Latest news with #LondonGatwickAirport
The Irish Sun
06-05-2025
- The Irish Sun
Holiday warning for Brits with ‘in-date' passports as tourists are being turned away at the border
HOLIDAYMAKERS are being turned away from their flights at the airport even if their passport is said to be "in date". New rules introduced after Brexit continue to cause problems for tourists heading to Europe . Advertisement 2 A woman has revealed how she Credit: Alamy Previously allowing passports to be up to 10 years and nine months old, the current rules no longer allow the extra nine months that could be rolled over. And with Europe requiring at least three months left on a passport from Brits, the two rules have caused confusion by border staff. A UK tourist was banned from boarding her Norwegian flight from London Gatwick to Copenhagen after the airline said her passport had expired. After trying to board her flight back in March, her passport start date was June 2015, with the expiry in August. Advertisement Read more on passports But the airline said this was not acceptable. She told "But there is no such rule. This decision demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding of the actual entry requirements.' Not only did she have to fly to Glasgow for a last-minute passport appointment, but she said she was left out of pocket £700 after missing two days of work in Copenhagen. Advertisement A Norwegian spokesperson said they were enforcing the rules as they had to "comply with local border control directives which are currently unclear". Earlier this year, a Norwegian staff member told London Gatwick Airport due to the confusing passport rules. What do you need to do to ensure your passport is OK for travel? The confusion is due to the two new rules - being less than 10 years old and having three months left on it - with some airlines following them both. However, the rules can run separately to each other. Advertisement This means you can travel on a passport up to the day of it being 10 years old, as long as there are three months on the expiry. For example, a tourist arriving in Europe on July 1, 2025 for a two week holiday can do so if their passport starts on July 2, 2015, with an expiry of December 2015. Despite this, holidaymakers are urged to renew their passports if in doubt ahead of a holiday to avoid being banned from flying. And Brits needing new passports will have to fork out even more after the Advertisement The standard price for a passport is now £94.50 - up £6. Passport Rules Everything you need to know about passports Whether you need a This is How long a A How to How to get The Why Make sure it doesn't have any damage either after a couple were banned from their Earlier this year, two pensioners were stopped from boarding their flight because of 2 Brits should renew their passports if they are worried about them being valid for their holiday Credit: Alamy Advertisement
Telegraph
28-04-2025
- Telegraph
The airports and flights impacted by Europe's power outage
The airline confirms that the incident has left them unable to operate two flights from Bristol Airport, and one from London Luton. London Gatwick Airport also reported delayed flights to affected areas. Portuguese airline TAP Air said: 'Due to the power cut in several European countries, the operation of airports is temporarily very limited. TAP requests that [passengers] do not go to the airport until further information.' Spain's energy operator, Red Electrica, has estimated that it will take between six and 10 hours to restore power in the country. REN in Portugal said it believes it could take up to a week for normal service to resume. A message to travellers on Barcelona-El Prat Airport's website suggests disruption is expected to continue: 'Due to the power outage, some incidents are occurring at the airports. Contingency generators are active. Please check with your airline, as there may be disruptions to access and ground transportation.' The airport's departure board presents ongoing delays and cancellations. Here we explain what affected passengers need to know. Read our full guide to compensation here. What happens if my flight is cancelled? If your flight to or from a UK or EU airport (or with a UK/EU airline) is cancelled outright, whatever the reason, your airline must offer you either a full refund or a seat on the soonest available alternative flight, even if it is with a rival carrier. Contact your airline directly if you do wish to claim a refund, but beware that in doing so you will waive your right to being placed on another flight. What happens if my flight is cancelled and I have booked a package holiday through a tour operator? If you have booked a package holiday through an ATOL-protected tour operator and your flight has been cancelled, then you will either be placed on the next reasonable available flight (potentially from a different airport) or offered a full refund or rebooking option. My flight is delayed: what support am I entitled to? In the event of a long delay, and regardless of the cause, airlines must provide food and drink appropriate to the time of day (often in the form of a voucher) and a means of communicating your delay or a refund for the cost of essential phone calls. For overnight delays, you must be given hotel accommodation and transport to it – or to return home if you are on the outward leg. If there's major disruption, you may have to make your own arrangements and claim back the cost. Be reasonable when booking accommodation – don't expect a full refund for an expensive hotel unless there is no alternative. Receipts are essential. A long delay means, for short flights (up to 1,500km), two hours or more; for mid-haul journeys (1,500 to 3,500km), three hours; for longer trips, four hours. Can I get compensation if my flight is delayed? To claim additional cash compensation, the hold-up must have been the airline's fault. This does not include severe weather, for example, and will not include this week's power outage. Can I get compensation if my flight is cancelled? Again, this applies only if the airline is to blame for your flight being cancelled. Can I claim if a shorter delay means I miss a connecting flight? Yes, if all the flights are made under the same booking reference and the connection is made at an EU airport. For example, if you are due to fly from London via Madrid to Buenos Aires and you miss your connection in Madrid because the flight from London arrives an hour late, you can claim for long-haul compensation as long as the delay in arriving at your final destination, in this case Buenos Aires, is more than three hours.
BBC News
16-04-2025
- BBC News
Newquay flight takes 'precautionary diversion' to Exeter Airport
A flight scheduled to land at Cornwall Airport Newquay was diverted to Exeter as "a precaution", an airline operator has Airways said a cockpit warning light for "a flap configuration issue" appeared during the T3 458 service from London Gatwick Airport to Newquay on Tuesday said the warning light appeared during the approach into Newquay and as a result a decision was made to divert the ATR 72-600 plane to Exeter to avoid the "strong and gusting winds".The operator said the light "extinguished" on the descent to Exeter and the aircraft made a "normal and safe" landing. 'Safety is top priority' "The passengers were then transported by road to Newquay while the aircraft underwent engineering checks as a precaution," it said."The aircraft will not be released back into service until the cause of the spurious warning light has been identified. "We would like to apologise to our customers who were affected by this diversion but reassure everyone that safety is always our top priority at Eastern Airways."
Bahrain News Gazette
31-03-2025
- Business
- Bahrain News Gazette
Gulf Air Launches Direct Flights to London Gatwick
Manama: Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, celebrated the launch of its inaugural direct flight from Bahrain International Airport to London Gatwick Airport, marking a strategic expansion of its route network. According to Bahrain News Agency, with this new service, Gulf Air adds Gatwick as a second London destination, complementing its longstanding operations at Heathrow Airport, which began in 1970. The addition of Gatwick will strengthen Gulf Air's presence in the United Kingdom by offering access to two major international gateways in the British capital. Passengers on the inaugural flight were welcomed at Bahrain International Airport with activities to highlight Gulf Air's commitment to strengthening Bahrain's connectivity with global destinations. Upon arrival at London Gatwick, passengers were welcomed by Gulf Air representatives, including Hanadi Al Aali, Chief Customer Experience Officer. They were joined by Jonathan Pollard, Chief Commercial Officer at London Gatwick Airpor t. The new route reflects Gulf Air's strategic approach to improving travel services and expanding its destination network to meet the diverse needs of its customers.
Sky News
21-03-2025
- Sky News
Chaos in the skies: 'Nightmare' Heathrow shutdown in numbers
Almost all flights due to arrive at and depart from London Heathrow were cancelled in the early hours of Friday morning, sending worldwide air transport into chaos. The airport's announcement came after a fire broke out at an electrical substation in Hayes, about 1.5 miles north of the airport, shutting off power to the surrounding area. By 7.45am, a time that usually sees about 200 planes bound for the airport on a typical Friday, the airspace above Heathrow had fallen silent. As the world's second-busiest airport, the sudden flight cancellations at Heathrow have left hundreds of thousands of passengers stranded around the globe. More than 1,350 flights have been directly affected, both by cancellations and delays. About 680 outbound flights and roughly the same number of inbound flights were scheduled for Friday, although the vast majority were cancelled. According to aviation analytics firm Cirium, these flights altogether were due to carry around 291,000 passengers. Most of the flights bound for Heathrow and due to land in the early morning were caught off-guard by the sudden closure, forcing them to divert mid-air to other destinations. At least 117 of the 682 flights scheduled to land at Heathrow on Friday were diverted. Forty-three of these flights were sent back to their original airport, while 74 flights landed in a host of locations around the world. The highest number were diverted to London Gatwick Airport or to Amsterdam, a four-hour train ride from London, with seven planes landing at each airport. Dozens of passengers were sent to other European airports like Madrid, Frankfurt, and Helsinki, as well as several American airports such as Washington Dulles International Airport. One flight was forced to land at Keflavik International Airport in Iceland. 'A nightmare on all accounts' Rafa, who was on a British Airways flight from Dallas bound for Heathrow, told Sky News that passengers were turned around mid-flight and redirected to Washington DC. Flight data from Flightradar24 shows Rafa's flight, BA192, only got to Canada before being diverted back to the US. Although the average flight time from Dallas to London is eight-and-a-half hours, the diversion back to the US ended up as an eight-hour trip. "Cannot believe that Heathrow, one of the world's busiest and best airports, is not running on some sort of independent power to carry on operations," he said, adding that his experience has been a "nightmare on all accounts." Flight data also shows a Japan Airlines flight departing from Tokyo at 16:21pm GMT, flying overnight for 11 hours, approaching London Heathrow, re-routing to Helsinki in Finland, and then landing at 5:51am GMT. This totalled over 13 hours of travel for its passengers. Meanwhile, other flights from Boston, Toronto and Dallas were forced to land at the Goose Bay air force base in rural north-eastern Canada. Over 40 flights between Heathrow and JFK cancelled Passengers travelling between Heathrow and New York's John F. Kennedy (JFK) Airport were the worst-affected by cancellations. JFK has historically been the top destination for outbound flights from Heathrow, running 146 flights on average per week, according to Flightradar24. Today was no exception. Forty-four flights, including both inbound and outbound, running between Heathrow and JFK were previously scheduled to fly today before the cancellations were announced. British Airways most affected Nearly half of all the flights scheduled for today were operated by British Airways. "As a result of a fire at a power station, which started in the early hours of this morning, we've been forced to effectively ground our flying operation, cancelling every short-haul and the majority of long-haul flights that were scheduled to operate throughout the day," British Airways CEO and chairman Sean Doyle said in a video posted to the airline's website. "This is an unprecedented situation, and we have not seen a closure of Heathrow on this scale for many years," said Doyle. "Unfortunately, it will have a huge impact on all of our customers flying with us over the coming days." Shipping and trade also affected Heathrow's closure hasn't just affected passengers. Flight cancellations have also brought some global shipping operations to a halt. Heathrow is the UK's largest port by value, with more cargo passing through it each day than all other UK airports combined. In 2024, cargo worth a whopping £215.6bn passed through its terminals, according to the airport's published data. And, 43% of the cargo, as measured in metric tonnes, that passed through Heathrow last month came from or was set for North American markets. 0:51 "The fire at Heathrow is extremely concerning for supply chain professionals around the country and the world," said Ben Farrell, CEO of the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply. "Supply chains work on a just in time basis and the whole operation is meticulously planned to ensure goods enter and exit the country in a timely fashion," added Mr Farrell. "With diversions in place and the airport shut for at least another day we will see millions of pounds worth of goods out of place leading to added costs for businesses." Some disruption likely for coming days Businesses won't be the only ones struggling to bounce back from the cancellations in the coming days. Even once Heathrow returns to normal operations, stranded passengers around the globe will likely continue to scramble to find alternate ways to their destinations.
