Friday, June 03, 2022
Fortress Britain shares blame for holiday chaos
I had an inkling that 2022 would not be a good year for a foreign holiday, so I booked a fortnight in Cornwall instead. Nevertheless, those who have paid for a bit of sun are quite rightly agrieved at the way they are being treated by travel companies, who, it seems, can cancel at will, with only the offer of vouchers for a future excursion as recompense.
In many cases passengers are being taken off the plane, minutes before they are due to depart. I don't blame them for being angry, but they should remember that they don't need to accept the voucher. They can insist on a full cash refund, which they could then spend with a more understanding and competent operator.
Of course, travel companies are struggling, along with many other businesses, to recruit the staff they need to enable them to fulfill their obligations. That does not excuse the lack of proper planning, which has turned a crisis into misery for thousands of holidaymakers. It does though beg the question as to why Government ministers are not doing more to help, instead of headline seeking in an effort to place themselves on the side of vacationers.
As the Guardian reports, industry bosses and unions have criticised the transport secretary for being disingenuous in rejecting calls for an emergency visa for aviation workers to tackle the chaos at airports, while at the same time criticising tour operators for not getting their act together:
Sources in the sector speaking to the BBC accused Grant Shapps of ruling out filling shortages of ground and air staff by amending the government’s shortage occupation list.
The UK’s understaffed airports have struggled to cope with a rise in demand during half-term, with tourists hit by lengthy queues and flight cancellations.
More than 30,000 employees have been laid off by British airlines over the past two years. Half-term is the industry’s first significant test since UK Covid travel restrictions were lifted in March, with the head of one airport saying it takes time to rebuild staff numbers.
Although queues appeared to have died down by Thursday, there are fears the industry will not be able to cope with the resurgence in demand in July and August.
The Department for Transport and the aviation industry have set up a group to discuss mitigating travel issues in time for the summer holidays.
Privately, bosses have questioned why some people – including chefs and ballet dancers – are entitled to a skilled worker visa while aviation employees are not.
Shapps is absolutely right when he says that resourcing strains on the sector do “not excuse poor planning and overbooking flights that they [airlines] cannot service”, but at the same tine, his insistence on maintaining the government's 'fortress Britain' approach to recruitment, is adding to the crisis.
If he genuinely wants to help, then he will relax the bar on recruiting aviation workers from overseas, and he will do so now, before the chaos spills over into the summer.
In many cases passengers are being taken off the plane, minutes before they are due to depart. I don't blame them for being angry, but they should remember that they don't need to accept the voucher. They can insist on a full cash refund, which they could then spend with a more understanding and competent operator.
Of course, travel companies are struggling, along with many other businesses, to recruit the staff they need to enable them to fulfill their obligations. That does not excuse the lack of proper planning, which has turned a crisis into misery for thousands of holidaymakers. It does though beg the question as to why Government ministers are not doing more to help, instead of headline seeking in an effort to place themselves on the side of vacationers.
As the Guardian reports, industry bosses and unions have criticised the transport secretary for being disingenuous in rejecting calls for an emergency visa for aviation workers to tackle the chaos at airports, while at the same time criticising tour operators for not getting their act together:
Sources in the sector speaking to the BBC accused Grant Shapps of ruling out filling shortages of ground and air staff by amending the government’s shortage occupation list.
The UK’s understaffed airports have struggled to cope with a rise in demand during half-term, with tourists hit by lengthy queues and flight cancellations.
More than 30,000 employees have been laid off by British airlines over the past two years. Half-term is the industry’s first significant test since UK Covid travel restrictions were lifted in March, with the head of one airport saying it takes time to rebuild staff numbers.
Although queues appeared to have died down by Thursday, there are fears the industry will not be able to cope with the resurgence in demand in July and August.
The Department for Transport and the aviation industry have set up a group to discuss mitigating travel issues in time for the summer holidays.
Privately, bosses have questioned why some people – including chefs and ballet dancers – are entitled to a skilled worker visa while aviation employees are not.
Shapps is absolutely right when he says that resourcing strains on the sector do “not excuse poor planning and overbooking flights that they [airlines] cannot service”, but at the same tine, his insistence on maintaining the government's 'fortress Britain' approach to recruitment, is adding to the crisis.
If he genuinely wants to help, then he will relax the bar on recruiting aviation workers from overseas, and he will do so now, before the chaos spills over into the summer.
