The company again apologized for disrupting the plans as it prepared to be questioned along with other industry representatives on Tuesday by members of the Commons business committee, which is considering flight cancellations and compensation. A Tui spokesman said customers affected by the cancellations made reservations and while more customers did not cancel their holidays than usual, the new bookings were milder across the industry. “Travel is a game of confidence. “We are seeing big travel returns,” he said, adding that bookings were expected to increase again when passengers felt reassured that their summer travel plans were safe. Tui UK CEO Andrew Flintham wrote to customers to explain that the company relies on a complex service ecosystem, including its own pilots and cabin crew, as well as business partners covering check-in, luggage and power supply and air. traffic control and airport security. “During the first weekend of May, the ecosystem ran into capacity problems that affected some of our customers,” Flintham wrote. “In some cases, customers have suffered delays and – in rare cases – cancellations. “These customers have had a bad experience – for that and for the anxiety caused by the cancellations, I apologize.” “I would like to assure you that we have learned from what happened and we are working closely with our partners to address the issues that have caused the delays and cancellations.” He said the vast majority of Tui flights this week had operated normally, sending more than 200,000 customers on holiday. Hundreds of flights were canceled by airlines during the six-month break that coincided with the four-day jubilee weekend of bank holidays as they struggled to cope with rising demand. Transporters and airports laid off tens of thousands of people during the pandemic and were slow to recruit more staff, with some going to other industries and others missing out on Brexit. Subscribe to the daily Business Today email or follow the Guardian Business on Twitter at @BusinessDesk The company’s teams help customers find alternative vacations and process refunds. “And I can assure you that Tui would never leave you stranded abroad,” Flintham wrote. A Tui spokesman said the problems mainly affected the United Kingdom, but not Germany or the rest of Western Europe. The email, sent late Monday, came ahead of a hearing by the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee on the chaos passengers face during their half-term, where executives from Tui, British Airways and easyJet will be questioned by MPs. The hearing begins later Tuesday morning. EasyJet, Britain’s largest carrier, made the most flight cancellations.
