Aviation expert Gordon Smith reveals his essential insider tips for stress-free flying this summer

Flight cancellations and workers shortages resulted in chaos in UK airports over the half-term break, leaving many involved about flying this summer time. 

Right here, aviation skilled Gordon Smith reveals the other ways you’ll be able to take the strain off flying abroad within the months to come back, from avoiding baggage queues by checking in your luggage the evening earlier than, to picking the very best time of day to fly – morning, relatively than at evening.

A brief hop with a shot of luxurious

When flying short-haul, it’s irritating to splash out on a business-class fare solely to search out the format is similar to economic system, and that the one consolation distinction is that the center seat is left empty.

However what if there have been a solution to fly within the lap of luxurious that’s sometimes reserved for costly tickets to far-flung locations?

The good information is that if you realize the place to look, you’ll be able to e-book plane which often fly long-haul and so are outfitted with top-tier cabins and even flat beds.

Finnair flies its flagship A350 to London from Helsinki (sometimes its mid-morning service), whereas Iberia’s wide-body A330 is an everyday customer from Madrid. Even Aer Lingus brings its greatest jets to Heathrow on busy days.

Discover the plane or ‘gear’ listed when looking for flights. Boeing 777s and 787s in addition to Airbus A330s and A350s are amongst these to search for.

Learn how to declare what you might be owed

With journey disruption prone to get even worse within the coming months, it’s by no means been extra necessary to concentrate on your rights and the tasks of your airline.

The excellent news is that the identical authorized protections apply to everybody flying from the UK – together with on low-cost carriers. The legal guidelines additionally profit these inbound to the UK, although solely on UK and EU airways.

Entitlements range relying on the kind of disruption and the way a lot discover is given. Airways should provide help, corresponding to refreshment vouchers, and in case your new flight departs the following day, they need to present in a single day lodging. Don’t overlook to test your journey insurance coverage too, as your coverage might provide further advantages.

It’s necessary to present your service the possibility to make these preparations, but when assist is just not forthcoming you’ve additionally acquired the correct to organise issues your self and declare again the associated fee later. Bear in mind to maintain receipts and spend solely what’s strictly mandatory.

For a jargon-free explainer of your rights, together with compensation, go to the Civil Aviation Authority web site (caa.co.uk/passengers).

Fewer delays early within the day

An plane on the bottom isn’t earning money. To maximise earnings, they’re flown from very first thing to nicely into the evening, with some touchdown after midnight.

Whereas late-evening departures may be handy, they’re additionally dangerous. Finances corporations sometimes assign simply half-hour between touchdown and take-off all day lengthy, so it doesn’t take a lot for schedules to go awry. Issues may be compounded, with later companies extra prone to expertise knock-on delays.

Some airports, corresponding to Frankfurt, have a strict evening curfew, that means your airline may cancel your flight if it thinks the plane received’t attain its vacation spot in time. Flight crews are additionally sure by strict working hours, so a flight could also be cancelled if it means taking them into time beyond regulation.

Beat the bags queues

To keep away from having to hitch the huge queues plaguing airports from the early hours, should you’re staying close to the airport for, say, an early flight, take your luggage to the terminal and test them within the evening earlier than.

Utilizing this improbable service means passengers flying earlier than noon can head straight to departures the next day. It’s provided freed from cost on many – however not all – Jet2 and Tui flights leaving the UK, in addition to BA departures from Heathrow Terminal 5 and Gatwick. For full particulars, test your airline’s web site.

Not all plane are equal

The in-flight expertise can range wildly inside the similar airline. For instance, John Main was nonetheless in Downing Avenue when British Airways’ oldest jets began flying, whereas others might have left the manufacturing facility simply weeks in the past.

Though carriers refurbish their cabins over time, there can nonetheless be massive variations in what is obtainable on board. When looking out on-line, click on on ‘present flight particulars’ to search out out which plane is deliberate and, as a basic rule, select newer ones. For long-haul, the very best expertise is on the Airbus A350, a airplane that flies with loads of massive names together with BA and Virgin Atlantic.

In enterprise class on some airways, it may very well be the distinction between an extravagant personal suite with a sliding door versus a backwards-facing reclining chair. Why pay the identical for an inferior product?

Bag last-minute upgrades

Until you’re a frequent flyer or travelling on a premium ticket, it’s seemingly your airline will demand fee for the privilege of choosing a seat upfront. This may be upwards of £75 per individual, even in economic system. For those who haven’t paid, and so are prone to find yourself by the loos or in a center seat, it may very well be value ready till nearer the check-in cut-off time.

It’s because some operators give the much less fascinating seats to those that test in first, within the hope that subsequent passengers pays for nicer choices. On busy flights, the airline might don’t have any alternative however to assign you one in all these superior seats – such because the emergency exit rows which have extra leg room – in the event that they’ve already stuffed much less engaging seats.

From expertise, this trick can work nicely when flying alone with no-frills carriers, however positively isn’t beneficial for households or bigger teams.

Who’s getting you there?

Carriers are co-operating greater than ever to maximise effectivity and bolster income.

That is nice information for passengers because it gives extra alternative, however it may possibly additionally imply flying long-haul with a accomplice airline. For instance, should you like Virgin Atlantic’s distinctive hospitality, you is likely to be dissatisfied when, regardless of holding a Virgin ticket, you end up boarding a relatively boring Delta Air Traces jet.

Elsewhere, BA collaborates with American Airways for transatlantic flights. Whereas this can be a completely acceptable solution to cross the pond, I discover that the Texas-based airline does a greater job of catering to its residence viewers.

To keep away from surprises, all the time test who is definitely working your flight. This is likely to be in small print however must be clearly seen on the time of reserving. If unsure, ask your airline or journey agent.