In the midst of Britain’s ongoing airport upheaval, Gatwick managers were left scrunched-up today when more than two dozen easyJet flights were cancelled, only hours after they promised the facility was back to “business as usual.”
Due to insufficient staff attendance, 26 flights—13 departures and 13 arrivals—had to be cancelled, the company said this morning.
The travel chaos occurred immediately after irate families criticised British Airways for cutting 11,250 more flights to and from Heathrow until the spring.
The cancellations pose a danger to the industry’s already high ticket costs for people seeking to travel during October half-term, winter sun, and skiing vacations.
Experts cautioned that the price increase might be “stratospheric” as a result of the ongoing strong demand, fewer available tickets, and increasing inflation.
BA said that it will stop operating 1,258 flights to and from Heathrow until the end of October in order to adhere to a daily departure passenger maximum of 100,000 that the airport last week extended into the fall.
However, the airline is eliminating an extra 10,000 flights between the end of October and the end of March, the majority of which are to renowned European destinations like Paris, Dublin, and Madrid that are less busy in the winter.
That occurred only hours before Gatwick cancelled its own flights owing to a labour shortage.
A spokeswoman said: “Due to unexpected personnel absence in the airport’s control tower, restrictions were placed on the number of planes that could come into Gatwick.
‘Unfortunately, several flights throughout the day may be postponed or cancelled as a consequence.
Gatwick wishes to express its regret for the disruption this would bring to its customers.
Unfortunately, the airport’s manager had previously said that “business as usual” had resumed at the airport and that the capacity limitations would not need to be extended through the end of the month.
More than twenty easyJet flights were cancelled today, leaving Gatwick managers furious after they had earlier claimed that everything was back to “business as usual.”
The chaos in travel occurred soon after irate families criticised British Airways for cutting 11,250 more flights to and from Heathrow until the spring.
In an effort to solve the personnel issue that continues to plague airlines and airports throughout the UK, about 17,600 flights were cancelled in June and 10,300 flights in July. Additionally, the airline stopped accepting orders to rebook cancelled customers from the start of August.
After months of stress on European airports and airlines, the corporation said that regular business activities had returned.
The second-busiest airport in London announced in June that it was slowing the expansion in the number of flights after significant disruption over the Platinum Jubilee bank holiday.
Over the summer, travellers would have had subpar service if there had been no restrictions. There would have been lengthy lines and several last-minute delays or cancellations of planes.
But the worst is over now that the school break is over.
“The unprecedented growth in traffic led to short-term operational issues in June, but our early, decisive action to restrict the airport’s capacity in the crucial school holiday period of July and August has ensured passengers have had dependable flight schedules over the summer,” said chief executive Stewart Wingate.
We are now doing business as normal and do not see a need to prolong the capacity declaration, according to the statement.
He said that the surge in demand for international travel had assisted the airport in recovering from the epidemic.
According to Gatwick, demand reached 74% of pre-pandemic levels in the second quarter of this year.
In the six months leading up to the end of June, the airport saw more than 13 million passengers. Currently, it anticipates that 32.8 million people will utilise the airport this year.
Runaway inflation, which is driving up prices and forcing consumers to cut up on luxury, might, however, derail this prognosis.
In the last six months, revenue was £291.5 million, while post-tax profit was £50.6 million.
Strong demand has accelerated Gatwick’s recovery from the epidemic, especially in the past quarter when all UK travel restrictions were lifted, according to Mr. Wingate. However, there is still a long way to go.
“Air traffic volumes have recovered to almost 75% of pre-Covid levels, reflecting this robust passenger demand.”
“Despite some general economic uncertainties, we are also looking forward to a prosperous second half of the year,” the company said. “New, interesting airlines and routes are coming on stream, and the excellent service standards Gatwick is recognised for are continuously improving.”
The BA cancellations, which will affect more than 1.8 million tickets between now and late March, have angered a number of vacationers, who vented their fury on social media.
Thank you very much, @British Airways, one irate passenger tweeted. This weekend is significant. We are taking a family trip up to celebrate my dad turning 80 and, more significantly, to bury my mother’s ashes. It’s horrible how this business is acting. Additionally, @grantshapps is primarily focused on cycling.
Another person commented: “Shame my devotion is worthless @British Airways. I’m silver and this year I was also becoming gold. Twice cancelled, I now lose a vacation with my kid, along with the price of the hotel and Oktoberfest. I’m no longer with you. Please show this to your heartless CEO, too.
A third person said, “The news about British Airways is really worrying me. Now that I’ve already had one flight cancelled, I’m only anticipating the cancellation of the outgoing flight.
And they’ve cancelled our trip out to Disney but not our journey back, said another irate traveller.
‘@British Airways, were you ever good?’
‘Just booked a journey with British Airways only to discover that over 10,000 flights have been cancelled,’ a fifth person said. Travelers are going to have a challenging fall. BA should definitely recruit additional personnel.
In an effort to solve the personnel problem that is still plaguing airlines and airports throughout the UK, BA cut 17,600 flights in June and 10,300 in July.
Financial expert Jane Foley, senior FX strategist at Rabobank, explained the scenario on BBC Radio Four’s Today programme this morning. ‘They are supposedly employing additional staff, but they have to get them through security and training, and this takes time,’ she added.
“But BA was extremely severely hit during the Covid problem; at the height of the epidemic, they had to fire almost 10,000 employees, and we are aware that there is a current labour shortage.”
The UK, the US, Australia, New Zealand, Norway, and other nations have all experienced this, and it is obviously impacting their capacity to catch up.
They are paying their employees more as they hire additional staff since they are having problems filling positions.
“What occurred in the UK, of course, was that we had furlough plans so many firms were able to retain their staff, but BA had to fire so many and that has meant it has been really struck hard trying to bring people back in an environment when we have a lack of labour,” the author said.
The airline attempted to free up enough seats earlier this month by halting the sale of short-haul tickets from Heathrow for a week. This was done in an effort to rebook customers whose flights had been cancelled.
In light of the “ongoing issues confronting the whole aviation system,” BA said that the decision to temporarily halt sales on its domestic, European, and flights through Morocco and Cairo was the “appropriate” thing to do.
Those who were unable to make reservations on British Airways’ aircraft were entitled to a seat on a competing airline at a high fee to the latter.
Short-haul services to ski locations like Switzerland, France, and Austria will also be substantially preserved, along with long-haul flights, which are more profitable for the airline.
A number of hundred long-distance flights, particularly to locations in the Far East where strong Covid travel restrictions are still in effect, are also being cancelled.
Additionally, certain transatlantic flights could be impacted.
It implies that BA will be eliminating between 1.8 million and over 2 million seats from its timetable.
Over the summer, the struggling airline cut almost 30,000 flights due to a staffing issue that is still plaguing the sector.
Thousands of flights have also been cancelled by other airlines like easyJet and Wizz Air.
The action taken by BA will stabilise the airline’s operations and lessen the possibility of an overbooking-related last-minute disruption.
Due to personnel shortages, travellers from all across the nation have been inconvenienced by lengthy lines at travel hubs.
Fears of more mayhem were raised when BA said it will cancel 1,258 flights to and from Heathrow until the end of October in order to adhere to a daily maximum of 100,000 leaving passengers.
British Airways cut more than 1.8 million tickets yesterday, the majority of them to famous European destinations that are less busy in the winter.
Customers impacted by these adjustments will be given the choice of an alternate flight or a refund, according to a representative for BA.
“You’re seeing a heady mix of high inflation and strong demand, amid decreased seats post-pandemic,” said Paul Charles, chief executive of travel consultant The PC Agency.
“You’re going to experience stratospheric price spikes,” the inflation projection for next year states.
The good thing about these changes, he said, is that passengers are receiving more warning than the last-minute cancellations we had earlier this year.
However, the fact that BA is in this predicament and the fact that there are so many fewer flights now than there were before the epidemic are both tragic.
According to Mr. Charles, the action suggests BA may be changing its business model to operate fewer flights, cut costs, and charge more for the seats it does offer.
Ironically, he said, “It understands that the more flights it cancels, the more money it can make.”
BA flights for the October half-term are already much more expensive than during the academic year.
Last night, the cheapest ticket from London to Gran Canaria, a popular winter sun destination, cost £250 and £334, respectively.
It was £178 and £272 a week ago. Flights to Madeira for the same dates increased from £143 to £217 and from £244 to £349, respectively.
The airport’s passenger cap may need to be maintained until then, according to Heathrow boss John Holland Kaye, who has warned that industry staff shortages could persist into next summer.
BA was scheduled to operate 120,637 flights between October 30 and March 25, according to flight data analysts Cirium.
It indicates that about 8% of the scheduled flights were cancelled yesterday.
‘We’ll be providing passengers impacted by any of these adjustments an alternate flight… or the option of a refund,’ a BA spokeswoman said on Monday night.
In 2022, more over half (51%) of travellers reported experiencing travel disruptions, according to study.
According to comparethemarket.com, aeroplane delays (16%), airport check-in and security delays (15%), and rail delays (11%), are the most frequent types of disruptions this year.
Heathrow (47%) and Manchester (28%), which they believe to have seen the greatest cancellations and delays this summer, are ranked last among the UK’s 10 busiest airports by the British public.
According to the poll, almost equal percentages of Britons blame airlines (21%), airports (20%), and the government (19%) for the disruption in travel this summer.
More than a third (36%) of Brits say they are less inclined to schedule a vacation abroad as a result of recent disruption.
Instead, a fifth (20%) of travellers want to go to the airport early to avoid delays, and a quarter (26%) of travellers are more inclined to arrange a vacation in the UK.
More than a third (38%) of travellers are now more likely to purchase travel insurance as a result of the chaos this year, which provides protection from unanticipated issues and costs should something go wrong.
Holidays are a significant expenditure, particularly with the growing cost of living, according to Helen Phipps, director at comparethemarket.com. In the event that your vacation plans don’t work out, travel insurance is an excellent strategy to safeguard yourself from unanticipated extra charges. According to our study, many Britons are becoming less trusting of airports and airlines as a result of recent cancellations and delays.
‘With disruption anticipated to persist, it’s crucial to get insurance as soon as you make travel arrangements. This will ensure that you are instantly protected for any unexpected circumstances that may arise before departure and will provide protection while you are away. Many consumers run the danger of not purchasing insurance early enough, leaving them defenceless against disruptions like airline cancellations.