British Airways customers travelling between Abu Dhabi and London are enduring a second summer of disruption.
Thirty direct flights between the UK and UAE capital have been cancelled by the UK airline over June and July, with officials blaming maintenance requirements for its fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliners.
Customers have been left unhappy at the changes, with many complaining of flights being cancelled at short notice or being left out of pocket after they were rerouted to Dubai and told to pay to get to or from Abu Dhabi themselves.
It follows similar upheaval on the route last year, when several direct flights were cancelled over Ramadan.
Angry passengers have contacted the airline to complain. One unhappy traveller wrote on Twitter: "What a bad experience never again will I make the same mistake, flying with BA... flight cancelled they said you've got to fly from Dubai instead of Abu Dhabi... I said I don't mind if BA are going to provide transport or cover the charge of the taxi."
Last month, 18 direct flights between the UAE and UK were cancelled by British Airways. The Heathrow to Abu Dhabi trip and Abu Dhabi to Heathrow flight were each cancelled on nine occasions.
It emerged last week that disruption would continue into this month, with 12 more flights - six in each direction - axed between July 2 and July 9.
When the cancellations were processed, customers had the choice of a reroute or a refund, however any consequential costs, such as onward travel or booking a more expensive option with an alternative provider at short notice, are not routinely covered.
One passenger who recently had his BA return flight to Abu Dhabi from London cancelled, told how the airline flew him to Dubai instead.
But staff then refused to pay for his Dh350 onward taxi journey to get back to the UAE capital.
Only after pushing his case, did the airline eventually agree to refund the money.
“British Airways cancelled my return flight without much warning and, initially, without any explanation," the passenger said.
“Then they refused to pay for my taxi from Dubai to Abu Dhabi which I found completely unreasonable.
“Had I not kicked up a fuss they’d have never paid for the cab. I found their overall service really poor.”
The cancelled flights occurred due to required maintenance on the Rolls-Royce engines in the BA fleet of Boeing 787s, BA has said. The issue is not expected to be fully resolved until 2020, according to the website, London Air Travel.
Earlier this year, the airline also cancelled all flights from London to Doha, Qatar, during May 10 to 27 as well as some flights to New Delhi and Mumbai in India during May and June.
A spokesman for British Airways said: “Like a number of airlines around the world, we are carrying out detailed precautionary inspections on Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines which are fitted to our Boeing 787s, as part of the engine manufacturer's long-term maintenance and service programme.
"To facilitate the engine inspections and any associated maintenance we have had to make some minor schedule adjustments to our schedule and are rebooking customers onto alternative services or offering them a refund.
"The safety of our customers and crew is always our top priority and we would never operate an aircraft unless it was safe to do so."
Etihad Airways have continued to offer direct flights between London and Abu Dhabi over the period.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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Teaching in coronavirus times
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Specs
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Emirates exiles
Will Wilson is not the first player to have attained high-class representative honours after first learning to play rugby on the playing fields of UAE.
Jonny Macdonald
Abu Dhabi-born and raised, the current Jebel Ali Dragons assistant coach was selected to play for Scotland at the Hong Kong Sevens in 2011.
Jordan Onojaife
Having started rugby by chance when the Jumeirah College team were short of players, he later won the World Under 20 Championship with England.
Devante Onojaife
Followed older brother Jordan into England age-group rugby, as well as the pro game at Northampton Saints, but recently switched allegiance to Scotland.
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Engine 1.6L turbo
Gearbox Six speed automatic with manual and sports mode
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Fuel economy, combined 35.2L / 100km (est)
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How to volunteer
The UAE volunteers campaign can be reached at www.volunteers.ae , or by calling 800-VOLAE (80086523), or emailing info@volunteers.ae.
Teaching your child to save
Pre-school (three - five years)
You can’t yet talk about investing or borrowing, but introduce a “classic” money bank and start putting gifts and allowances away. When the child wants a specific toy, have them save for it and help them track their progress.
Early childhood (six - eight years)
Replace the money bank with three jars labelled ‘saving’, ‘spending’ and ‘sharing’. Have the child divide their allowance into the three jars each week and explain their choices in splitting their pocket money. A guide could be 25 per cent saving, 50 per cent spending, 25 per cent for charity and gift-giving.
Middle childhood (nine - 11 years)
Open a bank savings account and help your child establish a budget and set a savings goal. Introduce the notion of ‘paying yourself first’ by putting away savings as soon as your allowance is paid.
Young teens (12 - 14 years)
Change your child’s allowance from weekly to monthly and help them pinpoint long-range goals such as a trip, so they can start longer-term saving and find new ways to increase their saving.
Teenage (15 - 18 years)
Discuss mutual expectations about university costs and identify what they can help fund and set goals. Don’t pay for everything, so they can experience the pride of contributing.
Young adulthood (19 - 22 years)
Discuss post-graduation plans and future life goals, quantify expenses such as first apartment, work wardrobe, holidays and help them continue to save towards these goals.
* JP Morgan Private Bank
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
The Uefa Awards winners
Uefa Men's Player of the Year: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
Uefa Women's Player of the Year: Lucy Bronze (Lyon)
Best players of the 2018/19 Uefa Champions League
Goalkeeper: Alisson (Liverpool)
Defender: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
Midfielder: Frenkie de Jong (Ajax)
Forward: Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
Uefa President's Award: Eric Cantona
Richard Jewell
Director: Clint Eastwood
Stars: Paul Walter Hauser, Sam Rockwell, Brandon Stanley
Two-and-a-half out of five stars
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