A travel expert has admitted flights will “undoubtedly” become more expensive, but there’s more bad news.
Sky News was halted for an urgent warning to any Brit planning to travel abroad by plane in the next few months. Travel expert Simon Calder appeared on Sophy Ridge and Wilfred Frost’s morning show today (April 16) amid the ongoing war between the US and Iran, with the Strait of Hormuz still blocked. Jet fuel prices are set to soar, but that’s not all.
Frost asked Calder on the programme: “We had Michael O’Leary on, and in that interview he said, ‘If things persist as they are in the Gulf in mid to late April, then that will lead to shortages over May and June’.” Calder admitted: “Very much, I’m looking at sort of the second week in May.
“The crucial thing is please do not panic. If you have a scenario, which we’ve never seen before, of airlines being told, ‘You have to reduce the amount of fuel you are using by one fifth’, whether they do that then actually they can, most of them, manage it pretty easily.”
He cited British Airways as an example, stating: “They’ve got many flights between London and New York. You could take one or two of those out of the schedule without too much of an adverse effect.
“You might find your flight is leaving an hour earlier than it was going to be. It would be really tough on the airlines, they don’t want to do it, but they are manageable.
“EasyJet, six flights a day Gatwick to Nice – you can get rid of one of those. It would be relatively straightforward.”
There was a bit of bad news, however, as Calder said: “However, some people in the travel industry say we could actually see entire routes cut. I think that’s unlikely, but you are always protected by air passenger rights rules.
Simon Calder said flight routes could be axed by winter (Image: Sky News)
“I’ve got a lovely £40 flight out to Cyprus booked next month. If for some reason that is cancelled, the airline still has to find a way of getting me to my destination.”
Ridge asked: “Is it just going to be a case of it will get more expensive?”
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Calder replied: “Undoubtedly. That will feed through – for instance, EasyJet for its summer programme is 70% hedged, locked in at a really good price, locked in for jet fuel – and that will be a benefit but that’s gonna gradually unwind.
“By the winter we will be looking at certainly higher prices and quite possibly fewer flights.”
