9 travel questions answered by expert Simon Calder

From the usual passport, vaccination and flight cancellation queries to how to journey with a kilt, readers had a wide-range of questions for The Independent’s travel correspondent, Simon Calder, on Thursday.

Simon reported a slightly slow start to his weekly ‘Ask Me Anything’ due to waiting to board a late-running bus from Montreal to Quebec City in Canada, followed by an onboard laptop ban and dodgy WiFi.

However, thanks to a friendly driver turning a blind eye to the laptop as long as the sound was off and Simon tethering to “a dodgy old mobile” with “internet about as good as it was in Goa in 1992”, he was able to answer questions.

Here are nine reader questions answered by Simon.

Is my passport still valid?

Q: My British passport is valid until April 2023 but it will be 10 years old in September 2022. I’m due to fly to Canada from Dublin this month and I’m concerned about the validity. Conflicting advice online and I don’t want to lose my holiday and time is running out for a renewal.

A: Always good to start with a straightforward question and answer. Thank you. Your passport is valid for travel to and from Canada (and Ireland) up to and including its expiry date in April 2023. Hope you have a great trip.

What flight cancellation compensation am I entitled to?

Q: My daughter and partner were due to fly back from Bordeaux to Gatwick with BA after a family holiday on 17 June. BA cancelled it with less than 24 hours notice (no specific reason given). They managed to get flights with easyJet for about £200 per person extra, arriving back at Gatwick on the 17th as planned. However, BA has refused their claim for compensation, stating that the cancellation was “because BA2787 on 17 June 2022 was cancelled due to industrial action throughout France”.

I’m retired with a little time on my hands and did some research. I searched widely online but could find no mention of any industrial action on 17 June. I then used the FlightAware website (a free account allows you to search historical flights). The only one of the 11 flights to and from the UK and the ROI to Bordeaux that didn’t fly was the BA one. Seven of those flights flew within a few hours of BA2787. I then searched further afield in case there was an airspace issue. All flights from London to Paris, Marseille and Nantes (15 in all) flew as normal. I also asked BA to provide brief details of the industrial action.

BA rejected my daughter’s further email yesterday within a few…