NEWS
More than 1,300 flights were cancelled on March 21
Trade shines as Heathrow closes but battle to recoup costs begins
Juliet Dennis
The trade has raised fears of a lengthy battle to recoup the cost of rebooking customers after again showing its value during the Heathrow shutdown last week. Europe’s busiest airport closed
on Friday after a fire at an off-site electricity substation caused more than 1,300 flight cancellations and affected 230,000 passengers worldwide. The shutdown is now
“Our members have spent thousands of pounds from their own pockets to rebook flights and accommodation – only to [now] face lengthy battles to recover those costs. “This is yet another example of
how operators are left to pick up the pieces and are suffering due to the failings of third parties.” Aito member Inside Travel
the subject of a six-week independent investigation by the National Energy System Operator into why flights were suspended for almost the entire day. Travel firms cited the impact as
“significant”, with many working longer hours and drafting in extra staff and some rebooking clients at their own cost. Aito, The Specialist Travel
Association, warned many operators now face a financial battle. Christina Brazier, head of industry affairs, said:
travelweekly.co.uk STORY TOP
Group, which had 29 bookings affected, said the crisis had so far cost it £20,000, not including extra staffing. Kuoni’s operations
team worked from 7am until 9pm on Friday, while
extra staff were brought in
over the weekend, with some “working through the night”. Other firms were able to use
their expertise to resolve clients’ issues within hours of the initial announcement. Sunvil Group managing
director Chris Wright rearranged all affected customers’ flights and transfers after seeing the news on
his phone at 3.30am on Friday when he got up to catch a flight from Heathrow to Athens. “We had just under 20 passengers
affected – mostly agent bookings – and it was sorted within an hour and a half,” he said. “We’ve shown time and time again the industry will pick up the pieces and react quickly.” Caribtours’ chief executive Paul
Cleary began contacting agents at 6am. The operator had 20 bookings affected. “This [Heathrow closure] had never been thrown at us before and we didn’t know how long it would last, [but] by 9am everyone was sorted out,” he said. Designer Travel agents started
rebooking clients at 5am and had completed most by 9am after liaising with suppliers to find alternative flights, accommodation and airport lounges, and even organised a celebration for clients travelling out to mark a birthday. The Advantage Travel Partnership
chief executive Julia Lo Bue-Said said: “Agents and operators demonstrated
exceptional professionalism and dedication as they rallied to support their customers during this unexpected crisis.” Inspire Europe chief executive
Lisa Henning said the incident highlighted the “immense value” of the trade, noting: “One of our homeworkers, who was on holiday in Morocco, immediately jumped into action.” Independent Travel Experts
managing director Gary Gillespie cited the main challenges as handling flight diversions and e-tickets not working on rebooked flights. “Having an experienced advisor can make all the difference in moments of disruption,” he added, but called for improved airline and airport communication to “prevent similar issues” in future. Travelpack said the cooperation
of agents and operators was key, but called for more collaboration between airports to ensure certain flights could
continue in the event of an incident. i Business: Analysis and reaction, page 48
27 MARCH 2025 5
PICTURE: Robin Murray
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