At this late stage in negotiations, it seems that no one is a fan of Brexit. Not only has it cast the future relations between the UK and the EU into uncertainty, threatened the rights of those who reside in both lands, and fractured the idea of free movement, now there’s a chance it will cause countless flight delays too. According to the latest round of government papers, a no-deal Brexit coupled with a four month approval period when taking pets into the EU, could lead to a number of grounded flights, causing severe delays.
After 24 technical papers were released by the government on Monday the 24th of September, the nature of which concerned itself with advising businesses and consumers about the potential impact of a no-deal Brexit, a number of other issues came to the fore. Although the British government assures citizens that a no-deal Brexit remains unlikely, if an agreement isn’t struck, travel – including flights, bus and coach trips to Europe – could be severely impacted.
Flight delays
While the UK flight industry is booming at the moment, especially when it comes to private jets, a lack of agreement could plunge many airlines into disarray. This would mean that many airlines would have to obtain individual permissions when operating flights between the UK and the EU. At best, this would result in severe flight delays which the airlines would then have to deal with on a case by case basis, at worst, the number of routes could see a drastic reduction as airlines circumnavigate the Gordian knot that is UK/EU relations.
What can be done?
If you’re unlucky enough to find yourself stranded between a bureaucratic battle between Europe and the UK, there are a number of potential options available to you. The first piece of advice would be to double check in advance to ascertain if complications could arise from the route you’ve chosen. If there is a potential for trouble, it’s advised to simply take a new route to prevent any delays (trains seem to be the best option in this regard). If, however, you have already bought a plane ticket and find yourself severely delayed to the point where it adversely affects your lives and travel, there are a number of companies who help you secure flight compensation in the UK. If the airline is at fault and could have prevented the delay, there’s a good chance you’ll secure a fair amount of money in compensation, which can then be used to make further travel arrangements.
The future of flights in the EU and UK
While the above disagreements create a harrowing scenario not only for passengers but also airlines who rely on relations between the EU and UK for business (flights currently operate between the UK and 17 non-EU countries including Canada, the US and Switzerland as a result of the UK belonging to the EU), it’s unlikely that those involved will simply sit on their hands and wait to see what the outcome is after Brexit officially happens. Easyjet, for example, a budget airline that operates out of Luton Airport in England created an Austrian division in July 2017 as a response to the ongoing Brexit negotiations, to ensure that once the separation occurs they will still be able to operate flights within the EU. In the same vein, guidance bodies have assured everything that replacement arrangements will be in place before Brexit occurs to ensure that flights remain available and able to travel freely.
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