UK eases airline penalties as jet fuel shortages threaten flights

Penalties on airlines that cancel UK flights because of jet fuel shortages have been eased, it has emerged, as the government issued fresh advice to reassure the public they can still fly and should stick to travel plans.

Airlines who cancel flights will not lose their rights to valuable takeoff and landing slots at busy airports, which can be forfeited when flights fail to operate over a period.

The change was one of the demands from operators who have been lobbying for government help in the face of rising fuel prices and a possible supply crisis.

Exemptions from the “use it or lose it” rule can now be granted during shortages by Airport Coordination Limited, the independent body that manages slots at UK airports. The government said the change would allow carriers to “focus on minimising disruption” rather than flying to protect slots.

Despite the move, the government said there was “no current need for passengers to change their travel plans”, in online advice published by the Department for Transport on Friday.

It said that UK airlines were “clear that they are not currently seeing a shortage of jet fuel” and that the government was regularly meeting with the industry to monitor the risks.

It added: “We recognise that families may be concerned, and that aviation and tourism businesses are operating in challenging global conditions. We are working hand in hand with industry to help flights keep operating.”

However, it also advised passengers to “continue checking with their airlines before they travel”, as well as having insurance.

It stressed that passengers have the right to a full refund or to an alternative flight to the destination if a service is cancelled.

But airlines have also lobbied to have fuel shortages count as an exceptional circumstance that would exempt them from paying any additional compensation should they cancel flights with less than 14 days’ notice.

While some European carriers have already cut back schedules – notably Lufthansa, which this week cancelled 20,000 summer flights – UK airlines have largely taken pains to promote business as usual, in the face of consumer anxiety about costs and cancellations.

The tour operator Jet2 on Friday said it would not add any fuel surcharge to flights or holidays booked this summer. Steve Heapy, chief executive, said: “Holidaymakers should have every right to book their hard-earned break in the sun without worrying about being hit with additional costs, and they can have that complete assurance when they book a flight or holiday with Jet2.”