NEWS


CAA to seek new powers to enforce consumer refunds


Ian Taylor


The Civil Aviation Authority will seek new powers to enforce consumer rights to refunds following the delays to airline refunds during the Covid crisis. New CAA chairman Sir Stephen


Hillier said the CAA’s existing powers “have not been adequate” and described “greater powers” as “essential” in a speech to the Royal Aeronautical Society last week. He also warned of the need to


“calibrate the pace of recovery” by airlines to avoid “potential risks” to safety. Hillier, who took over as


CAA chairman from Dame Deirdre Hutton in August, said the industry would be dealing with “the profound consequences” of Covid-19 “for many years”. He insisted: “We need to reassure


consumers in relation to public health considerations and we need to reassure consumers in relation to their consumer rights. “The consumer protections in


place, particularly relating to refunds, were neither designed nor adequate to deal with the situation. “It has been a painful journey for


far too many [and] consumers will rightly tolerate even less a repetition.”


Hillier said: “We’ve expended


an enormous amount of effort in helping ensure consumers get the refunds to which they are entitled. [But] our current powers have not been adequate. Giving us greater powers to act is essential.” He warned: “Our effectiveness


in relation to securing refunds could be seen as an indicator of our effectiveness across the breadth of our responsibilities.” Hillier also told the society:


“There has been drastic shrinkage


CAA’s Sir Stephen Hillier


with the loss of many skilled and experienced individuals. The risks during recovery will be greater than those during the rapid downsizing. We need to calibrate carefully the pace of recovery.” On Brexit, he said: “[The CAA


has done] significant work to prepare for the range of possible outcomes. I’m not going to say the situation is risk-free, [but] we have contingency planning teams to ensure we respond quickly to any last-minute challenges over Christmas and New Year.”


Ski customers ‘booking very late’ Ben Ireland


Ski operators say customers are “desperate” to return to the slopes this winter but are holding off booking until the last moment. France was expected to relax


lockdown restrictions as Travel Weekly went to press, which could pave the way for resorts to open from December. Swiss resorts are largely open and most in Austria plan to resume in mid-December. Hotelplan UK axed chalet breaks


for this winter last week, blaming Covid restrictions, but said Inghams, Ski Total, Esprit Ski and Flexiski can still deliver the rest of their ski programmes once restrictions are lifted.


travelweekly.co.uk But operator VIP Ski collapsed


last week, saying it was “impossible to navigate a way through” Covid. Club Med plans to open all but


three of its 27 ski resorts, at 80% capacity, with hygiene measures and social distancing protocols in place. The all-inclusive specialist said


news of a vaccine breakthrough prompted a 25% spike in bookings and enquiries, with February, March and Easter popular. Club Med also reported that 69%


of customers were looking to book within a month of travel, in “stark contrast” to just 5% who booked less than three months in advance last year. More than six in 10 (61%) of its customers deemed it ‘a lot easier’ to


socially distance on a ski holiday than a sun holiday, and half (49%) said being outdoors, with masks and gloves already the norm, was “appealing”. Estelle Giraudeau, Club Med’s managing director for the UK and


Travel restrictions are deterring ski customers


northern Europe, told Travel Weekly: “We are finding clients are waiting a little bit longer to fully commit due to the current restrictions in place.” Craig Burton, managing director


of Ski Solutions, said skiers were “desperate” to travel. He welcomed the reduction in


quarantine which he said was the “the single biggest obstacle” to booking, adding that 50% of enquiries last weekend were for December. Typical skiers were “reasonably


well-off” so many could manage the “not insignificant” cost of Covid testing, said Burton. He accepted après-ski “won’t happen” but insisted: “The fundamentals of a ski holiday will be able to go ahead as normal.”


26 NOVEMBER 2020 7


PICTURE: Shutterstock


PICTURE: MOD Crown Copyright/Ian Forshaw


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