Air travel disruption and heatwaves trigger spike in refund demands

BR-DGE senior travel specialist Emily Whalley said the situation for airlines and travel agents right now was one of "two stories" 

"On the one hand, travel demand is exceeding expectations and supply as consumer demand for holiday breaks and short getaways remains elevated," said Whalley.

"On the flip side, the industry faces a number of obstacles ahead with a summer of strike action increasing the likelihood of holiday goers experiencing cancellations, delays, and disruption."

Industry on notice

Whalley continued: "Severe travel disruption across Europe, as seen most recently from the recent heatwave and wildfires, will no doubt lead to high volumes of refund and delay repayment requests this summer period.

"While our analysis positively shows that searches for refunds among UK consumers have nearly halved since last year when airports faced staff shortages, the industry cannot rest on its laurels when it comes to refunds."