Jet fuel fears have subsided - not that British holidaymakers were worried

But what would they have done if their flights were cancelled?

Doom scenarios of a jet fuel crisis in Europe this summer now appear to have been discounted, although with a fresh wave of strikes between the US and Iran in recent days, future disruption cannot be ruled out.

But for now, aviation in Europe looks secure – not that British holidaymakers were overly concerned, according to the results of a new YouGov survey.

Our poll of 1,190 Britons who are planning to fly away on holiday this summer finds that while 72% thought the US-Iran conflict was likely to escalate within the next three months, and that 66% had considered the possibility that their flights might be cancelled as a result, just 8% thought it was likely that their own flights would actually be scrapped.

Instead, 45% thought it was “fairly unlikely” that their flights will be cancelled, and 27% considered it “extremely unlikely”.

Four in ten travellers say they would have lost money on their holidays if their flights were cancelled

With so few travellers believing it was likely their summer flights would be cancelled, it is no surprise to see that just 16% say they have taken steps to prepare for that possibility.

This is despite the fact that 42% say they would have been likely to lose money on other aspects of their holiday – e.g. non-refundable accommodation or activities – if their flights were cancelled.

Among this group, the median amount of money they expect to lose is between £500-599, with 37% expecting to still be on the hook for £1,000 or more of un-refundable holiday spending.

What would travellers do if they their holiday flights were cancelled?

So what would holidaymakers be likely to do if they had found their flights cancelled in the event of a jet fuel shortage?

The most common response would be to try and book new flights, which 57% say they would be likely to attempt (note that our question did specify that it is likely that availability would be limited and the cost would be significantly more than usual).

One in five (22%) say they would be likely to attempt to travel to their destination by other means, e.g. ferry, train or car.

Almost half (46%) say they would be likely to cancel their foreign plans and just holiday in the UK instead, while 37% say they would be likely to just stay home, or not have a holiday at all.

See the full results here

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Photo: Getty