Unions, meanwhile, have said that P&O Ferries have "got away with" the sacking of 800 workers after nearly all employees accepted redundancy deals.

Elsewhere, Edinburgh airport has warned of disruption over the summer due to a shortage of staff, while the latest Covid lockdown in Shanghai has been extended.

Here are the headlines the travel industry woke up to on Friday (1 April).

Millions rush to minimise energy bills on eve of ‘Bleak Friday’

UK consumers rushed to submit energy meter readings on Thursday (31 March) before the huge £700-a-year price rise came into effect on 1 April. This surge caused the websites of several energy suppliers to crash. (Various)

P&O Ferries has ‘got away with it’, say unions

Unions said the ferry operator had “got away with it” after ministers backtracked on taking legal action over the company’s sacking of 800 workers. All but one of the sacked employees had accepted the firm’s controversial redundancy payoff ahead of Thursday’s deadline. (The Guardian)

Edinburgh airport warns of disruption ahead of travel surge

The boss of Edinburgh airport has warned holidaymakers to expect queues and disruption over the summer due to being unable to recruit enough staff in time for the peak season as holiday demand returns. (BBC News)

Oil price falls as US moves to release reserves

Oil prices dropped closer to $100 a barrel on Thursday (31 March) after the US announced it would be releasing an unprecedented one million barrels per day from its stockpile over the next six months to try to ease the global energy squeeze. (The Times)

Shanghai extends Covid lockdown measures despite economic concerns

Chinese authorities are extending strict lockdown measures across more parts of Shanghai in a bid to counter rising cases of Covid-19 in the country’s financial centre. The move has been made despite data already showing the negative economic impact the lockdown is having on China. (Financial Times)

Moscow says all foreign leased aircraft will remain in Russia

Russia’s government has said that more than 400 aircraft leased to Russian airlines by foreign companies will stay in the country. These aircraft leases had to be terminated due to the sanctions imposed on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine. (Reuters)