Maria Bataller has been wondering if she and her family will be able to get on the flights she booked this summer.
She is going to fly with her husband and children to Spain on 27 July, but the cabin crew in Spain are on strike.
Bataller said that the worst thing would be to show up at the airport at 4am with two small children. My parents are in Spain and they are getting older. I don't want my kids to miss out on summer.
Bataller is haunted by the flight cancellation that disrupted travellers during the recent half-term break.
There will be no certainty around the summer break. A host of obstacles mean travellers are facing an anxious time despite the huge demand for overseas holidays after the Pandemic.
The war in Ukraine is taking its toll. Staff shortages and security checks mean airlines, airports and the many companies involved in each passenger's journey are already stretched
Even though the government ordered airlines to be realistic about how many flights they could deliver, no one in the airline industry can guarantee that passengers won't face more disruptions when the summer season starts.
The Civil Aviation Authority has asked airlines to review their schedules and make sure they are on time. Large-scale cancellation of flights for the summer period that they do not expect to deliver is what airlines have been doing.
Cancellations made in advance are better for consumers.
There were long lines in departure lounges at Easter and chaotic scenes last month when hundreds of flights were canceled at the last moment.
The government announced an “amnesty”, allowing airlines to retain their slots for next year
Airlines and tour operators saw huge demand when governments began dropping travel restrictions. More than 30,000 staff were laid off by UK airlines when the government's support for the H1N1 flu ended.
Jet2's executive chairman accused airports of being "woefully ill prepared" and described ground handler firms as having "atrocious customer service."
The outsourcing of airside services by airlines has left companies with thin profit margins and little room to raise pay. It had taken months for new airport staff to get security clearances. A ground handler new to the job might take 45 minutes to remove a stray bag from a plane, compared to 15 minutes for an experienced worker.
After the travel chaos subsided, the government wrote to airlines to be more realistic, but they were reluctant as losing airport landing slots was a valuable commodity. On 21 June the government announced a slot that would allow airlines to retain their landing slots. An estimated 11,000 flights have been dropped by EasyJet, while BA has reduced its summer schedule by more than a third.
If other airlines need to make cancellation plans, they are expected to do so within the next few days.
There are other issues that could cause more last-minute cancellation than usual.
Other industrial disputes seem to have been resolved after check-in staff received an improved pay offer.
Planes need to fly longer because of the war in Ukraine. Covid is still alive and well. Flight crews and ground staff may be affected by the latest wave of infections. Any disruption should be brief and local.
Karen Dee is the chief executive of the Airport Operators Association. She said that airports have been preparing for the summer peak since late last year. As they complete their training and security vetting, more staff are being deployed.
Last-minute schedule changes and security queue issues can cause delays elsewhere, according to Swissport. The person apologized for the part they played in the disruption. Since the beginning of the year, we have recruited over 3,500 people in the UK and will continue to work with our partners to find solutions for this industry-wide issue.
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