Airline passengers should receive automatic compensation for delayed and canceled flights, Grant Shapps said, as thousands of Britons risked being trapped abroad by the chaos of travel.
The secretary of transport wants airlines to adopt a scheme similar to that of the railways, which offers quick refunds for delayed travel.
He was speaking after more flight cancellations left some tourists unable to return to Britain. Others showed up at airports to find that there were more passengers than seats. Shapps said airlines had to stop overbooking.
He has also clashed with Sadiq Khan, who wants EU workers to return to save the industry, telling the mayor of London that immigration could not always be the answer.
EasyJet, which downgraded 80 flights yesterday, said: “We are