Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast

As the school holidays in England and Wales approach, so many people are telling me that they are concerned about passports, and their expiry dates. I tell you the steps that you can take to avoid unnecessary issues. Of course this podcast is free, as is my weekly newsletter, which you can subscribe to here: http://www.independent.co.uk/newsletters Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more i...

Heathrow airport today announced a 100,000-a-day passenger capacity until September to try and deal with staff shortages in baggage and front-desk services that has been bedevilling the airline industry as we've all returned to flying with gusto. It sounds like a worrisome development, but I argue the case that no one should really be affected by the announcement, with safeguards and compensation...

In today's podcast, I am in Ashford, Kent, to visit the ghost terminal that used to connect Eurostar trains between mainland Europe and the UK before the Covid-19 pandemic severely diminished passenger numbers. The building is a fascinating sight, let's hope this travel stop gets reconnected soon. Of course, this podcast is free, as is my newsletter which you can subscribe to http://www.independen...

Today I want to talk to you about overbooking and what a fantastic thing it is, if it is done correctly. I explain how airlines overbooking their flights can have a positive environmental impact, and keep costs down for both business and passengers. Of course this podcast is free, as is my weekly newsletter, which you can subscribe to here: http://www.independent.co.uk/newsletters Hosted on Acast....

our questions answered – seeking (as always) to put minds at rest about the very likely absence of travel chaos this summer, but also concerned to read about certification requests from some cruise companies. Of course this podcast is absolutely free, as is my weekly newsletter that you can subscribe to at https://www.independent.co.uk/newsletters Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more in...

BA is taking nearly five million seats off the market, drastically reducing availability and pushing up fares “It’s the right thing to do for our customers and our colleagues,” said a British Airways spokesperson on Wednesday. They were describing the latest cull of summer flights: a further 10,300 short-haul departures between August and October, affecting at least one million passengers with exi...

Two weeks on from the first national rail strike, I'm at London Bridge station to assess the prospects of the summer ahead – with strike ballots under way at the train drivers' union, Aslef, and the white collar TSSA, my expectation is that a big strike involving all three could be called for late July. I hope I'm wrong. Of course this podcast is free, as is my weekly newsletter, which you can sub...

The chief operating officer of Britain’s biggest budget airline has resigned just as the peak summer season gets under way. Peter Bellew apparently left easyJet on Friday 1 July “to pursue other business opportunities”. For a top operational executive to leave the airline just as the busiest months of the year are beginning shows the scale of the crisis at easyJet. Since international air travel r...

Today's podcast is all about flying with baggage – should you check it in? I tell you what you can do to minimise the chance that your precious belongings will end up on sale at the Unclaimed Baggage Center at Scottsboro Alabama – and why you should assume you will never see your checked in bag again. Of course this podcast is free, much like my newsletter, which you can subscribe to at https://ww...

I went down to Heathrow Airport, which has axed 30 flights scheduled to leave Thursday morning, as it asked airlines to reduce their schedules to ease pressure on its terminals. The cancellations, which could affect more than 4,500 passengers, predominantly affect British Airways services - though Virgin Atlantic, Lufthansa, KLM, Aer Lingus and Air France flights are also impacted. Of course this...

Today, I jump on the much used Overground line to travel around the top of north London — the route is a kind of North Circular Road of the railways. I explain how, if you're not in too much of a hurry, it's a great way to see the city. Of course this podcast is free, much like my newsletter, which you can subscribe to at https://www.independent.co.uk/newsletters Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/pri...

I've been nosing around and keeping my ear to the ground and it seems that the carriers at Heathrow are quietly moving about. British Airways is moving some of its services out of terminal three to other terminals at Heathrow airport, meaning others, most notably American Airlines and Qatar airways are also shuffling to new desks in the terminals. Of course this podcast is free, much like my newsl...

If you are tracking a flight you have booked to see how well it is performing – and you don't like what you see – can you cancel and get a full refund? Sadly, perhaps, once you commit to a flight, past performance is inadmissable as grounds for getting your money back. But you can do some useful ground work. I take you through what tracking can be good for and what you can do to limit your loss if...

By-elections - always a good excuse for a protest vote at the best of times but the two that the Conservatives lost yesterday in Wakefield and Tiverton and Honiton saw voters with plenty of grievances. How, exactly, does that fit into a travel podcast? Well, I think the results partially point to dissatisfaction with how the government is going about resolving the trains issue as the second of a t...

British Airways ground staff at London Heathrow vote to strike. No dates for industrial action yet. My take on what It could mean. Of course this podcast is free, much like my newsletter which you can get every Friday, just subscribe at https://www.independent.co.uk/newsletters Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I've been looking to see what were the repercussions of yesterday's rail strike on the network and suffice to say it was an uneven picture. It seems major cities, where there are more people reliant on trains, had the worst of it but the action hasn't had any success in making everyone try to find a solution to the RMT issues with pay and compulsory redundancy, with a government unwilling to engag...

The first day of three planned rail worker strikes by the RMT union has begun and despite the doom-mongering I was pleasantly surprised when visiting London Liverpool Street and Kings Cross on how many trains were still in operation. Of course, travel has been much reduced to mainline services but if you do need to travel, I'm here to tell you that it is still possible by train during the industri...

Depending on who you speak with, Brexit is either the sole reason for our current air travel chaos as airlines and airports struggle to fill the gaps in employment numbers or, according to some government ministers, not an issue at all. I think it's somewhere in between - and here's my reasoning why. While air travel is struggling to cope with demand across the world as we've hurried back to inter...

Airline passengers booked to fly from Gatwick this summer could be contacted and told their flight has been cancelled. The Sussex airport, the second busiest in the UK after Heathrow, has announced plans to cap operations in July and August – with airlines instructed to cut some departures. Simon Calder is at Gatwick airport for us – with some reassurance. Of course, this podcast is free as is my...

With sterling plummeting on the foreign exchanges, it's more important than ever to manage your holiday money. Choose a payment method with no foreign transaction fee. Otherwise you could lose 3 per cent on credit card purchases and even more on debit cards. If your bank doesn’t offer one, then choose a card from another provider – I have one I use purely for overseas travel. And equally important...

During the planned nationwide rail strikes for three dates in late June, only limited passenger train services will run – most of them on key links to and from London. Members of the RMT rail union at Network Rail and 13 train operators voted 8:1 in favour of strike action over jobs, pay and conditions, and will stage 24-hour walkouts on 21, 23 and 25 June. Here is th...

In a move that shows the swift recovery of the aviation industry after the worst of the coronavirus pandemic, Terminal 4 at London Heathrow airport reopened at dawn. The facility has been closed for two years, with passengers and planes moved to the other three terminals. I was the only journalist to cover the opening. This is my report. Of course, this podcast is free as is my weekly newsletter,...

Under the European air passengers’ rights rules, if your flight arrives 3 hours or more late behind the published schedule, or if it is cancelled, then you are entitled to compensation. With airline cancellations and long delays still causing issues, I tell you how to claim compensation for these situations, and when airlines are likely to deny the request. Of course this podcast is free, much lik...

Aviation, especially in Britain, is incredibly safe. When the boss of Wizz Air appeared to suggest too many of his people were staying away because of fatigue, there was an immediate outcry. I've been talking to the leader of the British Airline Pilots’ Association (BALPA) who says pilots and cabin crew who are fatigued should be supported. Of course, this podcast is absolutely free, as is my news...

Today's episode is about European air passengers’ rights rules – and the curious way that the arrival time of a plane is defined. Entitlement to hundreds of pounds in compensation is nothing to do with the departure delay and everything to do with the time the first door is opened. Of course, this podcast is absolutely free, as is my newsletter which you can find at https://www.independent.co.uk/n...