Flight cancellations: 8 questions answered by Simon Calder

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Summer travel disruption, flight cancellations and strikes were at the forefront of questions asked by readers during travel correspondent Simon Calder’s weekly ‘Ask Me Anything’ on Friday. But even if it is, those fabulous European air passengers’ rights rules will stand you in good stead by requiring the cancelling airline to provide an alternative flight on the same day. Despite ground staff at BA’s Heathrow hub overwhelmingly backing a walkout in their fight to reverse pay cuts and the prediction from their trade union that “holidaymakers face massive disruption,” as someone holding four British Airways flights to and from Heathrow in July and August I am fairly confident they will take off more or less as normal. But if I am wrong, then European air passengers’ rights rules offer solid consumer protection – in the form of a requirement for the cancelling airline to provide flights on the same day, even if it means buying a ticket on another carrier.