"Welcome to the summer of 2022". That's how CNN's travel insert comments on the "mess" of constant flight cancellations around the world and the inconvenience that thousands of travelers are experiencing every day in a "domino effect" with no end in sight for airlines.
What is certain is that this "pandemic" of flight cancellations and delays has no clear cause. Some airlines "blame" it on lack of staff, others blame it on the respective airports, accusing them of being unprepared, and there are various technical problems on various flights. According to foreign media analyses, both airlines and airports have been caught unprepared after the 'end' of the pandemic and the return of tourism to pre-coronavirus levels.
EasyJet, British Airways and WizzAir are on their knees
Tens of thousands of passengers are hoping to return to the UK at the end of next week as they face a demarche of flight cancellations and delays to planes. According to Indepedent, Britain's largest budget airline, easyJet, has so far today cancelled at least 38 flights to and from Gatwick, affecting around 6,000 passengers. Last Thursday alone the same airline cancelled 200 flights. "Over the next week we will operate around 1,700 flights a day, with around a quarter of these operating to and from Gatwick."
While most travellers had received several days' notice and were able to rebook on other routes, 10 easyJet departures from Gatwick airport have so far been cancelled without warning. These include flights to Nice, Seville and Milan, as well as their return flights to the UK.
What about easyJet's on-going flights? Of course this is long delayed and with a heavy dose of inconvenience for passengers. The airline, for its part, blames air traffic control restrictions.
British Airways
and Wizz Air have also cancelled flights to and from Gatwick. A "B.A." departure from Dalaman, Turkey on Friday afternoon was grounded due to a technical problem, although it later flew back to London. Some Wizz Air passengers who had flown from Doncaster Sheffield airport for extended journeys learned that the airline is closing its South Yorkshire base from next Friday. The airline blames the airport saying it is "unable to guarantee the terms of its commercial agreement with Wizz Air."
This development has left thousands of travellers who had planned a trip through this airport up in the air. "Retention, full refund or 120% of the original fare in airline credit," the airline said it was offering to those affected.
The domino effect of the inconvenience
Another week of absolute chaos has been experienced in the UK where most of the problems are concentrated, with hundreds of flights cancelled and holidaymakers facing long queues, with reports of waits of up to eight hours. The pent-up demand for travel and staff shortages have combined to put pressure on airports and airlines.
Consumer organisation Which? says it is hearing more and more from people asking questions like "can I cancel" and "what are my rights", and in some cases saying that with all the chaos, they don't feel like going anymore.
So what's the forecast for this summer? The Prospect union, which represents thousands of airline workers, warned on Tuesday that "things could get worse this summer before they get better". It says there are staff shortages across the industry, with a huge reliance on overtime to make ends meet day to day.
Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel, says it is worth remembering that the vast majority of people are not cancelling their flights or missing their plane because of long queues. But he adds: "This disruption will continue into the summer. Staff shortages are almost across the board."
Paul Charles, managing director of travel consultancy The PC Agency, doesn't see things improving overnight, but says: "I think during June we will see a gradual improvement in employee recruitment. Consumers can be reassured that by the peak summer period in July, many of these issues will have been resolved."
[BR]Of course, no one knows for sure what will happen. Certainly at the moment it is difficult to predict when things will calm down.
Serious problems for TUI too
Meanwhile, Tui announced a "small number" of cancellations and flight delays in a blow to travel plans at the start of the six-month holiday season. The travel company said the flight cancellations were due to "various operational and supply chain issues". It cancelled three flights from Birmingham, two flights from Gatwick and one from Manchester.
"The delays have been caused by a combination of factors and we are doing our best to keep customers informed and will provide refreshments and, where necessary, hotel accommodation," TUI said in a statement, adding: "Where we have taken the difficult decision to cancel a small number of flights, customers will receive a full refund within 14 days and we will contact them directly to help them try to find other holidays."
Airline passengers were also stuck in long queues at airports such as Gatwick, Manchester, Stansted and Bristol. There is also high demand for routes from families embarking on trips to the countryside for their holidays.
KLM cancels up to 50 flights a day due to staff shortages
Dutch airline KLM is cancelling up to 50 flights a day over this weekend, which follows June 6 which is a national holiday in the Netherlands, the airline announced today.
The cancellations will also include today's flights as well as Monday's. Passengers on the affected flights will be rebooked on other flights, the Dutch arm of the Air France-KLM airline group added.
"KLM has also released seats on some flights so that passengers who do not make their flight or transfer due to overcrowding at the airport can depart later in the day," the airline said in a statement.
Source: protothema.gr
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