Simon Calder

Simon Calder is the most vocal and knowledgeable consumer champion for UK travellers, going the extra mile to highlight and defend passengers' rights. In a period of great travel upheaval, from Covid restrictions to Brexit and the return of regular rail strikes, Calder has been an important voice in explaining the reality to travellers, both on The Independent and broadcasting across British radio and television.

It's no exageration to say that Calder is at the forefront of every digital platofrm: he writes a weekly consumer-focused newsletter which has more than 300,000 subscribers, as well as answering readers' questions every week in an online interactive Ask Me Anything. He also has a daily travel podcast and takes part in regular events for Independent readers in which he gives travel advice. Over the past 10 months he has lobbied on behalf of passengers who were being turned away from flights because post-Brexit rules on passport validity were being misinterpreted. His stories led the Foreign Office to update its online guidance, though he has continued to cover instances of airlines misapplying the regulations. Calder also broke the news of the P&O decision to sack staff and replace them with contractors at short notice, which dominated the news agenda, while his revelation that Liz Truss had chartered a flight to Australia rather than flying commercial forced the foreign secretary to defend her decision to spend £500,000 of taxpayers' money on the trip.