My friends have just arrived at Birmingham in the bus from Manchester for a 4:15 flight to Cape Verde. Third time lucky, fingers crossed.

Just found out my cousin is in Torremolinos, should have been home yesterday but had an 8 hour delay at the airport and was then sent home and has been told they'll be flown home on Friday.

The problem with making mass cancellations is that for the overwhelming majority of their customers it isn't just the flight they would be canning, but the holiday revenue as well which would surely be a far greater detriment to the business than a couple of hundred delay compensation settlements and some compensation for losing a couple of days from the customers' holidays.

I have just taken a butchers at LGW on FR24 and can see what you mean regarding EasyJet, but again, correct me if I'm wrong, but many, if not most of the EZY cancellation were announced some weeks ago rather than "on the day" cancellations. Certainly that's the impression I got from the interview that the EasyJet CEO gave on TV a few days ago.

Cape Verde flight has an estimated time of Departure as 17.30. I hope they enjoy their holiday after the wait

Thanks - any idea if the aircraft is actually at BHX or is it reliant on an inbound flight ?

Looks like G-TUII, on its way from Dalaman estimating 16.15 - passing Stuttgart at 15.00

Thanks. They've messaged that there is quite a visible police presence at Birmingham. I think tempers are getting a little short, hopefully the flight gets away OK and everybody on board, although after three check-ins in 5 days and now 27 hours since leaving home I think my friends are resigned to their holiday not happening.

Yes and no, they've just been hit with a bit IT problem that's scuppered the whole operation and ended up cancelling all flights due to depart between 1300Z & 1500Z, reportedly around 450 flights :o

Yes, read that after I posted, IT related issues. That's progress I guess!

Yeah, it can happen to anyone but EZY sure can't catch a break at the moment. I'm just glad I'm not back on until Saturday :)

Which is why they don’t make mass cancellations, and instead carry delays which often exacerbate the situation for the days ahead.

But if my flight was going to be disrupted, I think I’d rather be put into a hotel, compensated, possibly even bussed to another airport and end up on a Subchartered aircraft the next day than have my flight cancelled, put on the next available flight three days later, lose my non-refundable booking.com hotel and my car hire and be made to sort my own accommodation in the mean time, with any chance of reimbursement beyond a refund and EU261 in the hands of an insurance company.

The start of the season hasn’t been ideal for TUI but they’re far from the worst and are at least making an effort to get customers away.

As for EZY, anything that shows as cancelled on the display screens or website is an on the day cancellation. Anything cancelled long in advance won’t appear, although they may still appear on FR24 if that’s your source.

Flight Arrival into Malaga is showing on AENA but not on FR24 yet.

arrival 03:08
TOM2300
MANCHESTER (MAN)

They are checked in, albeit sat 5 rows apart, but that's a non issue. Looks like the Cape Verde flight will get away tonight and they can start their holiday 4 days late.

World2Fly A333 Birmingham TUI ops
 

Makes me wonder why TUI flew this AC in from Madrid this afternoon when there is a Wamos A330 sat on the ground that operated for TUI yesterday?

The Wamos A330 is heading for Manchester later this evening(21:15), to catch the delayed Malaga flights. Scheduled to leave Manchester at 23:50.

You beat me to it. I've just checked FR24 and found that out :)

The positioning flight from Birmingham to Manchester has been cancelled!

so what’s operating the Malaga flight now?

Seems there were two listed.
The 2100 (due 2115) is still active, but the 2230 has been cancelled.

Yes my apologies just seen that although I'm still wondering how they will fit 325 passengers on a 280 seat AC

The goods news for TUI, is that B738 G-TAWD re-entered service today at Gatwick, the bad news, G-TAWO seems to have gone tech in Dubrovnik, operating a flight back to East Midlands, so passengers stuck in Dubrovnik, and the evening East Midlands-Heraklion flight now seriously delayed. Problems just dont stop for TUI at present.