cancelled

A EUROPEAN airport has been forced to close for the third day in a row as a volcano eruption continues to disrupt thousands of passengers.

Flights at Catania Airport in Sicily, Italy, will now be suspended until at least early Saturday due to ash from Mount Etna’s ongoing volcanic eruption.

Over the course of this week hundreds of flights have been cancelled with further flights diverted to neighbouring airport Palermo.

The airport has been closed for three days now, with flights disrupted over the past seven days.

In the latest update on its website, the airport states: “Due to Mount Etna’s eruptive activity, the closure of Sector C1 and B3 has been extended, resulting in the suspension of departures and arrivals until 2:00 AM on August 15.

“Passengers are kindly advised to check the status of their flight with their airline before heading to the airport.

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“Further updates will follow in the coming hours.”

Flights cancelled today include:

• 10:50am easyJet service to Bristol Airport
• 11:45am easyJet service to Edinburgh Airport
• 12:15pm easyJet service to London Gatwick
• 12:30pm BA Euroflyer service to London Gatwick

In total, nine flights to the UK are cancelled today as well as nine flights from the UK due to arrive at Catania.

Over the past days, more than 700 flights have been cancelled.

Families have also been left stranded at the airport, with videos on social media showing how some passengers have resorted to sleeping on luggage belts at the airport.

The impact has spread further than the Sicilian airport as well, with Malta International Airport forced to cancel 19 flights earlier this week too.

A CRUISE company has cancelled a number of sailings due to low water levels across Europe.

Riviera Travel has cancelled 10 European river cruises and changed six other services in parts of the Rhine, Danube, Moselle and Main rivers.

The cancellations and changes come after a week of high temperatures across parts of Europe as well as little rainfall.

The UK cruise company said it had no other choice but to cancel some sailings, while six others that were due to run on the Rhine and Danube have been altered.

All passengers due to head on a Riviera Travel cruise are being updated multiple times before they travel, from two weeks to 72 hours as the company continues to monitor river levels.

If you are due to travel with Riviera but your sailing is impacted, the company will try to make other arrangements including coach transfers, itinerary changes and ship changes if needed.

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If your cruise is cancelled though, you will get a full refund.

And it isn’t just Riviera Travel that is impacted.

Luxury cruise company AmaWaterways has said: “Due to unusually low water levels on sections of the Rhine and Danube rivers, operational adjustments on select sailings have been deemed necessary.

“As river conditions continue to evolve, modifications may include changes to ports, embarkation or disembarkation locations, motorcoach transfers, ship scheduling, or other itinerary elements.

“Please know that every adjustment is made with the comfort and safety of guests as our highest priority. Guests on affected sailings will be contacted individually via email.”

And Emerald Cruises and Tours has said: “Europe continues to experience an extended period of dry weather, with above-average temperatures and limited rainfall across many regions.

“As a result, water levels on parts of the Danube, Rhine and Main Rivers are significantly lower than usual and are impacting river navigation.

“Some stretches are currently not navigable due to water levels, and our teams are implementing alternative arrangements where required to maintain the best possible experience for our guests.

“All guests due to join impacted cruises departing up until 31 August 2026 should have received an initial notification.

“In circumstances where itinerary adjustments are required, Scenic Group, which includes Scenic and Emerald Cruises, is committed to supporting our guests throughout their journey.”

TUI and Viking also previously warned of disruptions.

Currently, the Danube is at the lowest level ever recorded and the Loire, which is France‘s longest river, has even partially dried up in areas.

The Rhine, which flows through Germany, has also dropped in level.

PASSENGERS face further disruption in Europe as an Italian airport remains closed following a volcanic eruption for yet ANOTHER day.

Catania Airport in Sicily has been forced to cancel hundreds of flights since the weekend due to Mount Etna erupting and will remain closed until at least tomorrow.

Over the past few days, 700 flights have been cancelled with others diverted to neighbouring airports including Palermo.

As a result of the disruption, families who have had their flights cancelled have been left stranded, with videos on social media showing travellers sleeping on the airport floor and even luggage belts.

In its latest statement, the airport said: “Due to Mount Etna’s eruptive activity, the closure of Sector B3 has been extended, resulting in the suspension of arrivals and departures until 2:00 AM on August 14.

“Passengers are kindly advised to check the status of their flight with their airline before heading to the airport.

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“Further updates will follow in the coming hours.”

Evgenia Filimianova, 39, was caught up in the chaos after flew to Sicily last week from London to attend a friend’s wedding.

However, when she was due to fly to Athens from Catania earlier this week, her flight was cancelled just 30 minutes before it was due to depart.

Evgenia said: “We were having a very nice day in Taormina, at the wedding, enjoying our time there, but we could see the eruption and the volcano spewing lava.

“The locals seemed very chill and we didn’t get any emergency texts or direction from the people at the hotel, so we weren’t too worried.

“But then I started reading about travel. As soon as there is ash, the airports start closing.”

She added that there were loads of people “sleeping on the floor” when they arrived at the airport, with most other flights and buses already booked up.

Catania Airport isn’t the only spot impacted by the eruption either – Malta International Airport cancelled 19 flights earlier this week as well, with more delayed today.

FAMILIES are being left stranded abroad after more than 700 flights have been cancelled across Europe.

The ongoing eruption of Mount Etna has caused chaos in Sicily, with Catania Airport suspending operations since the weekend.

This has resulted in cancelled flights and hundreds of holidaymakers being stranded abroad.

Evgenia Filimianova, 39, flew to Sicily last week from London to attend a friends wedding.

However, after trying to fly back to Athens from Catania Airport yesterday, they were told their flight was cancelled just 30 minutes before it was due to depart.

Not only that, but their seven-year-old daughter is stuck with family in Athens without them.

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Evgenia said: “We were having a very nice day in Taormina, at the wedding, enjoying our time there, but we could see the eruption and the volcano spewing lava.

“The locals seemed very chill and we didn’t get any emergency texts or direction from the people at the hotel, so we weren’t too worried.

“But then I started reading about travel. As soon as there is ash, the airports start closing.”

She added that there were loads of people “sleeping on the floor” when they arrived at the airport with other families also stuck.

Despite spending a night at the airport hotel, they were told today that flights were still being cancelled.

She added: “It feels like there is no way out. Our daughter is in Athens, we have to get back to her.”

Not only are flights being cancelled, but she said “buses and trains are fully booked, taxis are too expensive, the hotels are getting booked up”.

Flights are still operating from Palermo Airport on the north of the island, but Evgenia has said that flights from there are fully booked too.

The couple are now planning to get to Malta and then make their way back to Athens from there.

She explained: “The plan is to get a cab to the bus station, then a three hour bus to Porto di Pozzallo, then a ferry to Malta, then a cab to a hotel, stay there overnight and then a cab to the airport.

“And then we’re just hoping we’ll be able to fly to Athens.

“Emotionally, it’s not easy. It’s stressful and tiring and we weren’t prepared for it.

She did find some humour in the situation though.

She added: “It’s like The Odyssey – we’re Greek, and we’re trying to get back there, and there are all these hurdles along the way.”

According to local media, between August 8 and 11, around 400 departing flights were canceled, with another 52 cancellations today.

More than 250 flights were redirected to other airports.

All flights to and from Catania Airport have been suspended until at least 4pm tomorrow.

It isn’t just Sicily being affected as flights to Malta are also being cancelled and delayed due to the volcano.

TWO train stations are set to close for two weeks for major upgrades – including a very busy one.

Huddersfield and Slaithwaite train stations in West Yorkshire are set to close for two weeks from mid-September.

The closure is so that the stations can undergo major projects and will take place between September 19 and October 4.

The project includes completing the new £70million Huddersfield train station.

At Huddersfield station, the subway will be extended to platforms 4 and 5, which are also getting upgrades to be able to be used for longer trains.

The station roof is also getting repaired.

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Away from the stations, the railway line between Stalybridge and Mirfield will also be impacted, meaning that Mossley, Greenfield and Marsden stations will be closed between September 19 and 20 and again between October 3 and 4.

Nearby, Deighton Station, will also get a new footbridge and railway track in the area will be renewed.

Disruption for passengers won’t stop there either, as there will be another closure – this time lasting 38 days – from Christmas Eve to complete Huddersfield station before being completed in February 2027.

The entire project is part of the wider Transpennine Route Upgrade, which will focus on modernising the railway between Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds and York.

Sophie Leishman, Transpennine Route Upgrade sponsor, said: “While we know there will be some disruption while this work takes place, these upgrades are essential to delivering the more reliable, accessible and higher-capacity railway that customers deserve.

“We’re making real progress across the route, from the redevelopment of Huddersfield station to improvements that will support longer trains, better performance and future electrification.”

Liam O’Shaughnessy, Transpennine Route Upgrade Programme Delivery Lead at Northern, said: “There will be disruption to Northern and other operators’ services during these works, with services amended and some trains replaced with buses.

“We strongly advise all customers to check before they travel and use National Rail Enquiries to plan their journeys.”

A THEME park in the UK has been forced to close at short notice due to a water outage.

Chessington World of Adventures confirmed that anyone heading to the park will have their tickets “revalidated” for a future visit.

The water outage was reported by Thames Water, which said a burst water main was affecting the KT9 area.

While repairs are underway, the park will be closed for the rest of the day.

Chessington said in a statement: “Due to a water outage in the local area affecting our operations, Chessington is closed today.

“All tickets booked for today will be automatically revalidated under our Return Promise and can be used on a future date.

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“We apologise for the inconvenience and thank you for your understanding.”

Families had already arrived at the park for the day with the park opening at 10am before closing after just one hour.

However, one dad called it “utter shambles” as many were forced to wait outside of the gate.

Another said they had spent “hundreds on an overnight stay and fast passes” before the park closed.

The theme park is one of the most popular in the UK, with around 1.5million visitors a year.

And with the summer holidays in full swing, this is likely to affect thousands of people.

Anyone who had plans to visit the park today has been told not to go.

The Return Promise allows families to visit the theme park on a different day, in the event that the park has to close.

It isn’t the only chaos for Brits going holiday today, with train disruption affecting anyone going to both London Gatwick and London Heathrow airports this morning.

And Catania Airport in Sicily has been forced to suspend flights following a weekend of chaos caused by the eruption of Mount Etna.

Flight PD444 from Victoria International Airport in B.C. to Toronto’s Pearson International Airport did not take off on Thursday after a child passenger onboard refused to sit down

A plane-load of passengers was stranded after a child refused to do up their seatbelt.

Flight PD444 from Victoria International Airport in B.C. to Toronto’s Pearson International Airport did not take off on Thursday as a safety precaution, a spokesperson for Porter Airlines said.

The aircraft had left the terminal and was heading to the runway for departure when the flight crew became concerned about one passenger. The young child was standing in their seat and refused to buckle their seatbelt. The child’s parents and cabin crew attempted to do so on their behalf, but the young flyer would have none of it.

The unsafe situation meant the aircraft could not take off, prompting flight attendants to return to the terminal and disembark passengers. Once the child and their parents had been removed from the flight, it would’ve been too late for the plane to take off, according to a spokesperson for Porter Airlines. Therefore, the flight was cancelled.

“We apologize for the effect this had on other passengers, who were able to depart on a flight the following day,” Brad Cicero told CBC. The aircraft departed the following afternoon.

According to passengers on the flight, the child’s actions caused a “a lot of frustration”. However, passenger Aryeh Kozuch noted that the child was scared, rather than being bratty or uncontrollable.

“They just kept hiding under their seat. If they got forced into [being] strapped in, they just kind of slid out underneath,” she said.

Hillary Hertzberg argued that the airline took too long to deal with the situation. “The kid eventually got off the plane at 11.30pm so we had been on the flight for about almost an hour at that point,” she said.

According to the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority, if the ‘seatbelt sign’ is showing on a flight, then passengers are required to buckle up.

“It is recommended to keep your seat belt fastened throughout the flight and is mandatory when the seat belt sign is illuminated (during taxi, take-off, landing, and turbulence). Ensure your belt is adjusted for a tight but comfortable fit, with the buckle accessible. If using a blanket and likely to sleep, fasten the belt over it. Remain seated with your belt fastened until the sign is switched off after landing,” its advice reads.

A similar incident unfolded several years ago on a TUI flight, from Kos to Manchester. Footage showed the moment police stormed a plane at Manchester Airport after a woman had ‘refused to put a seatbelt on her child’ on a delayed flight.

The flight was due to depart at 1.25pm but didn’t take off until almost six hours later, leaving passengers ‘exhausted’ and ‘in a terrible mood’. However, there were further delays when the pilot had to abort landing and circle over the Peak District when a passenger had refused to adhere to the illuminated seatbelt signs and buckle up her child, Manchester Evening News reported.

Porter Airlines was contacted for additional comment.

This month’s LA Jazz Festival was slated to be one of the largest concerts in Los Angeles history.

With dozens of performances spread throughout every City Council district, organizers hoped the shows would draw 250,000 attendees and inaugurate the city as a home for jazz events on par with New Orleans and Montreal.

Those hopes will have to wait, as organizers announced the cancellation and postponement of the festival on Friday, including its main show Aug. 22-23 on Dockweiler Beach.

“Due to significant, unanticipated last-minute public safety and municipal costs associated with the final permitting of the On The Beach Festival, we have reached the decision to unfortunately postpone this year’s inaugural LA Jazz Festival,” organizer Martin Ludlow said in a statement to the Times. “Although this decision was an extremely difficult one to reach, our commitment to the audiences and artists participating in the festival is to have a first-class experience worthy of the great legacy of Jazz and our great city. We were encouraged by the enthusiastic support of the artists on the bill, the fans and our sponsors for this inaugural event, and we look forward to presenting all of the components of this incredible cultural opportunity for Los Angeles and the world in 2027 and beyond.”

John Legend, Janelle Monáe, Charlie Wilson, Parliament Funkadelic and Raphael Saadiq were booked to headline the main show.

“We are so grateful to all the artists–from our headliners to our musicians in the parks, many of whom went above and beyond to make this affordable to the community,” Ludlow added. “All current ticket holders for LA Jazz Festival events will be refunded in full within 30 days. We apologize deeply for this situation and vow to make this right over time.”

LA Jazz Festival was a major project for Ludlow, a former Los Angeles City Council member turned music promoter and community activist after pleading guilty to misappropriating funds in 2006.

Ludlow announced the show in a splashy speech on the steps of City Hall in February, flanked by Mayor Karen Bass and other civic leaders. “During this journey, you can only imagine there’s a lot of highs and a lot of lows,” Ludlow said then. “When you have those lows, you want a friend that really can lift you up.”

Back in February, Ludlow described the mission of LA Jazz Festival with a civil rights-inspired fervor, saying that “This festival is intended to lift up our ancestors that came to this country in bondage, terrorized, brutalized. It’s also about celebrating the end to those last bastions of Jim Crow racism, the days we were denied access to public drinking fountains, public swimming pools and public beaches. From the beginning of this journey, we’ve been very intentional about telling the narrative of that human rights struggle called Jazz.”

A SPANISH airport will close for nearly a week as part of a major renovation.

Almeria Airport in Spain is set to shut down for six days to upgrade its runway.

The closure is set to take place in February 2028, with all scheduled flights cancelled.

This is part of a longer 19-month €29million (£24.8million) project to upgrade the entire airport.

However, during this period there will be work at night between 10:45pm and 7:10am the following day.

Between these hours, flights will be impacted as well.

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Aena – Spain‘s airports operator – has already notified airlines that operate at the airport, including Ryanair, easyJet and Iberia.

The airlines will now have to reschedule flights or divert the routes to other airports.

Flights from Almeria Airport to the UK, including to Birmingham, London Southend, Liverpool, Manchester, Bristol and Leeds Bradford.

The revamp will mark the first work on the runway in 20 years.

Other parts of the project included improving the taxiways, as well as upgrading over 600 lights and replacing 34 directional signs.

The airport is around a 15-minute drive from Almeria city centre in the Andalusia region of Spain.

Each year, the airport handles up to 800,000 passengers.

Of which, Brits make up between 55 and 70 per cent of travellers.

THERE’S nothing worse than looking forward to your summer holiday, arriving at the airport and then being told your flight is cancelled.

And now the worst flight routes for cancellations have been announced, with some of the most popular holiday hotspots coming out on top.

According to new analysis of flight data by AirAdvisor, flights between London’s key hubs and Majorca and Ibiza are most likely to be cancelled this summer.

The study looked at routes between the UK and European airports that had more than 100 flights scheduled per month.

Coming out on top is the route between London Luton and Ibiza with a cancellation rate of 5.56 per cent between June 1 and August 31.

London Heathrow to Majorca came up second worst for cancellations, at a rate of 1.6 per cent.

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Rounding out the top three is London Gatwick to Lisbon in Portugal, with a cancellation rate of 1.43 per cent.

In fact, out of the routes with the most cancellations 10 out of the top 12 are from London airports.

Bristol to Málaga came in seventh worst for cancellations, at 1.2 per cent.

This route was followed by Birmingham to Palma de Majorca, at 1.02 per cent.

Overall, four of the top 10 routes from the UK with the highest cancellation rates are to Majorca.

More than two million Brits travel to Majorca during the peak summer season, with the airport also being one of the busiest airports in Europe.

According to AirAdvisor, so far this summer 36 of 1050 flights departing from Gatwick and Heathrow airports heading to Majorca have been cancelled – which is around 3.44 per cent.

Anton Radchenko, CEO of AirAdvisor said: “Cancellation risk on UK routes to Europe is not spread evenly, and this summer the Balearics are carrying a bigger share of the risk than anywhere else.

“That’s worth understanding before you travel, because a cancellation is not just a long wait at the gate. You lose your slot. Same-day options dry up quickly.

“And from that point on, the airline decides what happens next, not you.

“Under UK261, if you’re told your flight is cancelled less than 14 days before departure, you may be entitled to between £220 and £520 in compensation, depending on how far you were flying.”

A HISTORIC UK train station has partially reopened after a massive fire forced its closure last week.

Paignton Station in Devon sits in the heart of the town centre and acts as a gateway to one of the three towns on the English Rivera – a popular summer family holiday spot.

Last week, a fire broke out at the station causing “significant damage”.

Three boys aged 13, 15 and 16 were arrested on suspicion of arson.

Despite the damages, Great Western Railway and Network Rail have confirmed that services returned to the station from 8am.

Services to resume include between Paignton and Newton Abbot.

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However, due to a damaged platform the station cannot currently host nine carriage trains, which provide direct services between the town and London Paddington.

If you are due to travel to London, you’ll need to head to Newton Abbot or Exeter St Davids instead, for the time being.

There are also currently temporary entrances and exits at the station, as well as temporary ticketing facilities.

And the car park remains closed.

According to the BBC, Daniel Parkes from Network Rail said that they are working to restore “services as swiftly and as safely as possible”.

He added that “work to fully rebuild parts of the station will continue for some time”.

Ben Miller has opened up on being ‘cancelled’ and how it can often be a worry for him

Death In Paradise star Ben Miller has shared his honest take on being “cancelled”.

The 60-year-old, who previously played Detective Inspector Richard Poole in the popular BBC series, has expressed his thoughts and concerns about social media and how things can suddenly get out of hand. Talking to Radio Times about his show, Austin, which is now in its second series, the star spoke openly about his worries.

Ben was asked: “In Austin, which is back for a second series, you play a children’s author who has been ‘cancelled’ — is that something you worry about?”

The actor replied: “I think we all worry about it a bit, don’t we? Even somebody who’s not on TV who puts a post on their social media takes a very small risk that it’s going to cause a complete Twitter [X] storm.

“Social media is set up to produce that kind of situation, so whatever you put on social media is basically chum to the sharks that can’t stand your guts.”

As well as his cancellation fears, Ben was asked about his role in Death In Paradise and whether he would ever return for a prequel. DI Richard Poole was killed off at the beginning of Series 3 in 2014.

Sharing his thoughts on a potential return he said: “If I wasn’t so ruddy old, I could play him in a prequel! I loved the character and I loved the show.

“It just came at a slightly unfortunate time in my life. But I do really miss that character.

“And funnily enough, Rob Thorogood [the Paraverse creator and writer] has carried on writing stories for Richard Poole, which is quite fun, so that’s a nice way to live the character again.”

Ben’s time on Death in Paradise came to an end in the series three opener, Death of a Detective. The actor later explained that he decided to leave because filming in Guadeloupe meant spending long stretches away from his family, making it difficult to balance work and home life

Since then, there have been several other detectives that have taken on his role of uncovering truths behind the many murders on the fictional island of Saint Marie. In the most recent series, actor Don Gilet plays Detective Inspector Mervin Wilson.

Death In Paradise is available to watch on BBC iPlayer

Wolves striker Tolu Arokodare forced the cancellation of a training session after he refused to leave the pitch.

BBC Sport has been told the 25-year-old Nigeria international sat down and demanded the club let him move to Fiorentina.

Wolves have rejected a bid from the Serie A side, having accepted an offer from Turkish club Trabzonspor.

Arokodare’s actions led to new boss Cesar Peixoto terminating the session on Monday.

The striker was not involved in Wednesday’s friendly at Maidenhead United as Wolves continue their pre-season plans.

On social media on Wednesday evening, Arokodare wrote: “Throughout my career, I have always taken great pride in conducting myself professionally and maintaining the highest training standards.

“My commitment has always been to prepare myself as well as possible so that I can contribute to my team-mates and the club whenever I am called upon.

“I remain under contract with Wolves, and my only intention is to fulfil my responsibilities professionally by training, doing my job, and contributing to the team in accordance with that contract.”

The latest incident is another flashpoint in the forward’s career at Molineux after he was disciplined in April following a confrontation with young forward Mateus Mane.

Arokodare signed for £24m from Genk last summer but scored just three league goals as Wolves finished bottom of the Premier League and were relegated.

And the incident presents an early challenge for Peixoto just weeks into his reign after he replaced Rob Edwards in a surprise move last month.

The 46-year-old, capped once by Portugal in his playing career, moved from Gil Vicente and will be aiming to return Wolves to the Premier League at the first attempt.

Casualty usually airs on BBC One on Saturday night, but today’s episode was pulled from the lineup because it would have clashed with the channel’s World Cup coverage

Casualty fans have been left fuming after the show was removed from the TV schedule tonight.

The medical drama usually airs on BBC One on Saturday night, but tonight’s episode was pulled from the lineup due to live BBC sporting coverage of the FIFA World Cup match between Canada and Morocco. The next episode will instead air next Saturday, July 11.

But fans have expressed their disappointment over the schedule shake-up, with some suggesting that Casualty should be moved to a different channel, such as BBC2, BBC3 or the BBC iPlayer. “Casualty hasn’t had a permanent slot for years you move it about all the time or don,t show it at all it is the only thing worth watching on a saturday night,” one frustrated viewer posted online.

“Couldnt Casualty move to BBC3 or 4?” another asked, as a third suggested, “just put it on iplayer!” One more wrote, “Why is it not on bbc tonight again, what’s wrong with the bbc all we get is sport.”

“Why couldn’t they put casualty on bbc2,” a fan added. “Why can’t we have a dedicated sports channel,” one more shared.

The drama is now approaching the conclusion of its “Lethal Legacy” box set, which has centred on the military past of Flynn Byron (Olly Rix). Stevie Nash (Elinor Lawless) has also featured prominently throughout the box set, with her affair with trainee doctor Matty Linlaker (Aron Julius) – the son of her close friend Dylan Keogh (William Beck) – taking centre stage.

In recent episodes, viewers have grown increasingly worried about recovering alcoholic Dylan after he was seen accepting a glass of champagne while delivering a speech at a function. A synopsis for next week’s episode reads: “Dylan is confronted by Matty about his drinking, but assures him it was just a one-off.

“However, as he treats a burns victim, he begins to suffer debilitating flashbacks to his drinking binge and flees from the unit. Faith avoids feeding Pearl as she prepares to return to work, leaving Iain concerned.

“Laura admits she is scared to speak at the council meeting, Rash worries about his presentation, and Jan confesses to Jacob that she has developed feelings for Siobhan.”

Casualty returns to BBC One on Saturday, July 11.

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The travel company was founded back in 2011 and operated three separate websites offering chalets, skiing breaks, and spa holidays. ATOL has now offered advice for any consumers who had breaks booked

A UK travel firm that offered a range of ski and spa holidays has ceased trading, with customers who have booked a package holiday being urged to take action.

Travel Bespoke Ltd was launched in 2011, and traded under three names: Chalet Bespoke, Ski Bespoke, and Spa Bespoke. The firm’s websites are now unavailable. The company was based in an office in Midhurst, West Sussex.

Ski Bespoke’s X page, which is currently still active, described the firm’s operations as offering bespoke ski trips to resorts in Austria, France, Italy, Switzerland, Canada and USA.

Financial protection scheme ATOL (Air Travel Organisers’ Licensing), confirmed in a statement that the company had ceased trading as an ATOL holder as of May 29. It said: “We have contacted the affected ATOL protected consumers directly. If you have not been contacted and believe you are entitled to a claim against an ATOL protected booking, please supply your booking details with supporting documentation by email to claims@caa.co.uk.”

The time limit for making a claim to ATOL is May 28, 2027. Its statement went on to explain: “Bookings sold as accommodation only, non-flight Packages & Cruise Only bookings which do not include a flight element are not covered by the ATOL scheme. Please contact your travel insurance or card issuer for further assistance.”

ATOL also has a claims information page where customers can check whether the holiday they’ve booked would come under ATOL protection, or whether they’ll need to look for alternative ways to claim their money back.

Travel Bespoke is not the only travel firm to go bust in recent weeks. Long-running firm Groupia Ltd recently went into administration after 24 years in operation. The company who operated brands including Groupia Golf, GoHen, StagWeb, Groupia School Trips, and Company Away Day, served over 750,000 holidaymakers before going bust.

By law, any UK travel company that sells holidays or flights is required to have an Air Travel Organiser’s Licence (ATOL) number, so always check your holiday is booked with a reputable firm.

This means that if the holiday firm you’ve booked with goes bust before you travel, you can apply to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) for a full refund. If you’re already on holiday, the CAA has a responsibility to get you home.

However, you should also make sure you have travel insurance that covers a travel firm going into administration, as this can also cover additional expenses from having your holiday cancelled or being stuck abroad. Credit card protection can also be helpful in this situation. If you’ve paid for your holiday or flights on a credit card directly with the holiday company or airline, and spent over £100, you may be able to claim the money back through your credit card company.

Mastercard and Visa debit cards also have a chargeback scheme which is available for most UK high street banks. You can request your card provider reverses the transaction, giving you your money back.

Have a story you want to share? Email us at webtravel@reachplc.com

EUROSTAR has cancelled a number of its London services after a fire incident in Rotterdam.

A major power outage has halted lots of Eurostar journeys to the Netherlands until at least Friday.

The fire, near Rotterdam Station, has caused a power failure with huge disruption to all rail services in and around the city.

This includes journeys from London St Pancras to Amsterdam on the Eurostar which have been disrupted as a result.

Eurostar said on its website: “We’re very sorry that, due to a fire near station Rotterdam Centraal, train services across the Netherlands are currently severely disrupted and extremely limited.

“As a result, our trains are subject to significant delays and cancellations, and we’re unfortunately unable to offer alternative travel options.

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“This situation will continue until 3rd July 2026. We recommend that you do not attempt to travel to or from the Netherlands until 3rd July. Instead, please cancel your journey or postpone it to a later date.”

On its scheduled journeys there are no direct trains from London St Pancras to Amsterdam today.

Only one journey is available for today which goes to Brussels then onto Amsterdam – and it takes six hours and 46 minutes.

Usually a direct train from London to Amsterdam takes just over four hours.

Eurostar has added alternative options for those due to travel to or from the Netherlands between today and Thursday.

Travellers can exchange their booking for a fee at a different time or date.

Another option is to cancel completely and claim an e-voucher which then has to be redeemed in 12 months from the date of the disrupted journey.

Or cancel the booking and get a refund for the value of the ticket.

Those experiencing disruption to their plans have “three months from the date you were due to travel to claim your preferred option”.

Power restoration in Rotterdam is expected during the evening on July 2, according to local media.

Eurostar told Sun Travel: “Eurostar services are experiencing disruption across the Netherlands due to an infrastructure issue near Rotterdam, where a fire at a substation caused a loss of power. 

“As a result, Eurostar trains are subject to significant delays and cancellations.”

This includes Netherlands-Brussels-Paris trains which are being diverted via Utrecht, leading to delays of up to one hour.

And passengers with a Amsterdam/Rotterdam – London reservation can be refunded at no cost.

It continued to urge passengers to “only if necessary and postpone their journey to a later date.”

“Eurostar would like to express its full support to the passengers affected by these disruptions. Aware of the difficulties encountered, our teams remain fully mobilized to assist each of them and ensure they reach their destination in the best possible conditions.”

A UK travel company has entered administration with future trips cancelled.

Groupia Ltd, which used to create group-based trips within the UK and Europe including hen and stag dos, weekend adventures, spa days and ski trips, has shut down.

More than 750,000 people have travelled with the company since it opened in 2002, with destinations including Prague and Barcelona.

The company also traded under other names including Groupia Golf, GoHen, StagWeb, Groupia School Trips and Company Away Days.

According to the company’s website, Groupia Ltd entered administration on June 16.

The website states: “Nigel Fox and Christopher Marsden of S&W Partners LLP appointed as Joint Administrators.

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“The Company has now ceased taking new bookings, and arrangements are in place with ABTOT (a UK government-approved travel protection scheme) to support customers with existing bookings.”

For anyone who had an upcoming event or holiday on or before August 31, “ABTOT have arrangements in place”with events “expected to go ahead as planned”.

Travellers can use the company’s existing VIP booking system to manage their bookings.

On the other hand, if you had something booked from September 1 onwards, the website states: “Your event will unfortunately be cancelled and is subject to a refund claim.” 

You can claim back in different ways – either by requesting a credit card refund or a debit card back-charge, with different letters for each available on the company’s website for customers can send to their banks.

There is also an option for anyone who paid a different way to either credit or debit cards.

The website also warns that refunds might take up to six weeks.

Eleven UK travel firms have collapsed into liquidation since 2025, leaving customers seeking refunds after flights and holidays were cancelled and staff made redundant, amid wider uncertainty in the travel industry.

Eleven travel companies have collapsed into liquidation over recent months as the travel industry has been battered by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

The closures since the start of the year have triggered flight chaos and left staff facing redundancy as a result.

In a number of cases, holidays have been cancelled outright, leaving customers scrambling for refunds or compensation.

In Oxfordshire, coach and passenger land transport firm Oxfordshire Travel Limited, based near Kidlington, went into liquidation in October 2025.

The company had traded for a decade before liquidators were brought in, after it was determined the business was no longer able to continue operating or settle its debts.

Set Sail Cruises Ltd, also based in Oxfordshire, was dissolved on March 17, 2026, with all planned sailings cancelled as a consequence.

The agency was just two years old, having been incorporated on February 4, 2024.

In the same county, The Padel Travel Club Limited also shut its doors with approximately £41k in short-term debts — any trips that had yet to depart were subsequently cancelled.

The business was incorporated in February 2023 and has since been struck off the Companies House register following a voluntary strike-off.

Documents suggest the company folded with short-term debts of just over £40,000 and insufficient assets to repay creditors in full, though a final liquidation statement has yet to be made available. Several other travel firms have also felt the full force of the struggling industry.

London-based Regen Central Ltd, an ATOL-licensed travel agency selling flight-and-hotel packages to Europe and Southeast Asia, lost its ATOL on January 13.

Following this, the company fell into liquidation and cancelled all bookings.

Another travel firm, Simply Florida Travel Ltd, based in Glasgow and well-known for selling “dream holidays” including trips to Disney World, was stripped of its ATOL holder status after dissolving in early January.

Holidaymakers were left chasing refunds as all packages and flights were subsequently cancelled.

Gold Crest Holidays, a coach-tour operator running trips across the UK and abroad, also collapsed and ceased trading in early 2026.

Following the liquidation, all members of staff were made redundant.

Numerous other travel companies have also stopped trading or dissolved since 2025. These include Asiara UK Ltd, Jetline Travel Ltd, Great Little Escapes LLP and New Era Travel.

Most recently, Strachan Travel Ltd, a Lancashire-based firm incorporated in 1983, entered voluntary liquidation.

Resolutions to wind up the company were recorded on June 11, with liquidators appointed on June 16, according to The Gazette.

The collapse of these firms comes amid a period of widespread uncertainty in the travel sector, following warnings issued by the Government and airlines in response to the conflict in the Middle East.

However, with a peace agreement now signed and several travel restrictions lifted, there is renewed hope for the industry.

Brits who find themselves stranded in Europe due to a cancelled flights could soon have new rights to claim back travel replacement costs, amid a shake-up of the EU’s air travel rules

Cancelled flights could soon come with a more costly penalty for airlines, as a landmark air passenger rights agreement was reached between the EU Council and the European Parliament in good news for holidaymakers.

The ruling means that Brits who find themselves stranded in Europe due to their flight being cancelled could soon claim back replacement travel costs worth up to four times the price of their original ticket. It comes amid a raft of changes around airline charges for cabin bags and family seating, which could see Brits getting a fairer deal when they visit destinations such as Spain, Greece, Italy, Portugal, or France.

The law states that, after a flight cancellation, “if an airline fails to offer rerouting within three hours, passengers may organise their own rerouting and claim reimbursement of up to 400% of the original ticket price.” According to AirAdvisor, which specialise in claims for disrupted flights and mishandled baggage, this means passengers will no longer need to wait around for the airline to sort out a journey home for them.

AirAdvisor also said in a statement that this rerouting reimbursement will be separate from the standard compensation that some passengers are entitled to for cancelled flights. It explained: “The Council statement confirms that even when a passenger is rerouted, “airlines remain responsible for compensation for delays at arrival.”

This means passengers could potentially reclaim the cost of replacement flights, as well as claiming for standard cancellation compensation, which can be up to £350 per passenger for a UK to Spain flight, and higher for long-haul journeys.

“However, the standard compensation would still depend on the usual qualifying conditions, including whether the disruption was within the airline’s control. If extraordinary circumstances apply, airlines may not be required to pay financial compensation,” the statement continued.

EU rights aren’t based on nationality, but rather the route and the airline operating the flight. So even post-Brexit, Brits are protected on journeys departing from an EU airport to the UK, or any flights from the UK to the EU that are operated by an EU airline. For example, Brits taking a Ryanair flight from Malaga to the EU would be covered by the legislation.

However, flights from the UK to the EU on non-EU airlines wouldn’t be covered. So, the outbound leg of a London to Madrid flight on a carrier such as British Airways would not follow these rules because it is arriving in the EU from a non-EU country on a non-EU airline.

The UK has its own UK261 framework, which includes the Right to Care for journeys delayed over two hours, but it’s not known whether this legislation will be updated in light of the changes in the EU.

Anton Radchenko, aviation lawyer and CEO of AirAdvisor, said: “For the passengers who are genuinely in trouble, the ones standing at a desk in a European airport being told the next available flight is days away, this is the change that actually matters. A reimbursement cap of up to four times the original ticket price could make a real difference to families who suddenly have to buy last-minute flights home, and it is a part of the reform I would want every British holidaymaker to know about.”

He added: “The importance of this rule is that it gives people a clearer point at which they can act. The harder part, as with every passenger right, will be making sure travellers know it exists before they are stuck at the airport, rather than finding out months later.

“My practical advice to any traveller is straightforward. If your covered flight is cancelled, give the airline its three-hour window to offer a suitable reroute, and then keep everything: your original booking, the cancellation notice, proof of what the airline offered or failed to offer, and every receipt for the travel you arrange yourself.

“In my experience, the passengers who successfully recover what they are owed are almost always the ones who documented the situation as it happened, not the ones who tried to piece it back together weeks later. A right is only ever as useful as the evidence you keep to support it.”

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Four out of five Brits surveyed didn’t know this passport rule, and even more surprisingly, a huge number don’t know the expiry date of their passport, which could leave them facing a last-minute panic

Holidaymakers are being urged by travel insurance specialists to check their passport details ahead of the busy summer season, as a survey showed a huge percentage of Brits were unaware of a basic passport rule.

The research, carried out by Saga Travel Insurance showed that many Brits didn’t know basic rules around passport validity, entry requirements, and travel regulations post-Brexit. Worryingly, 7% of the people surveyed had previously been denied entry to a country because they didn’t have enough time on their passport to cover the trip.

Saga surveyed 500 people, and found that four out of five (80%) were not aware that different countries have different passport validity requirements, while 50% mistakenly thought that every country requires a passport to have six months remaining before travel.

The travel insurance provider also highlighted that half of the Brits surveyed “are still not confident they understand the visa and travel requirements for visiting Europe after Brexit.” 16% didn’t know when their passport is due to expire, while 8% currently had expired passports gathering dust in a drawer.

One mum recently was left £700 out of pocket after getting caught out by passport rules for a holiday to Greece, meaning she couldn’t board her flight with her husband and children.

Michelle Cooper, Director of Travel Insurance at Saga, said: “Nobody should have their holidays ruined because of a simple passport error. A few quick checks can help people avoid unnecessary stress, unexpected costs and disruption at the airport.”

She added: “It’s important to check the specific rules of the country you’re travelling to so that you know how long you need remaining on your passport. Some destinations require three months remaining on your passport, while others require six months.”