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Holidaymakers are facing a potential summer of travel chaos. The Middle East crisis remains unresolved and tensions continue to flare in the vital Strait of Hormuz shipping and oil transportation channel.
As a result, holidaymakers are understandably concerned how issues such as potential jet fuel shortages could affect their summer getaways.
Closer to home, new EU rules requiring visitors to register biometric data at border controls also risk causing lengthy delays.
Before the peak vacation period begins, we look at the challenges facing travellers this summer. We explain your consumer rights should plans be disrupted and offer tips on how to survive a nightmare holiday – both at home and abroad.
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Since the start of the Middle East war, the price of jet fuel has surged from $831 a ton at the end of February to a current level of around $1,300, according to industry figures – a rise of about 56%.
The increase has prompted concerns that ticket prices will go up, and that flights will be cancelled, to cut airlines’ costs and preserve fuel.
Holidaymakers are currently being urged not to panic or alter their travel plans because UK airports hold stocks of fuel and airlines buy in advance.
In a statement, Tim Alderslade, CEO of the trade body, Airlines UK, said: “UK airlines are operating normally and fuel supplies remain stable with good visibility. To be clear, no flights are being cancelled due to fuel shortages and reports to this effect are incorrect.”
He added: “UK airlines are planning to operate their full schedules this summer, including the May half-term, and are looking forward to taking our customers away."
But according to figures from aviation data firm Cirium, some 13,000 flights are expected to be cancelled across the world this May alone. So, it’s understandable that UK holidaymakers have concerns.
The good news is that travellers who experience flight cancellations enjoy robust consumer rights.
When an airline cancels your flight, it must either get you to your destination as soon as possible, potentially with another airline (if that gets you there faster) or provide a full refund.
But the exact level of protection you’ll have for other elements of your holiday, most notably your accommodation, depends on how you booked your trip.
Consumer champion Jane Hawkes, who runs the Lady Janey website, says: “Package holiday customers have the best protection because the tour operator is responsible for the whole trip. This means you should be offered an alternative, or a refund covering flights and accommodation.”
But if you’ve booked flights and accommodation separately, then you could end up out of pocket.
Hawkes adds: “Airlines may refund the cancelled flight, but hotels aren't obliged to refund pre-paid stays if the room is still available. It’s not their fault that you can’t get there.
“This is why those booking DIY holidays should check cancellation terms carefully and make sure they have comprehensive travel insurance that covers disruption and missed departures. Taking out a token tick-box policy is a waste of time, money and effort.”
Contingency plans put in place by the government, should mean that flights aren’t cancelled at the last minute. Instead, travellers on less busy flights may be moved onto an alternative service.
Nonetheless, if you’re flight is cancelled while you’re in the airport, or it’s delayed, you may also be able to claim for costs you incur while you wait. Food and accommodation, for example.
Jasper Griegson, consumer rights specialist for the complaints platform Resolver, says: “It’s a good idea to keep hold of receipts, boarding passes, and any messages from your airline if your journey is disrupted. Many passengers don’t realise they may be able to claim money back after delays or cancellations.”
In recent months, lengthy queues at border crossings have also been causing delays for travellers potentially faced with missed connections as a result.
This has largely been due to the recent introduction of the new digital Entry/Exit System across Europe. It requires visitors from outside the European Union (and European Economic Area) to complete finger-printing and facial scanning at borders.
The roll-out has caused long queues at European airports and sparked warnings that delays could worsen over the peak summer holiday period.
Greece has announced that it will not be asking British holidaymakers to complete the process but, at the time of writing, neither Italy nor Portugal have plans to exempt Brits from the checks.
The checks should also apply at ferry ports and on Eurotunnel. However, technical glitches mean the roll-out is yet to be completed.
Despite the chaos that lengthy queues can cause, Jane Hawkes, warns that holidaymakers may not be able to claim compensation if their trip is delayed because of the new rules.
“If you miss a flight, ferry, or onward connection because of delays in security or border control, compensation is not applicable if regarded as outside the control of the airline or the operator. The biggest risk is when people create their own tight connections on separate tickets because one missed leg can trigger a domino effect of extra costs.
“Holidaymakers should allow much more time for travel this year, avoid unrealistic connection windows, and check whether their insurance includes missed departure and travel disruption cover.”
Jasper Griegson, agrees and says factoring in extra time is particularly important where a member of a travel party has any additional needs.
He advises: “For passengers travelling with any mobility needs, medical conditions, or any other special assistance requirements, it’s particularly important to prepare in advance and allow extra time at the airport. Travellers should make sure any assistance requests are confirmed with their airline ahead of departure and check regularly for updates before they travel.
“Depending on the destination, passengers can also use the official EU EES app in advance, which may help reduce waiting times during border checks.”
With a potentially disruptive backdrop of cancellations and delays looming this summer, it’s unsurprising more people are considering a staycation for 2026.
Online platforms Airbnb and Booking.com have both reported an increased demand for UK holidays since the start of the Iran war.
But, while you won’t necessarily have flights to worry about when you book a staycation, there’s still a potential for problems – especially if you’re booking in a hurry.
For example, some trusting holidaymakers have been caught out by ‘fake listings’ on online booking sites.
Jane Hawkes says: “If a property turns out to be non-existent, contact your bank immediately because you may be able to recover money through chargeback or Section 75 protections.”
Section 75 lets you claim back costs for items that are sub-standard or not as advertised, when you spend between £100 and £30,000 on your credit card.
Hawkes says: “If the accommodation exists, but is significantly different from the advert, for example dirty, unsafe, or missing promised facilities, take photographs immediately, keep copies of the original listing and complain straight away to the owner or booking platform.”
The key to getting redress is evidence, speed, and a clear paper trail for all of your communications and costs incurred.
Hawkes explains that: “You can do a ‘reverse image search’ to check authenticity of any adverts, particularly on social media platforms.”
There are various ways to carry this out. One option is to right click on a photo on a website and copy the image’s URL (effectively the bit of web coding that helps the picture to appear online) into Google Images. Alternatively, ‘drag and drop’ an image into the search bar.
Helen Dewdney, consumer expert from The Complaining Cow, says that when you’re booking holiday accommodation, you’re protected by the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
“The property and its facilities must also be as described. So, if the property does not match the description, you’ve been misled, or the site or owner has provided you with services not carried out with reasonable skill and care, then you can use this law to gain redress.”
Who you complain to depends on how you booked. Dewdney says: “Your contract is always with whom you paid the money. So, in the case of Airbnb for example, you would contact them. In contrast, an online service such as Vrbo advertises properties so you would need to complain to the property’s owner.”
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