Europe Travel: What Shock EasyJet Summer Cancellations Mean For You

British budget airline EasyJet has announced the cancellation of 1,700 European flights this summer. The move is set to affect 180,000 passengers, primarily those flying out of London Gatwick airport in July, August and September.

Most passengers have already been offered alternative arrangements, but some are reporting issues with the rebooking process. The airline blamed air traffic control issues for the preemptive cancellations.

Even if you’re not flying with EasyJet this summer, the situation could still impact you in the form of potential fare increases for summer flights on other airlines. The move could also persuade other airlines to make similar preemptive cancellations, removing more capacity and sending fares even higher.

Challenging conditions for air traffic control

Although not quite back to pre-pandemic levels, demand for air travel is at its highest in several years, but European airspace is increasingly constrained. Eurocontrol, the organization responsible for coordinating air traffic management across Europe, has warned of “challenging conditions” this summer.

High demand mixed with frequent air traffic control strikes, particularly in France, and the ongoing war in Ukraine are the major issues. Airlines are frequently forced to use longer flight paths, creating knock-on problems with schedules, especially for budget airlines.

Despite these disruptions, EasyJet has confirmed that it is not suffering from the same ground staffing issues that caused cancellations across various airlines in the summer of 2022.

The airline also stated it is operating at high capacity with more crew and pilots flying than ever before. It also emphasized that these cancellations were made in advance in an attempt to alleviate potential last-minute travel disruptions.

What to do if you’re affected

EasyJet stated it has already rebooked 95% of the affected passengers onto alternative flights, with the remainder to be offered refunds or alternative bookings.

Simon Calder of the The Independent said that up to 18,000 passengers have been rebooked to a different departure date, with many more rebooked on connecting flights through other European airports.

According to European rules, any passenger whose flight is canceled should be offered a flight on the original day of travel if there are available seats with any airline. Passengers who accept a rebooking on a different date are entitled to claim accommodation and meal costs from easyJet.

In addition, passengers whose flights are cancelled with less than two weeks’ notice are entitled to additional cash compensation of £220-£350 ($280-$450) if EasyJet cannot rebook them so they arrive close to the original scheduled arrival time.

All affected passengers should read the small print of EasyJet’s flight delays and cancellation policy. Although there are many services that will process your expenses claim for you, it’s easy to do it directly with EasyJet using their online form.