it will be able to avoid last-minute cancellations.
