Heathrow Airport is the worst in Europe for cancellations, the UK's transport committee is told as it attempts to tackle Britain's continuing travel chaos.
Mass redundancies by top airlines, including British Airways, have been blamed for the cancellations and queues at the airports.
On Tuesday, the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee heard evidence about flight cancellations and compensation.
It heard that the worst airline was British Airways, which is cancelling 114 flights a day, followed by easyJet.
“The top airline for cancellations on a daily basis is British Airways,” travel journalist Simon Calder said.
“In some cases they are doing it gentle three weeks before, none of the at the gate last minute cancellations. There are 20,000 seats a day not operating. easyJet cancelled 55 today but the cancellations are much closer to the day. Wizz Air started well but are now having problems.”
He said Ryanair and Jet2 were the best to “guarantee getting there”.
Mr Calder said Heathrow was the worst airport when it came to cancellations, followed by Amsterdam and Gatwick.
Oliver Richardson, national officer for Civil Air Transport, Unite, said the airlines who made the most redundancies are suffering the worst.
“When you look at who is performing worst is correlates with the companies that carried out the most redundancies. Ryanair agreed on no redundancies and a different position was taken by British Airways who lost 10,000 staff through redundancies. They got rid of too many people.”
Passengers in the arrivals hall of Terminal 5 at London Heathrow Airport in London, UK, on Monday. Bloomberg
British Airways refused to respond when the panel asked if its “aggressive sack and rehire” policy was the reason for the mass cancellations.
“We were losing £20m a day and the airline was in a very precarious position, and we had to secure the airlines future,” Lisa Tremble, British Airways' chief corporate affairs and sustainability director, said.
She said up to 85 per cent of people whose flights have been cancelled had been offered an alternative flight within 24 hours.
EasyJet said it had made 2,000 redundancies and accepted it needs improve.
“We haven't got it right and we need to get it right,” said Sophie Dekkers, chief commercial officer at easyJet.
It has been cancelling 55 flights a day but said it was providing refunds within four days and compensation within seven days.
The panel was told 30 per cent of the people working in the industry were EU citizens and many have left the country, and other former employees have now sought careers in different industries.
Sue Davies, head of consumer rights and food policy, Which?, said the airlines need to be held to account.
“There is blatant flouting of consumer rights,” she said.
“We need some short-term action but there needs to be an overhaul of consumer rights. Many airlines are breaking the law with no consequences. We feel this is a systemic problem across the sector that needs a longer term solution. The CAA is not being proactive enough. Ryanair is the worst for compensation, some people are waiting five years.”
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Tenants also require a letter of no objection from their landlord before being allowed to list the property.
There is a cost of Dh1,590 before starting the process, with an additional licence fee of Dh300 per bedroom being rented in your home for the duration of the rental, which ranges from three months to a year.
Anyone hoping to list a property for rental must also provide a copy of their title deeds and Ejari, as well as their Emirates ID.
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
