As the conflict in the Middle East drags on, consumers in the are becoming increasingly concerned over existing holiday plans or what to do if they have yet to book a summer holiday, not to mention half term in just a couple of weeks.
The travel industry, airlines and the UK government has repeated assurances but not long after the conflict broke out, senior airline industry bosses warned that the end of May could be make or break the summer holiday season with regard to air fuel.
New data from aviation analytics firm Cirium shows 296 UK departures have already been cancelled in May - equivalent to 0.75pc of scheduled flights - a sharp rise from 120 cancellations just six days earlier. According to LondonLovesBusiness, the spike reflects growing pressure on airlines from surging fuel costs, which have more than doubled since the escalation of conflict in the Middle East and ongoing disruption to shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz.
While the immediate impact on peak summer schedules remains limited, carriers have begun quietly trimming capacity. June’s planned flights are down by 48 compared with a week ago, while July is down by 31 and August by just 4, suggesting airlines are still assessing the scale of demand and cost pressures.
Figures for the peak summer months show week-on-week schedule reductions are currently limited. The number of outbound flights planned for June is 48 lower than a week ago, after 0.2% of flights were cancelled. For July the week-on-week reduction is 31, while the figure for August is just four. Airlines avoid being liable for compensation if they axe a flight with at least two weeks’ notice, meaning they can delay decisions on summer cancellations and still avoid payouts.
And, British holidaymakers are reconsidering their summer travel plans due to the risk of flight disruption from the US-Israeli war with Iran, a new poll for The i Paper has revealed. Travellers are increasingly nervous about going abroad due to the impact of the conflict, the survey by BMG Research shows – with the proportion of people saying they have already changed travel plans increasing from 12 per cent in March to 18 per cent in April.
In total, 29 per cent of the public said they had made or were considering making a change to their plans, with holiday companies operating in the UK reporting a surge in “staycation” bookings. The Leading British travel association ABTA, has issued a statement calling for “cool heads” with regard to booking holidays and UK travel. Mark Tanzer, Chief Executive, has stated “We can’t say it enough at the moment – flights are taking off and holidays are going ahead.
“ABTA is continuing to repeat this message, in the face of sensationalist newspaper headlines. The reality is that our members’ customers are getting away and are enjoying their holidays. We want others to be able to do the same by having the confidence to book, and the confidence to travel.
“Our members are often the first port of call for people seeking guidance, and many agents and operators will be having conversations with their customers about fuel shortages and cancellations, offering reassurance that their holiday will still go ahead, and that they can book with confidence. As we, the airlines and the government have been saying, the reality is that there is not a fuel shortage and travel is continuing as planned.”