In the coming weeks, airlines in the UK and Europe are going to start coming to an end of their current fuel supplies or agreed deals for fuel prices
If you’re one of the millions of people traveling away on holiday in the coming months, the news may well be making you feel a bit nervous.
The crisis in the Middle East has already had an impact on your petrol prices and energy bills are likely to be next. But in the coming weeks, airlines in the UK and Europe are going to start coming to an end of their current fuel supplies or agreed deals for fuel prices.
This doesn’t necessarily mean they will run out. But the cost of jet fuel is going to rise substantially. That means higher prices for future flights are likely. However, it also means airlines are cancelling flights too.
So what does this mean for your holiday? And what are your rights? Here’s my guide.
What’s the current situation?
In the last few weeks a number of airlines have announced that they are cancelling flights from their schedules.
Before you start panicking, that doesn’t necessarily mean they are cancelling flights that have already been sold. Many airlines are looking at their schedules and cutting future flights from their planners.
However, scheduled flights where tickets have been sold could also be cancelled or flight times and dates could be changed to make the most of available seating and plane capacity.
My great friend and King of All Things Travel, Simon Calder, points out that this will be the preferred option for airlines rather than expensive refunds and rebookings.
This does mean that you’ll need to be adaptable, so make sure you’ve built in some wriggle room in to your plans for getting to and from the airport and your final destination.
If you’re booked on a newly launched route, or your destination is not a popular one then it’s more likely than other routes to be for the chop – but this doesn’t mean that it will happen for flights already booked.
This is a pretty major crisis, so have no doubt that governments, airlines and suppliers are all desperately trying to come up with solutions. But even if everything is sorted out tomorrow, booking a flight is about to become more expensive.
What does this mean for prices?
Airlines based in the UK should not be able to increase the price of the ticket you have already paid for through things like fuel surcharges.
That’s because you’ve already entered in to a contract with them under which they will provide you with a flight at the price agreed.
However, if your flight is booked with an airline in another country – like a flight from New York to Boston, for example. Then the law in that country will apply. For most flights taking off in the UK and EU, you shouldn’t have to pay more if you’ve already bought your ticket.
However, some airlines have already indicated that they will be charging fuel surcharges and increasing prices on tickets on sale now or in the coming weeks.
Others will be keen to keep the headline cost – the advertised price – as low as possible. That means you may see increases in ‘add on charges’, from cabin bags to seat reservations, instead. Even if you’ve booked a ticket, if you’ve not paid for your bag, it could become more expensive.
What about packaged travel deals?
As a general rule, when you book a ‘packaged travel’ holiday – where you book two or more components of your holiday, like flights and a hotel, packaged up as one deal – you’ve got more rights when things go wrong.
But there is a weird quirk in the Packaged Travel Regulations that allows these firms to charge a surcharge for some very specific circumstances.
I’ve spoken to industry representatives who assure me that it’s very rare for these surcharges to be applied – and the rules are very strictly controlled by this law.
In any event, they can’t be applied within 20 days of the departure date. So while it’s unlikely that you will get an extra surcharge on prebooked holidays, I’d be remiss in my duties if I didn’t tell you it’s at least a possibility.
What happens if my flight is cancelled?
An airline can cancel your flight before it’s due to depart. However, you’re not entitled to compensation if the flight is cancelled over 14 days before departure.
However if the flight is with an EU or UK based airline – or takes off from the EU or UK, you should be given a ‘re-routed’ flight. The law says that you should be given a re-routed flight ‘at the soonest opportunity’ – and this doesn’t have to be with your carrier.
I must admit that I am a little concerned about how this might work if flights are cancelled ‘en masse’. If your airline just refunds you and doesn’t give you the option of a re-routed flight, then you can’t be considered to have accepted this decision, so push back.
But if there aren’t any flights, what then? In theory, you could ask to be put on a flight at a later date, but watch this space should this situation develop.
Compensation for flights cancelled 14 days or less before departure
If your flight is cancelled within 14 days of departure you may get compensation as well as the option to reroute your flight (never cancel a flight in this situation). Compensation amounts range from £110 to £520 depending on the delays and distance you are due to travel.
Firstly, to qualify the airline must have cancelled the flight within14 days of the departure date. There are different levels of compensation depending on whether the cancellation was between seven and 14 days before the departure date and zero to seven days to on-the-day cancellations.
The compensation then kicks in from the point the rescheduled flight lands and the doors open. So if your flight was due to take off at 6am in the morning and the rescheduled flight lands at 9am the next day, your flight is 27 hours delayed in total.
Realistically, most travellers just want to get on the next available flight to their destination. Your airline is required to get you on their next flight available, but failing that, you can also insist on a replacement flight through a rival airline.
Don’t book a replacement flight without attempting to contact the airline. See if you can find an alternative airline and check with your original airline first to see if they will refund you the costs.
What if I’m stuck waiting for a delayed or cancelled plane?
You are entitled to further compensation and support if your flight is delayed or cancelled on the day.
Food and drink vouchers should be offered after a certain amount of time has elapsed – two hours for short hall, three for medium hall and four hours for long hall.
Even if the airline isn’t at fault, these should be made available. Don’t get too excited though. Most vouchers barely scrape a sandwich and drink – and you have to find someone who is issuing them.
You are entitled to the cost of making calls that are related to the delay. If your phone isn’t working then you can ask the airline to help you out.
If you’re delayed overnight the airline should cover the cost of your hotel and getting there. They usually choose the accommodation and it can be pretty basic.
If you can’t contact the airline, avoid booking in to a five-star hotel if you can, though you can book reasonably priced accommodation. The airline should also arrange for you to get to the hotel or cover ‘reasonable’ costs for doing so.
If you can’t get hold of anyone at the airline then keep all bills and receipts for the things you are forced to pay for while dealing with the situation.
My top five tips for travel in 2026
Nothing is guaranteed in life, but there are some things you can do to ensure you’ve got some protection when booking a holiday.
- Be adaptable. From flight cancellations due to conflict to wildfires and floods, a lot can ruin your holiday plans. If it looks like your holiday is about to be scuppered, have a think about what you’d accept as an alternative. Would you be willing to move the flights and hotel forward to another date? Would you be willing to switch destinations? How about accepting a credit note or voucher if a refund isn’t an option? If you’re willing to compromise you may even get a better deal.
- Always by the best travel insurance policy you can afford. Travel insurance doesn’t cover things like acts of war – but in emergencies, governments and airlines step in to repatriate affected holidaymakers. However, a good insurance policy will cover you for a range of other travel traumas. So buy a policy as soon as you book your trip.
- Where possible, book direct from your airline or hotel. It’s often easier to get a refund if something happens that prevents you from taking your trip. You should also consider using a travel agent or using a package holiday firm as both these options will give you an extra layer of protection from these services. Look for ATOL or ABTA membership, which provides you with some recompense if things go wrong and a mediation service for complaints.
- Pay for your holiday is by credit card. If you spend over £100 – or any sum as a deposit – on your credit card, you may be able to get a refund for the full amount of the trip from your card provider if something goes wrong and the airline, hotel or holiday company isn’t refunding you. In order for these ‘section 75’ claims to work you have to buy direct, not through a third party. Some online travel marketplaces are technically third parties, so check to see if they have dispute resolution services if there’s a dispute – and the T&Cs too.
- If you’re booking a hotel direct, consider choosing the option to cancel the holiday up to 24 or 48 hours in advance. This will be slightly more expensive, but it gives you more wriggle room if a problem occurs. If you do pay upfront and it’s not possible to travel, negotiate with the hotel to see if they will let you move your holiday to a different date, or if they’ll give you a credit note if you can’t travel.
- Martyn James is a leading consumer rights campaigner, TV and radio broadcaster and journalist
