Britain’s busiest airport, Heathrow, must tell officials which flights are no longer operating by Friday – just as some schools begin to break up for the summer holidays, according to the Daily Telegraph. The upheaval comes in response to an amnesty announced last month that will allow airlines to cancel flights while retaining take-off and landing slots next year. Airlines buy slots to operate their routes, but can lose them to competitors if they default on their obligations to the airport and passengers by failing to fly. Travelers have already been hit by months of cancellations, delays and missing luggage – with more disruption expected this weekend as Ryanair and EasyJet crew strike in Spain. A passenger traveling through Heathrow described the scene at baggage claim as looking like a “disaster movie”. Adam Kent had arrived at Terminal 3 from Orlando, Florida, and said the sight “made a horrible first impression of chaos” for international visitors. Image: There were long queues at Heathrow Airport this week The 59-year-old said: “(There was) lost luggage everywhere, piled up between the luggage belts, everyone was stepping on it and no one was doing anything about it. “To be brutally honest, it looks like a serious health and safety issue. “No one is visible on the ground to explain the carnage or solve the mess, it seems that a lot of luggage did not arrive with passengers and was simply thrown away.” Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player 1:14 June 17: Baggage chaos at Heathrow The UK government has reportedly ruled out recruiting help at UK airports after Ireland put the army on standby to help in the event of further unrest in Dublin. A government source told the Telegraph there were “no plans” to request under the Military Assistance to Civil Authorities (MACA) programme. Meanwhile, Ryanair’s boss claimed that flights have become “too cheap” and warned that fares will rise for the next five years. Michael O’Leary told the Financial Times that high oil prices and environmental charges are expected to push Ryanair’s average fare down from €40 (£35) to €50-60 (£43-52) in the medium term. “I find it absurd every time I fly into Stansted, the train journey into central London is more expensive than the plane ticket,” he told the paper. Read more: What are my rights if strikes hit the summer holidays at Heathrow? Airlines and airports cannot say when the threat to the summer holidays will end Staffing shortages in ground handling, airports and flight crew have presented major challenges as the aviation industry struggles to transition into the peak season after two years of disruption related to the coronavirus pandemic. Thousands of flights have been canceled on various airlines in recent weeks as capacity falls short of demand – a problem also seen across Europe. The Department for Transport has temporarily relaxed rules on airport slots to help airlines avoid last-minute cancellations due to staff shortages. It said airlines would have a short window, described as an “amnesty”, to hand back take-off and landing slots they are not sure will be able to operate for the rest of the summer season. It is hoped that freer adjustment of schedules will allow airlines to operate only the flights they can fully staff, ending reports of passengers arriving at the airport to find their flights have been canceled at the last minute. On Thursday, Heathrow asked airlines to remove 30 flights from the morning peak schedule, saying it expected “a greater number of passengers than the airport currently has the capacity to handle”. Many passengers have also had delayed or lost luggage. There is also the looming threat of industrial action, with hundreds of Heathrow-based check-in staff and ground handling agents voting last month for industrial action over pay. Follow The Daily Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker A British Airways spokesman said the amnesty and subsequent cancellations will help us provide the certainty our customers deserve by making it easier to consolidate some of our quieter daily flights into multi-frequency destinations much sooner. They said the airline “welcomes these new measures”, adding: “The easing of slots allows airlines to temporarily reduce their routes but keep their seats for next year to maintain networks and provide consumers certainty and consistency”.
title: “Airlines To Announce New Wave Of Cancellations Next Week As Holidaymakers Face More Disruption Uk News " ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-29” author: “Leon Hoggan”
Spain-based Ryanair crew plan to strike for 12 days this month to demand better working conditions, unions said. The announcement came on the final day of the current crew strike, which began on Thursday and forced Ryanair to cancel 10 flights on Saturday. It comes as Britain’s busiest airport Heathrow must inform officials of any further flight cancellations by Friday – just as some schools begin to break up for the summer holidays, according to the Daily Telegraph. The upheaval comes in response to an amnesty announced last month that will allow airlines to cancel flights while retaining take-off and landing slots next year. In other developments:• Flights were delayed at Heathrow Airport on Saturday after a technical failure in the airport’s fueling system• A technical fault left at least 1,500 pieces of luggage stranded at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport• A passenger traveling through Heathrow described the scene in luggage claim it looks like ‘disaster film’• The government has reportedly ruled out recruiting help at UK airports after Ireland put the army on standby to help in the event of further unrest in Dublin Ryanair’s next industrial action in Spain will see cabin crew strike on July 12-15, July 18-21 and July 25-28 at the 10 Spanish airports where Ryanair operates, according to unions. Spain-based easyJet cabin crew are also on strike for nine days this month over higher wages. Heathrow delays On Saturday, flights were delayed at Heathrow Airport after a technical failure in the airport’s fueling system. The system was shut down for an hour while engineers fixed the fault. A Heathrow spokesman told Sky News: “A technical fault with the airport’s fueling system has now been resolved. “We are working with all airport partners to minimize disruption, however flights from Heathrow this afternoon may experience delays. “We apologize for any impact this has on people’s travel.” Image: There were long queues at Heathrow Airport this week A passenger traveling through Heathrow described the scene at baggage claim as looking like a “disaster movie”. Adam Kent had arrived at Terminal 3 from Orlando, Florida, and said the sight “made a horrible first impression of chaos” for international visitors. The 59-year-old said: “(There was) lost luggage everywhere, piled up between the luggage belts, everyone was stepping on it and no one was doing anything about it. “To be brutally honest, it looks like a serious health and safety issue. “No one is visible on the ground to explain the carnage or solve the mess, it seems that a lot of luggage did not arrive with passengers and was simply thrown away.” Image: Passengers wait at Madrid-Barajas Airport. Photo: AP Flights are ‘very cheap’, Ryanair boss says Ryanair’s boss has claimed that flights have become “too cheap” and warned that fares will rise for the next five years. Michael O’Leary told the Financial Times that high oil prices and environmental charges are expected to push Ryanair’s average fare from €40 (£35) to $50-$60 (£43-£52) in the medium term. “I find it absurd every time I fly into Stansted, the train journey into central London is more expensive than the plane ticket,” he told the paper. Read more: What are my rights if strikes hit the summer holidays at Heathrow? Airlines and airports cannot say when the threat to the summer holidays will end Travelers have already been hit by months of cancellations, delays and lost luggage. Staffing shortages in ground handling, airports and flight crew have presented major challenges as the aviation industry struggles to transition into the peak season after two years of disruption related to the coronavirus pandemic. Thousands of flights have been canceled on various airlines in recent weeks as capacity falls short of demand – a problem also seen across Europe. At France’s Charles de Gaulle airport, airlines are working to deliver luggage to passengers around the world after a technical fault left at least 1,500 pieces of luggage stuck at the Paris air hub. It comes as airport workers strike at French airports to demand more hiring and more pay to keep up with high global inflation. Image: Ryanair and EasyJet airline workers gather at the gates of Costa del Sol airport in Malaga. Photo: AP The Department for Transport has temporarily relaxed rules on airport slots to help airlines avoid last-minute cancellations due to staff shortages. It said airlines would have a short window, described as an “amnesty”, to hand back take-off and landing slots they are not sure will be able to operate for the rest of the summer season. It is hoped that the freedom to adjust schedules will allow airlines to operate only the flights they can fully staff, ending reports of passengers arriving at the airport to find their flights have been canceled at the last minute. On Thursday, Heathrow asked airlines to remove 30 flights from the morning peak schedule, saying it expected “a greater number of passengers than the airport currently has the capacity to handle”. Many passengers have also had delayed or lost luggage. There is also the looming threat of industrial action, with hundreds of Heathrow-based check-in staff and ground handling agents voting last month for industrial action over pay. Follow The Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker A British Airways spokesman said the amnesty and subsequent cancellations will help us provide the certainty our customers deserve by making it easier to consolidate some of our quieter daily flights into multi-frequency destinations much sooner. They said the airline “welcomes these new measures”, adding: “The easing of slots allows airlines to temporarily reduce their routes but keep their seats for next year to maintain networks and provide consumers certainty and consistency”.
