From the Boroughs to the ‘Burgh

JetBlue flights from New York to Edinburgh taking off

Daily non-stop seasonal service from New York to Edinburgh introduces the airline’s award winning Mint® and Core product offerings to its fifth transatlantic market

To celebrate launch, limited roundtrip fares starting at £399 and $499 in Core and £1999 and $2999 in Mint Available  

JetBlue has expanded its transatlantic offerings with new, non-stop flights to Edinburgh taking off from New York.

Daily summer-seasonal service from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Edinburgh Airport (EDI) will operate through September 30, 2024, bringing JetBlue’s signature low-fares and great service to the United Kingdom’s second most popular tourism destination.

This new service, only the second direct offering from New York’s JFK to Edinburgh, provides much needed competition for customers travelling in and out of New York.


“JetBlue has redefined transatlantic travel by introducing low fares and great service in markets dominated by high fare legacy carriers,” said Marty St. George, president, JetBlue.

“We look forward to connecting Scotland and the Northeast this summer with our award winning Mint and core service that will bring this signature JetBlue experience to Edinburgh.”

John Lamont, UK Government Minister for Scotland said: “Our relationship with the US is a special one. We welcome hundreds of thousands of visitors to Scotland and the wider UK from North America every year and it’s also our top export market. This new direct JetBlue route from Edinburgh to New York City will really help strengthen links between our two great countries.

“Just last month, I walked down Sixth Avenue with other representatives from the UK Government as part of the annual Tartan Day celebrations in Manhattan, promoting our most important exports – whisky, energy and financial services, and our rich culture.

“This flight route will make it easier for visitors from the U.S. to come and see for themselves what a uniquely attractive destination we have here, while also easing travel for Scottish visitors wanting to explore the Big Apple and beyond.”

“I’m delighted to see JetBlue’s new Edinburgh to New York JFK flight take off, as it will help enhance Scotland’s direct connectivity to the US and strengthen important links for business connectivity, exports, and inbound tourism,” said Jim Fairlie, Connectivity Minister.

“This is the first time JetBlue has served Scotland and it demonstrates the confidence they have in the Scottish market. It also strengthens Edinburgh Airport’s case for establishing a U.S. pre-clearance border facility to help make travel more seamless and provide added benefits for Scottish businesses and visitors.

“I wish Edinburgh Airport and JetBlue every success with the new service, and I am sure it will be welcomed by travelers in both Scotland and the US.”

We are excited to welcome JetBlue to Scotland with the launch of this new direct service. North America is our most valuable international visitor market, and we are seeing record levels of demand here, welcoming almost one million visitors last year, surpassing not only pre-pandemic levels but also other parts of the UK,” said Malcolm Roughead, Chief Executive of VisitScotland.

“We know these visitors are drawn to Scotland for a variety of reasons from our dramatic landscapes to our rich history and culture and warm people, with Edinburgh, Scotland’s capital offering a well-connected gateway for exploring the rest of the country. 

“These visitors who often stay longer and spend more, are hugely important to Scotland’s tourism industry and wider economy supporting businesses, jobs and communities and why making it as easy as possible for people to visit here with direct access is key. 

“Following a difficult few years for the travel and tourism industry, we are delighted to be working with new partner JetBlue to promote this new direct service and encourage more US visitors to choose Scotland for their next holiday.”  

Gordon Dewar, chief executive of Edinburgh Airport. “We are excited to see another new airline and tailfin as JetBlue adds Edinburgh Airport to its fast-growing European network.

“Transatlantic travel from Edinburgh has been a real success story and adding more capacity to New York opens up another route for passengers to travel to and from Scotland and the USA, bringing our two countries even closer together.

“It’s always great to see a new airline make its home in Edinburgh and we are really looking forward to welcoming JetBlue’s passengers and our new colleagues to Scotland’s capital.”

Schedule between New York (JFK) and Edinburgh (EDI)

Daily seasonal service starting May 22 (Eastbound) & May 23 (Westbound)(through September 30, 2024)*all times local
JFK-EDI Flight #73EDI-JFK Flight #72
9:12 p.m. – 9:30 a.m. (+1)12:30 p.m. – 3:06 p.m.

Flights to Edinburgh will operate daily on JetBlue’s Airbus A321neo with Mint aircraft with 16 redesigned Mint Suite® seats, 144 core seats and Airbus’ Enhanced Cabin with XL Bins. The A321neo with Mint features an average 20 percent increase in fuel efficiency and up to 500 nautical miles in additional range.

The JetBlue Experience

JetBlue, currently the sixth largest airline in the U.S., is known for its unique, customer-focused model that offers great service at an attractive fare. With this new destination, JetBlue is once again disrupting transatlantic service with an elevated experience specially designed for its Airbus A321neo with Mint aircraft.

The airline’s Mint premium experience offers customers fully lie-flat private suites and a custom-designed seat cushion developed by innovative mattress company Tuft & Needle. In addition to countless intuitive design touches, every customer will feel at home in the air with the stylish and reusable Mint amenity kits designed by Caraa, containing popular wellness products from New York-based brands Dr. Dennis Gross and Plus Ultra, and sleep amenities by Tuft & Needle.

Mint customers enjoy delicious, restaurant-style small plates curated by Delicious Hospitality Group’s (DHG) popular New York City restaurants Legacy Records, Charlie Bird and Pasquale Jones. Their inventive culinary style and hospitality expertise brings the best inflight dining experience to Mint tray tables.

JetBlue’s industry-leading core experience offers a new level of service to customers who want an elevated inflight experience at an attractive fare with the most legroom in coachas well as innovative, fresh meals by NYC-based culinary partner DIG and a free selection of brand-name snacks, soft drinks, coffee, tea, beer, wine and liquor.

With the recently launched platform, Blueprint by JetBlue, customers in both core and Mint enjoy a personalized inflight experience through AVANT seatback touchscreens, featuring new ways to watch, save and discover a robust selection of inflight entertainment, including exclusive content from JetBlue’s streaming partner, Peacock. All customers also stay connected throughout the flight with fast, free and unlimited high-speed Fly-Fifor a multi-screen experience–just like they enjoy at home.

Book better with JetBlue

To celebrate the launch of new service to Edinburgh, seats are on sale today with low fares for U.S.-originating travelers starting at $499 round-trip for the airline’s awardwinning core experience and starting at $2,999 for JetBlue’s premium Mint experience. Scotland-originating travelers can enjoy special introductory round-trip fares starting at £399 for core and £1,999 for Mint available on jetblue.com3

Customers who book directly through jetblue.com are guaranteed to find our lowest fares and enjoy additional benefits including access to all of JetBlue’s fare options, as well as fare sales and promotions, some of which may not be available through other third parties; the ability to earn 2x TrueBlue points and participate in Points Pooling; seamless seat selections and upgrades to Even More® Space; 24/7 direct access to JetBlue’s customer service channels; and more.

About JetBlue

JetBlue is New York’s Hometown Airline®, and a leading carrier in Boston, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood, Los Angeles, Orlando, and San Juan. JetBlue, known for its low fares and great service, carries customers to more than 100 destinations throughout the United States, Latin America, the Caribbean, Canada, and Europe. For more information and the best fares, visit jetblue.com.

1) Based on baseline seat pitch of transatlantic aircraft

2)  Fly-Fi® is available on all JetBlue-operated flights. Coverage area may vary by aircraft. Details on inflight wi-fi and entertainment: https://www.jetblue.com/flying-with-us

3) New York (JFK) to Edinburgh (EDI) requires round-trip purchase & 3-night minimum stay. Book by 5/24. Travel 5/28/2024 – 7/31/2024. 3-day advance purchase required. Terms apply. 

Take off for Loganair’s new Scotland-Wales air link

Loganair, the UK’s largest regional airline, today launches its new direct service linking the capital cities of Scotland and Wales.

To mark the launch of the new route between Edinburgh and Cardiff, Loganair’s head of revenue and sales, Donna McHugh, will fly to the Welsh capital to meet Spencer Birns, CEO at Cardiff Airport.

The service will operate up to five times weekly on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays, connecting Scotland and Wales for business and leisure travellers alike.

Flights will be on Loganair’s 49-seat Embraer 145 regional jets, with prices on the 1hr 20min trip starting at £50.99 one way including all taxes and charges. All Loganair fares include a free checked baggage allowance.  

The direct flights represent the last major route to be restored by Loganair and other carriers, thereby bringing back the domestic connectivity lost when Flybe collapsed in March 2020.

The Cardiff service adds to the eight others already flown from Edinburgh by Loganair, including Southampton, Newquay and the Isle of Man.

Donna McHugh, head of revenue and sales at Loganair, said: “Loganair is delighted to once again be operating the Edinburgh to Cardiff route.

“It is vital that connectivity is maintained between these two major cities and we know it will prove very popular with both our leisure and business travellers.”

Spencer Birns, CEO at Cardiff Airport said: “It’s fantastic that Loganair has re-instated such a vital and in-demand route, re-connecting the Scottish and Welsh capitals.

“Once again, customers will be able to fly with ease between Cardiff and Edinburgh, and fly from their local Airport for business travel, to visit friends and family, or to experience the vibrant city of Edinburgh and Scotland’s natural beauty.

“It is our priority to re-instate routes lost due to COVID-19 pandemic, and we are delighted that Scotland’s airline has stepped in to provide an essential service to both our business and leisure customers. We’d like to extend a warm Welsh welcome to Loganair and thank the airline for their support.”

Kate Sherry, aviation director at Edinburgh Airport said: “We’re excited to be reconnecting the capitals of Scotland and Wales, a route which will allow family members to reunite as well as enable people to enjoy a well-earned break in Edinburgh and Cardiff.

“It’s been an extremely tough period and we know people are looking forward to enjoying some time away from home, and this is further good news as the airport looks to provide those opportunities for our passengers. Loganair is a valued partner and its confidence in Edinburgh Airport is welcome now and going forward.”

We want our money back!

Some airlines are still failing to refund passengers

Ryanair, Virgin Atlantic and Tui are failing to refund passengers in agreed timeframes, breaching recent commitments to the regulator that they would speed up their refund process.

Which? has seen evidence that the airlines are reneging on promises they made to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) about how they would improve their refund processes, including from some passengers who have been left out of pocket since March.

The findings come after the CAA reviewed airlines’ behaviour and identified several carriers that weren’t paying refunds ‘sufficiently quickly’, but opted not to take enforcement action after receiving commitments from the airlines to improve their performance.

However, Which? found that Ryanair, Tui and Virgin – all identified by the CAA as not processing refunds fast enough – are falling short of the promises they made to the regulator, prompting concerns from Which? that the regulator’s enforcement powers may not be fit for purpose.

The CAA told Ryanair it wasn’t satisfied that it was taking 10 weeks or longer to process refunds, and that airlines offering vouchers should also be offering passengers the choice of a cash refund. Following the regulator’s review, Ryanair published a commitment on its website that all refund requests up to the end of May would be cleared by 31 July.

But Which? has heard from Ryanair passengers who are still waiting for refunds from March, and who are still trying to get cash refunds after they were initially sent vouchers despite requesting cash refunds.

Virgin Atlantic told the CAA its maximum waiting time for refunds is 120 days, but some passengers have been trying to get refunds from the airline for longer than four months.

The consumer champion heard from two passengers who have been waiting over 130 days for refunds for flights that were cancelled in March.

Tui was reprimanded by the CAA for issuing vouchers and then making customers wait a further 28 days before they could apply for their money back. Tui told the CAA that “on average, cash refunds will be processed within 14 days”.

However, despite telling the regulator it is no longer automatically issuing vouchers, Tui still states on its website that customers must wait for a voucher before they can claim a cash refund.

Which? has heard from a passenger who is yet to even receive the voucher that she needs to claim her refund – or received any other communication from Tui – after her flight was cancelled in April.

Following its review, the CAA said a number of airlines have committed to speeding up the time it is taking to process refunds without requiring enforcement action, and that it would continue to monitor those airlines and continue to push for further improvements.

It said it would consider if enforcement action was appropriate if airlines failed to meet their commitments. However, it also highlighted that its enforcement powers are not well suited to swift action, and that it can take a considerable period of time for a case to come before the courts.

Which? is concerned that if airlines are continually allowed to openly break the law on refunds through this crisis, it will set a precedent that sees airlines continue to treat passengers unfairly without fear of consequence or sanctions.

Airlines have repeatedly been given the benefit of the doubt, but some have treated the regulator’s efforts to secure voluntary commitments with indifference. It is clear that more needs to be done to give the CAA the clout to effectively hold airlines to account.

Which? is calling for the government to enhance the CAA’s existing powers to allow it to more easily take swift and meaningful action against airlines that have repeatedly been exposed for disregarding the law and their passengers over the course of the pandemic.

The consumer champion believes this should be the first of a series of reforms to the travel industry, to help ensure the future of international travel from the UK and to help restore consumer trust in the sector.

Rory Boland, Editor of Which? Travel, said: “Time after time, Which? has exposed airlines breaking the law on refunds for cancelled flights due to the pandemic and treating their passengers unfairly, and we’re concerned that they now feel empowered to do as they please without fear of punishment.

“Passengers must be able to rely on a regulator that has effective powers to protect their rights – especially at a time of unprecedented turmoil. The government needs to step up and ensure the CAA has the tools it needs to hold airlines to account, or risk consumer trust in the travel industry being damaged beyond repair.”

Kirsty Ness requested a cash refund from Ryanair immediately after her flights were cancelled in late March, but on 20 April she received a voucher instead.

Kirsty has called Ryanair several times to cash in the voucher, but she has yet to receive her refund.

Palliative care nurse Jeanette Howard was sent a voucher for her Ryanair flights to Alicante that were cancelled on 20 March, even though she had applied for a cash refund.

She says she’s called the airline ‘on a daily basis’ since late April to ask to exchange the voucher for cash, but she’s still waiting for her money back.

Ryanair did not respond to Which?’s request for a comment.

Jeff Palmer and his wife were due to fly with Virgin Atlantic to Vegas on 9 April. He first requested a refund from Virgin on 31 March after they cancelled his flights, and told Which? he has tried ‘every method under the sun’ to contact them.

He received emails telling him it would be 90 days, then 50, then another 14, before receiving a refund for his flight but not his wife’s – despite it being part of the same booking. He told Which? he has contacted them several times since, and still no sign of a refund for her ticket.

A Virgin Atlantic spokesperson said: “The huge volume of refund requests we have received, combined with the constraints on our teams and systems during the pandemic, has meant that refunds have been taking longer than usual to process, and we sincerely apologise for this.

“Since April, we have been focussed on making improvements wherever possible. We’ve boosted the size of the team dedicated to processing refunds five-fold, with over 200 people now directly involved. This has increased our capacity to process a greater number of refunds, more quickly and we continue to minimise the wait time for existing refund requests.

“Thanks to the progress made, we are steadily reducing the maximum processing time for each new Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Holidays cash refund. For customers requesting a refund in August, we expect the maximum processing time to be 80 days, from the date the refund is requested. For those requesting a refund in September, we expect it to take a maximum of 60 days, and then reduce to 30 days for refunds requested in October, before returning to normal levels.

“Up until recently we have been committed to processing existing refunds within a maximum of 120 days, from the date the refund is requested, and we inform each customer when this is done by email. The timeframe begins from the date the refund is requested and acknowledged by a customer agent, not the date the flight is cancelled.

“We are aware that there are a portion of Virgin Atlantic bookings with pending refund requests which were incorrectly inputted and unfortunately now exceed 120 days for processing. This was an administration error and as soon as this was identified we urgently investigated. We are resolving this as a priority and any customers affected will have their refund processed as soon as possible.”

Kath Lowe’s Tui flight from Manchester to Tenerife was cancelled on 29 April, but she hasn’t received a voucher – or any other communication – from Tui and until she does she can’t claim a refund.

She says she’s tried calling Tui on many occasions but she’s never managed to get through to its call centre.

A Tui spokesperson said: “Customers with cancelled flight only bookings which were due to depart before 11 July were issued refund credit vouchers, and could then apply for a cash refund via our online form. These refunds were processed within 28 days.

“Customers with cancelled flight only bookings which were due to depart from 11 July onwards will automatically receive cash refunds. These refunds will be processed within 14 days.

“We’re really sorry to any customers who may have experienced delays in receiving their refund.”

Tui has also confirmed a voucher was sent to the case study in May but speculated it may have been lost in junk mail. They’ve now requested for this to be cancelled and a refund to be issued.

The CAA said: “We will review any supplementary evidence provided to us by Which? – beyond the 12,000 submitted to us during the review – but we will need to see individual examples in order to consider what further action is needed with the airlines.

“Throughout our review, alongside information received from airlines, we also used information from consumers and consumer groups, as well as mystery shopping from our consumer protection team, to determine what commitments were needed from airlines to improve performance.

“If we had not received such commitments during our review, then our next step would be to consider formal enforcement action. However, this enforcement process can take a significant period of time without providing short-term results for consumers. For example, the enforcement action we commenced against Ryanair in 2018 is not expected to come to court until at least 2021.

“While our initial review has finished, we have been clear that we will continue to monitor performance and should any airline fall short of the commitments they have made to us, we will take further action as required.”

Civil Aviation Authority reports on airline refunds review

But Which? says the CAA is failing the consumers it is supposed to protect

  • Review considered actions by airlines during the coronavirus pandemic
  • Civil Aviation Authority action has led to airlines making commitments to improve performance without requiring formal enforcement action
  • Quality of service and performance from most airlines has improved in response to bilateral engagement and the review, leading to refunds now being paid out faster
  • Civil Aviation Authority warns other European and international airlines that the consumers right to a refund must be protected

The UK Civil Aviation Authority has been reviewing the refund policies and performance of UK airlines and three of the largest international operators to the UK. A further five international airlines were included due to the level of consumer feedback and concerns that refunds were not being paid during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Civil Aviation Authority review is based on its own investigations, as well as information provided to us by consumers across email and social media, as well as through consumer bodies including the Competition and Markets Authority, the Northern Ireland Consumer Council and Which?.

At the start of the review, some airlines were not paying refunds, with others facing potential backlogs of numerous months.

We investigated airlines’ policies and practices to establish whether they were placing barriers in the way of consumers requesting refunds, through unclear messaging, difficult to navigate customer services and under-resourced call centres.

While we recognise that the coronavirus pandemic was an unprecedented situation for the aviation industry, our consumer team has worked to protect consumer rights and to influence airlines to change their processes and practices in order to improve performance in providing refunds. 

The Civil Aviation Authority now has evidence that shows that since it launched its review, and its wide-ranging engagement programme with airlines, all UK airlines are now paying refunds. Call centre wait times have reduced, in some cases significantly, and customer service messaging has provided greater clarity on consumers’ rights to a refund for cancelled flights.

Our review found that a number of airlines were not performing adequately. We have gained immediate commitments from these airlines to improve their performance and the time taken to provide refunds to consumers, without requiring enforcement action.

This is the most immediate way of providing benefits to consumers as enforcement processes can take a considerable amount of time to complete given the potential for legal proceedings. We have previously called for stronger, more immediate, powers to act to protect consumer rights. 

Other European airlines were not initially within the scope of our review due to discussions taking place between National Enforcement Bodies, European governments and the EU Commission. Engaging with these other EU airlines at that point would have potentially cut across these other discussions.

However, we have today written to a further 30 major European and international airlines that operate services to and from the UK to highlight the results of our review, and to warn them not to deny consumers their right to a refund. We will not hesitate to take further action against any airlines where necessary.

Commenting on the review, Richard Moriarty, Chief Executive of the UK Civil Aviation Authority, said: “The airlines we have reviewed have responded by significantly enhancing their performance, reducing their backlogs, and improving their processing speeds in the interests of consumers.

“Although we have taken into account the serious operational challenges many airlines have faced, we have been clear that customers cannot be let down, and that airlines must pay refunds as soon as possible.

“There is still work to do. We have required commitments from airlines as they continue the job of paying customer refunds. Should any airline fall short of the commitments they have made, we will not hesitate to take any further action where required.”

Summary statements for each airline are available on CAA website at the link below:

www.caa.co.uk/CAP1947

Rory Boland, Editor of Which? Travel, said: “The regulator is failing the consumers it is supposed to protect. The reality is that people are still owed millions of pounds in refunds, are facing financial and emotional turmoil, and continue to be fobbed off by a number of airlines who have been brazenly breaking the law for months.

“These airlines will now feel they can continue to behave terribly having faced no penalty or sanction.

“It is obvious that the CAA does not have the right tools to take effective action against airlines that show disregard towards passengers and the law, but more worryingly, it’s not clear the regulator has the appetite to use them.

“The government must use this opportunity to bring in much-needed reforms, including giving regulators greater powers to take swift and meaningful action, but consumers need assurances that these will actually be used against lawbreaking companies.”

Four in five Ryanair passengers still waiting for refunds

The majority of Ryanair passengers surveyed who have asked for a refund for a cancelled flight during the coronavirus crisis are still waiting for their money back, according to new research from Which?.

Which? surveyed nearly 2,800 airline customers that had flights cancelled since mid-March as a result of the global pandemic, to find out about their experience with their airline. Of those, over 1,600 people told Which? they asked their airline for a cash refund.

Ryanair was the worst of the UK’s four biggest airlines for processing refunds for cancelled flights, with 84 per cent of those who asked for a refund telling Which? they have still not received their money back.

Just five per cent of Ryanair customers surveyed said they had their money returned to them within seven days – the time frame that EU carriers are legally obliged to process refunds within. Only one in six (16%) Ryanair customers have received a refund at all.

Ryanair customers have continuously complained to the consumer champion about the airline’s approach to processing refunds, with numerous changes to its approach to refunds confusing customers of their options.

Despite initially telling customers it was processing refunds at the beginning of the crisis, customers reported that Ryanair provided refund forms that didn’t work, before attempting to force vouchers on passengers who had specifically requested refunds. It also repeatedly changed the timeframe for receiving a refund, suggesting at one point customers may have to wait up to 12 months for their money back.

Easyjet customers also reported finding it difficult to get a refund. Just one in seven (14%) Easyjet customers received a refund within seven days, and around three in five (63%) are still waiting for their money back.

In contrast, a quarter (23%) of British Airways customers and one in five (19%) Jet2 customers are still waiting for their money back, with four in 10 (39%) BA customers receiving their money back within the legal time frame, and three in 10 (29%) Jet2 customers refunded within the seven day window.

British Airways has previously been criticised for its approach to refunding customers, removing its online form for requesting a refund and instead directing customers to a phone line where they are often unable to speak to someone due to high call volumes.

Which? recently revealed that trust in the travel industry has reached an all-time low, with data from its Consumer Insight tracker showing that trust in airlines and holiday companies has dropped to its lowest score on record in the seven years the consumer champion has collected the data, following airlines’ handling of refunds for cancelled flights.

Following the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) announcing its investigation into airlines’ handling of refunds, Which? has launched a tool to allow consumers to report their airline to the regulator if they have been unable to get a refund for a cancelled flight, and is encouraging people to share their experiences.

Which? has also repeatedly called on the government to step in with urgent support for the industry, to allow airlines and holiday companies the financial means to refund their customers without fear of going bust, and to help restore trust in the travel industry.

Rory Boland, Editor of Which? Travel, said: “We have heard from thousands of frustrated passengers who have told us they are finding it almost impossible to get refunds they are legally entitled to from airlines, with some having waited months now without a penny returned to them.

“Some airlines are doing much better than others at refunding their customers, proving that while these are indeed difficult times for the industry, withholding customers’ money from them is simply inexcusable.

“The regulator and government cannot sit on their hands any longer. The CAA must urgently hold airlines that are brazenly breaking the law to account, and the government must set out how it will support the industry where necessary if airlines are unable to refund their customers without fear of going under.”

Time taken to refund British Airways Easyjet Jet2.com Ryanair
Within 7 days 39% 14% 29% 5%
Refund not yet received 23% 63% 19% 84%

Ryanair did not respond to Which?’s request for comment.

A spokesperson for British Airways said: “If a customer’s flight has been cancelled, they should call us to discuss their options. They can rebook, refund or choose to take a voucher to fly at a later date. Refunds can be requested at any point up to 12 months after the start date of the journey.”

A spokesperson for Easyjet said: “Customers on cancelled flights can transfer to an alternative flight free of charge or receive a voucher for the value of their booking online. Customers may also request a refund by submitting a claim in writing via a dedicated refund webform, online. We are processing refunds for customers and aim to do so in less than 28 days.”

A spokesperson for Jet2 said: “In view of the ongoing travel restrictions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, we have taken the decision to recommence our flights and holidays programme on July 1st. The health and safety of our customers and colleagues is our absolute priority, and we are continuing to monitor the situation very closely.

“Like all other airlines and tour operators, the restrictions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic have impacted us. With aircraft grounded, our focus has been on looking after the many thousands of customers whose flights and holidays have been affected, and we are very proud to have been repeatedly praised by customers, media outlets, industry commentators and consumer organisations for how we have been treating customers in response to the pandemic.

“We are continuing to operate a fully staffed call centre, and even though our teams are subject to the same difficulties and restrictions as everyone else, they are working tirelessly to proactively contact customers in departure date order to discuss their options. We believe that contacting customers in departure date order is the fairest way to deal with this, and the feedback we have received tells us this has been the right thing to do.

“We understand that these unprecedented events have had a huge impact on our customers, and we would like to thank them for their loyalty, understanding and patience.”

Report your airline to the regulator: https://action.which.co.uk/page/s/flight-complaint

 

Flybe collapses with 2000 job losses

UK airline Flybe has gone into administration, putting 2,000 jobs at risk and affected thousands of travellers, after a bid for fresh financial support failed.

The announcement came in the early hours of this morning. Flybe said the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on demand for air travel was partly to blame for its collapse, but the company has been in deep trouble for some time.

Flybe, which was the UK’s biggest regional airline, has advised customers NOT to travel to the airport unless they have arranged an alternative flight.

The UK Government issued a statement at 3.35 this morning. A spokesperson said: “Following a commercial decision by the company, Flybe has ceased trading.   

“We recognise the impact this will have on Flybe’s passengers and staff. Government staff will be on hand at all affected UK airports to help passengers.

“The vast majority of Flybe routes are served by different transport options, and we have asked bus and train operators to accept Flybe tickets and other airlines to offer reduced rescue fares to ensure passengers can make their journeys as smoothly as possible.

“We know this will be a worrying time for Flybe staff and our Jobcentre Plus Rapid Response Service stands ready to help them find a new job as soon as possible.

“We are working closely with industry to minimise any disruption to routes operated by Flybe, including by looking urgently at how routes not already covered by other airlines can be re-established by the industry.

“Through the reviews of regional connectivity and Airport Passenger Duty we have announced, we will bring forward recommendations to help ensure that the whole of the UK has the connections in place that people rely on.

“Flybe’s financial difficulties were longstanding and well documented and pre-date the outbreak of COVID-19. We are well prepared a potential outbreak and this week we have set out an action plan with details of our response.”

Rory Boland, Which? Travel editor, said: This will be terrible news to Flybe passengers, many of whom were loyal customers and used the airline regularly.

Unlike Thomas Cook’s collapse, most people flying Flybe won’t have Atol protection so the government is unlikely to step in and repatriate those abroad or provide refunds.

Instead passengers with travel insurance should check if their policy includes scheduled operator failure cover.

“Alternately, those who booked tickets costing more than £100 with a credit card will be able to claim from their credit card provider. If the tickets were under £100 or booked with a debit card, passengers can try to use chargeback from their bank or card provider.”