The Commons Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS)
Committee will question airline bosses, unions and aviation
industry bodies over flight cancellations faced by holidaymakers
over the half-term holiday at an evidence session on 14 June.
Ahead of the session, the Committee has also launched a
survey to canvas the public for their experiences at
airports and with airlines.
In its survey, the Committee asks those affected how much notice
they get before their flights had been cancelled and whether
compensation was offered and paid.
Travel writer Simon Calder and representatives from consumer
choice publication Which? will also give
evidence on the passenger experience.
The aviation sector laid off tens of thousands of workers over
the last two years due to losses sustained over the coronavirus
pandemic and have struggled to match recruitment with a sharp
rise in demand. This week, Heathrow Airport’s chief
executive, John Holland-Kaye warned
it could take 18 months to fully recover.
The Committee, which is also running an inquiry
into UK Labour Markets,
will look into the causes of these issues, what could have been
done better by the airlines, and question Aviation Minister
Robert Courts on what more the Government could be doing to ease
the crisis. The Committee has recently finished taking evidence
on how consumer rights legislation needs to be updated in the
interests of consumers, as part of its Post-Brexit Competition
and State Aid inquiry.
In April, a Commons Transport
Committee report recommended a number of ways that the
Government could reduce disruption and speed-up recruitment. This
included considering increasing the ratio of trainees to
supervising security officers above the current 3:1 and easing
pinch points at immigration by speeding-up e-gate maintenance.
Commenting ahead of Tuesday’s meeting, Committee Chairman , said: “Thousands
of people have been affected by chaos at airports in recent weeks
with the prospect of delays and cancellations continuing into the
Summer. It’s right that the public get answers about what is
causing these issues, how it will be fixed and how consumer
rights are being properly enforced with refunds and compensation
being paid promptly.”
Confirmed witnesses at time of publication;
Richard Moriarty, Chief Executive, Civil
Aviation Authority;
Simon Calder, Travel Writer and Broadcaster;
Oliver Richardson, National Aviation Officer,
Unite;
, Parliamentary
Under Secretary of State, Department of Transport; and
Karen Dee, Chief Executive, Airport Operators
Association;
Representatives from;
TUI; and
Full list of witnesses and timings to be confirmed in due course.
WATCH
LIVE on Parliament
TV at 10.15am, Tuesday 14 June
2022
