George Hastings, managing director of Florida specialist Ocean Holidays, said long-haul flights were rarely subject to cancellation in the same way as short-haul departures and added some fare deals were cheaper than short-haul.

“Customers now need to think strategically when booking their holidays; starting firstly with looking at the facts,” he said.

“The reality is that cancelled and disrupted flights are impacting journeys to short-haul destinations more than long-haul. Why? Because airlines prioritise getting long-haul flights off the tarmac over short-haul. It’s easier to re-book people onto other short-haul flights so they’re usually the first to suffer disruption.”

British Airways has announced the cancellation of another 10,300 summer flights, all of them short-haul. It will consolidate flights where it has multiple daily departures but has also given refund options.

Hastings added fewer than 2% of his Florida bookings had so far been cancelled in 2022.

“Not only are the chances of flight disruption significantly lower when flying long-haul, they’re better value too. This year, British Airways increased its capacity to Orlando by 50% and reduced its seat prices while United Airlines has increased its capacity by 40% between London and Newark. 

“A family of four could save £1,080 on British Airways flights by choosing a week’s holiday in Miami instead of Tenerife for Easter 2023,” he said, with flights to Tenerife for two adults and two children costing £3,600, but only £2,520 to Miami as of late June.

He added: “With widespread strikes and cancellations ongoing, gambling on short-haul breaks feels like a risky move when better value, more reliable trips lie a little further beyond the horizon.”