To Fly or Not to Fly

With the chaos this summer and cancellations being rife, many holidaymakers are now being extra cautious when planning to fly away for a holiday. Whether it is worried over the likelihood a flight may see cancellation or how wondering how easy it is to make an enquiry, most UK holidaymakers are weighing up all the pros and cons of the flights.

According to this article by Sky News, the worst UK airline for delays last year was Wizz Airlines, with an average of 14 minutes and 24 seconds delay from the schedule in 2021. However, with 2022’s more dramatic airline complications, these findings will likely see big changes to this list and longer average delay times.

Delay, cancellations, lost luggage, and flight times changes can be some of UK holidaymakers’ biggest worries. Wizz air reportedly left passengers stranded in Greece without informing them of their rights.

With that in mind, one of the important things to consider when booking your flights is to consider how easy and quick you are to receive a response if something were to go wrong on your holiday. Callcare recently undertook an investigation to find which UK airlines and which UK airports had the easiest methods of being contacted and measured their response time.

Callcare found that the fastest response time for an airline belonged to Emirates, who responded within 2 minutes from the initial call being made. The fastest responding airline was Gatwick Airport, which also had another quick response of 2 minutes. These can be comparable to Qatar Airlines, which did not answer the call, and Luton Airport, which did not even provide a contact number!

Knowing which airlines and airports are more likely to respond to you can be a relief when booking your holiday. Going with an airline that gives speedy answers can help settle your concerns when something does go wrong, and knowing you’ll have a response beforehand can put your mind at ease.

Another concern that reared its head this year was lost and misplaced luggage. Whether it was sent ahead on a different flight or held at the departure airport, many families found themselves missing their bags, with images of mountains of suitcases piled up at numerous UK airports.

If you are concerned about losing your luggage, one handy trick is to invest in an air tag. This simple trick allows you to track your luggage from an app on your phone and will allow you to find out where your luggage has got to. This can be handy when you need to find your suitcase amongst thousands of others and know if your luggage has arrived at the airport it is meant to!

As well as adding an air tag to your bags, another simple and traditional method is to provide a contact number and name inside your packed bags! Similar to the traditional ID tags you add to your suitcase handle, a simple contact sheet on top of your clothes can help reunite you with your lost luggage, especially if your ID tag is ripped off or damaged.

When planning your next holiday, consider all the impacting factors, including checking out some of the recent studies of the airlines you might fly from. Then, plan your options in advance in case of cancellations and delays. Preparing for even unlikely situations can help alleviate your stress should the situation occur, as you will have a solution or a plan in place.

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