A stretched travel industry equals stressed-out travellers

Simon Calder’s Travel Week [View in browser]( [The Independent]( May 27, 2022 [The Independent]( It's only May - but the long-suffering travel industry and its equally pressed customers are enduring the kind of chaos you might expect at the height of summer. It does not bode well. The waiting game (anyaberkut/Getty) And relax: those stories of months-long passport renewals taking months are nonsense. We know that because the prime minister told the House of Commons on Wednesday, in a little-noticed exchange, that: “[Everybody’s getting their passport within four to six weeks](.” How did that happen, then? Boris Johnson revealed: “We’re massively increasing the speed with which the Passport Office delivers.” But – and I know you will find this hard to believe – the prime minister was mistaken. A government spokesperson later told me: “The latest figures show that over 90 per cent of applications have been completed within six weeks,”. Which is not quite the same as “everybody”. The traditional waiting time for a straightforward passport renewal was three weeks prior to April 2022, at which point ministers began to warn holidaymakers to allow 10 weeks due to a surge in applications. Even if your passport has come through, your problems are likely only just beginning. Tens of thousands of passengers have been left stranded due to [short-notice cancellations by easyJet]( this week. They include [a family whose initial flight from Manchester to Tenerife was cancelled](. The airline bussed them to Gatwick, and then cancelled that flight as well – amid claims that passengers at easyJet’s biggest base were left to fend for themselves and sleep on the floor of the airport. An easyJet spokesperson, though, insisted: “We have informed all customers and provided them with their options including a free transfer, a voucher or a refund, as well as hotel accommodation and meals where required.” By Thursday morning, reader Lauren Allery contacted me to say she was “reporting to you live from Gatwick that easyJet is still causing chaos here." She elaborated: "My flight to Naples this morning cancelled four hours before our 6am departure. No easyJet reps with the ability to help at either terminal and no desk to ask at.” It was one of seven Italian departures to be axed before 7.30am, and no other easyJet flights were available. I advised Lauren to buy a ticket from another airline and reclaim the cost from easyJet, as air passengers’ rights rules insist. Whatever the cause of the cancellation, carriers are obliged to provide meals, accommodation and flights as soon as possible – including on a rival airline if need be. Even worse was to come later in the day, when [more than 200 flights were cancelled by an IT failure](. Over at British Airways, [short-haul cancellations]( are continuing at roughly 120 per day – translating to about 15,000 seats daily. Most passengers are informed well in advance. So - best to play it safe with a UK holiday by train, then? Not necessarily: [ScotRail is currently cancelling 700 trains a day]( as drivers choose not to work overtime – and that the RMT union is planning [the biggest rail strike for decades](, and discussing stoppages on Network Rail and 14 train operators beginning in mid-June. A morsel of joy, though: the [central section of the Elizabeth line finally opened](, whisking people from Abbey Wood in southeast London to Paddington station in half an hour. And why, you might wonder, is that relevant? Because Abbey Wood happens to be the location for a top-class camping and caravanning site, providing a budget base for your next London visit. Get inspired...   Green pastures On Canada's rugged, sparsely-populated Vancouver Island, sustainability is part of the fabric [I'm an image]( Bristol's hippest hangouts](How%20to%20spend%20a%20day%20in%20Stokes%20Croft,%20Bristol’s%20cool%20cultural%20quarter%20 After a cool neighbourhood for a Bristol city break? Stokes Croft is the arty choice [I'm an image]( [Crossrail adventures]( Glam lidos and treasure-concealing forests? All along the Elizabeth line? Who knew Tip of the week: Stay on the ground   “Rather than being an exercise in spartan self-denial, kicking the flying habit is an overwhelmingly positive experience for the traveller” – so says Helen Coffey, travel editor of The Independent. Her new book, Zero Altitude: How I Learned to Fly Less and Travel More, is out this week – published by Flint, price £16.99. [Helen has taken the flight-free pledge](. She acknowledges that travel by rail and sea rather than air “can be challenging and frustrating (and – yes – bloody expensive)”. But Helen concludes: “For all that, it’s so much more than a sacrifice: it’s an opportunity. One that offers the chance to stop, stare, breathe in and view the world anew.” Deal of the week: German rail for 25p per day   Berlin to Bonn to Bremen to Baden-Baden... anywhere you like, in fact, for an average cost of just 25p per day. Deutsche Bahn (DB), which operates most trains in Germany, has launched [a ticket costing €9 (£7.70) that gives a full month of unlimited rail travel]( in June, July or August. It covers “Regional Express” trains and all local services, including S-Bahn and U-Bahn metro trains, as well as trams and buses. Intercity expresses (classed as IC, ICE and EuroCity) are not included, The move, supported by the German government, aims to lure local travellers back to the railway – but it is equally open to international visitors. Buy the ticket through the DB Navigator app - just create a notional journey, such as Konstanz to Baden-Baden, to generate the all-month ticket. [Read The Independent's city guide to Cologne, one of Germany's top rail hubs.]( Travel voucher of the week [Save £100 when you spend £750 on May-June 2022 summer holidays]( Question of the week: Best Crete days out   Q We are going to Crete next week. Any tips for day trips? A Congratulations at travelling to the biggest and most beautiful Greek island at an excellent time of year. My day-trip recommendations depend on where you are staying while on holiday: Crete is 160 miles long, and an excursion from the eastern city of Agios Nikolaos to Chania in the west would be overambitious. Near Chania in the west, explore some of the Akrotiri peninsula — in particular, the village of Stavros at the northern tip. It has an excellent beach, a few bars and a place in movie history: the closing scene of Zorba the Greek was filmed here. To the east, the obvious trip from Agios Nikolaos is to the lovely resort of Elounda – and from there, to the island of Spinalonga: a fortress isle that became a leper colony and is now a mysterious and atmospheric, if chilling, place to explore. Wherever you are staying in Crete: make time for the Minoan palace complex at Knossos, located just south of Heraklion’s humdrum suburbs. In the company of a good guide, the story of a mighty palace nearly four millennia old comes alive. If you can’t get there early in the day, then leave it for mid-afternoon when the crowds begin to disperse. [Read our guide to 48 hours in Chania]( Stat of the week 5 The maximum number of minutes you should ever have to wait on [the Elizabeth line – the central London section of which opened this week](. Initially 12 trains per hour will serve the link from Paddington to Abbey Wood, between 6.30am and 11pm, with services running daily except for Sundays. Another couple of stats: the opening was three-and-a-half years late, and the project is £4bn over budget. The line's full opening takes place a year from now. What you might have missed   - Pass go: [“Everybody’s getting their passport within four to six weeks,” says Boris Johnson]( - No go: [Some easyJet passengers slept on airport floors after last-minute cancellations]( - Unwelcome sign: [On the approach to Gatwick, a giant sign reads "Welcome to Luton"]( Simon’s diary   Every day from Monday to Friday I tackle a top travel story, or explore a topic in more detail than usual in ‘Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast’ – available free on [Spotify](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Pocket Casts]( or [Acast](. I find the easiest way to rush out stories is to tweet them. It’s also an easy way to contact me. My DMs are open and I read all direct messages, though regrettably I can’t respond to every one. 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