Flight cancellations have wreaked havoc on thousands of British holidaymakers and caused many to be stranded overseas following the Bank Holiday weekend.
British Airways, easyJet, Tui Airways and Wizz Air were forced to pull flights from their schedules as a surge in demand for travel amid severe staff shortages continues to pose challenges for carriers.
It sparked a scramble from holidaymakers to get home in time to return to work or school on Monday morning, which also coincided with a Tube strike in London.
The four-day weekend in the UK to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s platinum jubilee coincided with a school half-term holiday and resulted in a massive surge in demand for overseas trips. Airports were crammed with passengers, many of whom faced hours-long queues as well as flight delays and cancellations.
After cancelling dozens of flights at the weekend, easyJet scrapped a further 26 due to arrive at or depart from Gatwick Airport on Monday. These included journeys from destinations such as Bilbao, Madrid and Seville in Spain, Milan and Palermo in Italy, Geneva and Zurich in Switzerland, and Malta.
British Airways cut more than 100 short-haul flights at Heathrow Airport on Monday, although the airline said that passengers affected were given advance notice.
Tui Airways is cancelling six daily flights to and from Manchester Airport until the end of June in a bid to improve services.
Aviation data firm Cirium said 225 departures from UK airports were cancelled between Monday and Friday last week. That compares with 24 during the corresponding half-term week last year.
Many people who had their flights from mainland Europe to Britain cancelled booked trips on Eurostar only for services to be called off owing to power supply problems.
Travel consultancy PC Agency estimated that at least 15,000 passengers were affected by “last-minute changes” to flights on Sunday.
Chief executive Paul Charles said the alternations had “major knock-on effects” and “it will take three days to clear the backlog”.
Travel commentator and broadcaster Simon Calder told GB News there were “widespread cancellations” on Monday but easyJet flights in and out of Gatwick were by far the most affected.
“As a result, tens of thousands of people this morning are stranded out of position and a long way from where they need to be, and, of course, that is causing immense stress for people who are due back,” he said.
Grant Shapps, the UK’s Transport Secretary, on Sunday called for all holidaymakers to be given automatic refunds for cancelled foreign trips like they are entitled to for delayed domestic trains.
But Mr Calder said refunds are low down on the agenda for people who have found themselves stranded abroad and as a result missed work and school.
“They don’t want refunds, they want to be flown home,” Mr Calder said. “Getting their money back is the least of their concerns.”
One man named Jidi took to Twitter to call easyJet an “absolute disgrace of a company” after his flight from Slovenia was cancelled “while people were waiting in line to check bags in”.
“Put me on a flight home for Thursday and then only put me in a hotel until this morning,” he said. “Avoid using this company at all costs.”
A woman named Issy tweeted that easyJet had cancelled her flight eight hours before its scheduled departure and said "I can't fly back to Bristol from any German airport until Friday".
Nathan Possante tweeted a similar message of disappointment, saying easyJet cancelled his flight hours before he had been due to go to the airport.
“EasyJet thanks for the 4am message to tell us that our 9.45am flight is cancelled,” he tweeted. “A great way to wake up and plenty of time to reorganise another flight.”
Matt Wheeler, 37, a train driver from Nottingham, said he and his partner had to make emergency childcare arrangements after finding out their easyJet flight home from Amsterdam had been cancelled on Monday morning.
“It’s a farce… didn’t know about the cancellation until we arrived at the airport at 3.30am, no easyJet staff or any staff that could help us,” Mr Wheeler told the PA news agency.
“We now have to try and arrange family members to pick our kids up from school/childminders this afternoon and then have them overnight and take them to school tomorrow.
“They’ll have to take time off work [and] we will now miss a day’s work tomorrow as we won’t be home.”
Rex Glensy, 52, was among the Eurostar passengers affected by the power outage. On Sunday he was trying to get from Paris to London and said the lack of updates have caused “a black hole of information and [allowed] misinformation to flourish”.
“Delays happen and you can’t get too angry at that. What has been annoying however, is the complete lack of communication from Eurostar,” the film producer from London told the PA news agency.
Those heading to the UK described waiting at Gare du Nord station in Paris for more than eight hours, as Eurostar advised passengers not to travel on Sunday unless their journey was essential.
A Eurostar spokesman said "due to a problem with the overhead power supply near Paris, all services to and from Paris are subject to delays and cancellations".
A spokeswoman for Eurostar on Monday told The National that the power supply issue affecting services in Paris had been resolved, and that services were running normally with the exception of some trains delayed by 15 minutes on departure.
EasyJet pulled around 37 flights from its schedule on Monday, including 26 to and from Gatwick.
“EasyJet is operating over 1,700 flights today carrying almost 300,000 customers,” said a spokeswoman for the airline.
“Unfortunately, due to the ongoing challenging operating environment around 37 flights have been cancelled today ahead of customers arriving at the airport. We are very sorry and fully understand the disruption this will have caused for our customers.”
The representative said passengers would be given options to rebook their flights or receive a refund as well as hotel accommodation and meals.
“Our customer service hours and hotel accommodation sourcing have been extended to support impacted customers and help get them to their destination as soon as possible,” she added. “Once again, we are very sorry to customers impacted by the cancellations today.”
UK airline passengers have for months faced intermittent disruption as the aviation industry gets back to normal following two years of Covid-19 travel restrictions.
Airlines, airports and ground handling companies repeatedly called for sector-specific financial support during the Covid-19 pandemic as government travel restrictions suppressed demand.
Thousands of workers were laid off and employers are now struggling to recruit staff and obtain the necessary security clearances.
Mr Shapps has rejected calls to open the door to more “cheap” overseas workers in a bid to relieve the pressure on the aviation sector.
Asked whether he would temporarily allow more foreign workers into the industry to alleviate staffing pressures, told the BBC’s Sunday Morning programme: “The answer can’t always be to reach for the lever marked ‘More immigration’. There is not some pull that is going to relieve this.”
Downing Street said ministers and officials had been meeting with aviation industry leaders and Border Force bosses to increase “resilience for the sector throughout the summer” to avert further travel chaos.
But Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s official spokesman said it was ultimately down to the aviation industry to address staff shortages.
“We fully understand that the aviation industry – like many others – has faced significant challenges during the pandemic,” the spokesman said.
“But ultimately they are responsible for making sure they have enough staff to meet demand and we have been clear they must step up recruitment to make sure disruption is kept to a minimum.”
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
AUSTRALIA SQUAD
Aaron Finch (captain), Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Billy Stanlake, Mitchell Starc, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, David Warner, Adam Zampa
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
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
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Dhadak
Director: Shashank Khaitan
Starring: Janhvi Kapoor, Ishaan Khattar, Ashutosh Rana
Stars: 3
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Strait of Hormuz
Fujairah is a crucial hub for fuel storage and is just outside the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route linking Middle East oil producers to markets in Asia, Europe, North America and beyond.
The strait is 33 km wide at its narrowest point, but the shipping lane is just three km wide in either direction. Almost a fifth of oil consumed across the world passes through the strait.
Iran has repeatedly threatened to close the strait, a move that would risk inviting geopolitical and economic turmoil.
Last month, Iran issued a new warning that it would block the strait, if it was prevented from using the waterway following a US decision to end exemptions from sanctions for major Iranian oil importers.
HOW TO WATCH
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10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
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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
Tips for taking the metro
- set out well ahead of time
- make sure you have at least Dh15 on you Nol card, as there could be big queues for top-up machines
- enter the right cabin. The train may be too busy to move between carriages once you're on
- don't carry too much luggage and tuck it under a seat to make room for fellow passengers
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Bib%20Gourmand%20restaurants
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SPECS
Nissan 370z Nismo
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Transmission: seven-speed automatic
Power: 363hp
Torque: 560Nm
Price: Dh184,500
Sonchiriya
Director: Abhishek Chaubey
Producer: RSVP Movies, Azure Entertainment
Cast: Sushant Singh Rajput, Manoj Bajpayee, Ashutosh Rana, Bhumi Pednekar, Ranvir Shorey
Rating: 3/5
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
Crazy Rich Asians
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeon, Gemma Chan
Four stars
Citizenship-by-investment programmes
United Kingdom
The UK offers three programmes for residency. The UK Overseas Business Representative Visa lets you open an overseas branch office of your existing company in the country at no extra investment. For the UK Tier 1 Innovator Visa, you are required to invest £50,000 (Dh238,000) into a business. You can also get a UK Tier 1 Investor Visa if you invest £2 million, £5m or £10m (the higher the investment, the sooner you obtain your permanent residency).
All UK residency visas get approved in 90 to 120 days and are valid for 3 years. After 3 years, the applicant can apply for extension of another 2 years. Once they have lived in the UK for a minimum of 6 months every year, they are eligible to apply for permanent residency (called Indefinite Leave to Remain). After one year of ILR, the applicant can apply for UK passport.
The Caribbean
Depending on the country, the investment amount starts from $100,000 (Dh367,250) and can go up to $400,000 in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take between four to five months to receive a passport.
Portugal
The investment amount ranges from €350,000 to €500,000 (Dh1.5m to Dh2.16m) in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take a maximum of six months to receive a Golden Visa. Applicants can apply for permanent residency after five years and Portuguese citizenship after six years.
“Among European countries with residency programmes, Portugal has been the most popular because it offers the most cost-effective programme to eventually acquire citizenship of the European Union without ever residing in Portugal,” states Veronica Cotdemiey of Citizenship Invest.
Greece
The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Greece is €250,000, making it the cheapest real estate residency visa scheme in Europe. You can apply for residency in four months and citizenship after seven years.
Spain
The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Spain is €500,000. You can apply for permanent residency after five years and citizenship after 10 years. It is not necessary to live in Spain to retain and renew the residency visa permit.
Cyprus
Cyprus offers the quickest route to citizenship of a European country in only six months. An investment of €2m in real estate is required, making it the highest priced programme in Europe.
Malta
The Malta citizenship by investment programme is lengthy and investors are required to contribute sums as donations to the Maltese government. The applicant must either contribute at least €650,000 to the National Development & Social Fund. Spouses and children are required to contribute €25,000; unmarried children between 18 and 25 and dependent parents must contribute €50,000 each.
The second step is to make an investment in property of at least €350,000 or enter a property rental contract for at least €16,000 per annum for five years. The third step is to invest at least €150,000 in bonds or shares approved by the Maltese government to be kept for at least five years.
Candidates must commit to a minimum physical presence in Malta before citizenship is granted. While you get residency in two months, you can apply for citizenship after a year.
Egypt
A one-year residency permit can be bought if you purchase property in Egypt worth $100,000. A three-year residency is available for those who invest $200,000 in property, and five years for those who purchase property worth $400,000.
Source: Citizenship Invest and Aqua Properties
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Shubh Mangal Saavdhan
Directed by: RS Prasanna
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Bhumi Pednekar
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Boulder shooting victims
• Denny Strong, 20
• Neven Stanisic, 23
• Rikki Olds, 25
• Tralona Bartkowiak, 49
• Suzanne Fountain, 59
• Teri Leiker, 51
• Eric Talley, 51
• Kevin Mahoney, 61
• Lynn Murray, 62
• Jody Waters, 65
