Simon Calder

Easyjet boss slams ‘unworkable and mad’ EU proposals to change cabin baggage rules Exclusive: CEO Kenton Jarvis says ‘it's a bizarre initiative from someone who clearly doesn't fly very much’

easyJet CEO Kenton Jarvis tells me European Parliament proposals to allow all airline passengers to take 2 pieces of hand luggage are “unworkable and mad ... a bizarre initiative from someone who clearly doesn't fly very much. There isn't room in the aircraft.”
www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-...

Schengen area: what can I expect when crossing internal borders? Don’t be a checkpoint Charlie: pack your passport when travelling within the ‘passport-free zone’

The Schengen "border free" area is now tangled with internal frontiers.
The expanding controls deployed by each country means anyone travelling widely within the zone this summer will face multiple checks crossing frontiers on trains, boats, planes and highways.
www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-...

So sorry to hear it, can you kindly email all details to SimonCalder@hotmail.com?

Lovely, thank you. If I am not mistaken, Polish/Soviet black marketeers were often on board doing deals at every port.

If Ryanair didn’t exist, would you have to invent it? The Man Who Pays His Way: What did Europe’s biggest budget airline ever do for us?

40 years old on Tuesday and more successful than ever.
No, not me: Ryanair, which started flying from Waterford in southeast Ireland to Gatwick on 8 July 1985.
What did CEO Michael O'Leary ever do for us?
And if Ryanair did not exist, would we have to invent it?
www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-...

The wrong train, bus, dish, drink ... when has your travel need been lost in translation?
"We gotta get out of this place." Ever been stranded somewhere unexpected and had to improvise?
And showers in strange lands.
Share for the next You Should Have Been There podcast @youshouldhavebt.bsky.social

In July 2023 Mark Thurston resigned after 6 years as HS2's chief executive, during which he earned £4.5m.
The-then transport secretary, Mark Harper, warmly thanked him for "his work over the last six years on progressing Britain’s most transformative rail project.”
Mr Thurston now runs Anglia Water.

In August 2024, HS2 said: “initial services between Birmingham and Old Oak Common” would start between 2029 and 2033.
10 months on the government says: "There is no route by which trains can be running by 2033."
Times to Manchester and Leeds. the original HS2 destinations, will be largely unchanged.

Simon Calder on how HS2 squandered billions to become a national embarrassment Trains may run between Birmingham and somewhere near London by 2036 – a decade late, and slower than planned as Simon Calder explains

HS2: I read the official reports so you didn't have to.
A vision of connectivity & levelling up is now a national embarrassment, wrecked by incompetence while squandering tens of billions of public cash.
Like the project, the trains will be slower than promised.
www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-...

Arrivals by air to Gibraltar will soon face two checks:
1 Existing Gib border.
2 New Spanish/Schengen area frontier.
UK travellers whose passport doesn't meet Brexit rules for the EU will be deported.
Brits who are let in are subject to the 90/180 day rule, limiting their stay in Gibraltar & the EU.

Spain to gain sovereignty over British travellers to Gibraltar Exclusive: UK visitors face extra Brexit red tape, including fingerprinting, as Rock aligns with Schengen area formalities

Gibraltar: a superb Mediterranean destination with an intensity of history, scenery and cuisine that transcends its modest scale.
At present all you need is a valid UK passport to stay as long as you wish.
But Spain will soon take back control at the airport.
www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-...

Amsterdam Centraal (ferry, tram, Metro, international rail)
Copenhagen airport (Metro, international rail, international air)
Venezia Santa Lucia (ferry, bus, international rail)
Gatwick airport (rail, highway A23, international air)
Lyon St-Exupery airport (high-speed rail, tram, international air)

Which are the world’s greatest intermodal transportation hubs?
The rules:
At least three different forms of transport must converge at the same location.
Two of those transportation methods must be through, not simply terminating, services.
And at least one of them must be international.
I'll start.

Devastating Air India tragedy is an exception in the trends of air safety ‘Commercial aviation remains one of the safest forms of public transport,’ says the chief inspector of aviation accidents in the UK

Air India 171.
Heartbreak in Ahmedabad. All thoughts with the families and friends of those who have lost loved ones.
Air safety professionals are working to understand the causes of the tragedy, and identify lessons for the future to make the skies safer.
www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-...

The health of the passenger comes first.
Crew will do whatever necessary to get urgent care. But diverting a plane is expensive and disruptive.
So should passengers be obliged to complete a health declaration before flying?
If so, should that be age-dependent: 70 or 80 years?
Or everyone?
Or no one?

Is there a doctor on the plane? Medical diversions of flights are on the increase Plane Talk: How long before older passengers face medical questions before boarding?

Medical diversions to flights: they seem to be happening more often, due to:
An older, less healthy demographic.
A gradual increase in the size of aircraft (therefore more chance a passenger will fall ill).
Longer flight times (more time for someone to fall ill)
www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-...

EasyJet promises ‘better resilience’ ahead of tough summer Exclusive: CEO of Britain's biggest budget airline says French, German and Greek air-traffic control are biggest causes of delay

Summer flight disruption.
The boss of Britain's biggest budget airline, easyJet, reveals pre-emptive action:
Sharper turns between arrival & departure.
Spare parts and planes judiciously deployed.
More slack in crew rosters in case of air-traffic control delays.
www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-...

Brits abroad is the subject of Podcast 218.
Discover Brexit escapees, travel racers and AvGeeks with Mick Webb and I. @youshouldhavebt.bsky.social

Why is BA charging 70 times more than Ryanair to fly from Edinburgh to London? Plane Talk: Why would any airline try to dissuade passengers from booking?

Edinburgh-London, Friday 20 June.
Air fares range:
Ryanair £17-£121.
easyJet £19-£160.
British Airways £91-£1,183.
Yes, a ticket on the 10.25am BA flight is 70 times more than the lowest Ryanair fare.
But BA doesn't actually expect anyone to pay that price.
www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-...

Why post-Brexit roaming charges in Europe are here to stay Exclusive: A 2019 ‘explanatory memorandum’ made it clear roaming charges were set to rise after leaving the EU

Bring back free roaming across Europe?
That was never going to happen.
Before Brexit, UK travellers were the main beneficiaries of Roam Like at Home.
But a document published by the Boris Johnson government made clear that roaming charges would rise after Brexit
www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-...

Could Stratford replace St Pancras as the gateway to Europe? Exclusive: ’We think it's a bit of a jewel in the crown’ says Gemini Trains CEO Adrian Quine

The jewel in the crown of international rail travel?
The CEO of start-up Gemini Trains claims it is Stratford International station in east London.
Forget St Pancras; Gemini expresses for Paris and Brussels will start at Stratford and also stop at Ebbsfleet Intl
www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-...

Is this the age of the train or the plane? Train Talk/Plane Talk: Should we ban shorthaul flights? No – we should devote our efforts to improving rail services instead

“Over half of Brits back banning shorthaul flights where high-speed rail links exist,” says trainmaker Hitachi.
But if rail services are good enough, people will stop flying anyway.
Focus on improvement, not prohibition (such as the ineffective "ban" in France).
www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-...

Stansted airport IT failure: your rights if you were caught up in the chaos Ryanair flights were dispatched on time, Jet2 waited for all passengers – with delays of up to six hours

Rights for those caught up in Stansted airport IT fail.
Ryanair dispatched flights on time before many passengers reached the gate; it is allowing free rebooks.
Jet2 waited for passengers to board.
Delayed by 3 hours+? Free refreshments.
But no cash compensation
www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-...

Update: systems now restored. But thousands of Ryanair passengers have missed their flights and are seeking to rebook, while Jet2 and Tui passengers later in the day will be heavily delayed – their first-wave flights were delayed for hours and there will be knock-on effects throughout Sunday.

Stansted Airport IT failure sparks travel chaos – with 10,000 people missing flights An estimated 10,000 passengers have missed flights so far on Sunday morning

Stansted airport chaos due to IT failure.
Hours of queuing for first-wave flights.
Jet2 and Tui delayed departures to wait for passengers to reach the gate.
But Ryanair, the biggest airline, has been dispatching near-empty planes on time to avoid delays later.
www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-...

Heathrow power outage: How airport chaos unfolded as cause remains ‘unknown’ Exclusive: The definitive sequence of events behind a shutdown that had devastating emotional and economic consequences

Heathrow 21 March closure due to power failure.
Review of the shutdown reveals electricity was restored to all airport terminals by 11am, 12 hours after the fire began.
But arrivals did not resume for the following 7 hours. Departures started 3 hours after that.
www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-...

India-Pakistan conflict disrupts UK air passengers with delays and diversions Exclusive: Malaysia Airlines flight from Kuala Lumpur to London Heathrow diverted to Doha to refuel

The tragic India-Pakistan conflict is causing delays, diversions and cancellations for hundreds of flights.
Many Europe-Asia links normally traverse both India and Pakistan.
Now taking longer, southerly routes, impacting:
Fuel.
Crew hours.
Passenger connections.
www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-...

India-Pakistan conflict disrupts UK air passengers with delays and diversions Exclusive: Malaysia Airlines flight from Kuala Lumpur to London Heathrow diverted to Doha to refuel

India-Pakistan conflict affecting intercontinental aviation, with many delays, diversions and cancellations.
Malaysia Airlines' overnight arrival at Heathrow from Kuala Lumpur stopped en route at Doha to refuel because it could not fly direct over Pakistan.
www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-...

25 years on, how did my recommendations to British Airways shape up? Plane Talk: I got some things right about BA’s path into the 21st century, but also missed loads

25 years ago I offered British Airways advice on the future.
Some of it happened.
Ditch Concorde.
Start a dedicated "BA Gatwick".
But I missed loads, such as:
Turning into "London Airways".
Moving at scale into London City.
Retreat from Australia and New Zealand
www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-...

Exclusive: The ridiculously cheap early summer holiday offers as prices slashed Exclusive: Travel firms are cutting prices drastically to fill seats and beds over the next two weeks

Can you travel in May? Some implausible bargains.
Corfu with Tui for £156 on Friday 16 May. Includes flights from Gatwick with baggage, transfers and a room with breakfast.
One week later the price increases almost five-fold to £747 due to the late May half-term
www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-...