The so-called slots amnesty was announced last month by the government when it became clear the industry could not guarantee a smooth summer escape after months of turmoil. The return of international travel without COVID restrictions has proven disruptive for airports and many airlines across Europe because they lack the staff to cope with high demand for getaways. It has led to widespread frustration, especially during school holidays and bank holiday weekends, with passengers having to endure long queues, delays and last-minute cancellations. Some airlines and airports have introduced their own capacity cuts in an attempt to improve the situation. Figures from industry regulator the CAA show just 10,000 – or 1.6% of flights – were canceled in the first five months of the year. The airlines have since been accused of failing to fulfill their obligations to passengers by consumer group Who?. He has spoken out about the behavior of airlines towards their customers in general, but has lodged complaints with the industry regulator about both BA and easyJet, the UK airlines which cut the highest volume of services from their routes this year in through the battle to secure more workers. Last month, the government allowed an amnesty, giving airlines just a fortnight to temporarily hand over the take-off and landing slots they could not operate. Under normal circumstances, they usually lose slots they don’t use. Read more: ‘Nearly half of travel insurance policies do not protect against strikes’ Airlines and airports can’t say when summer holiday threat will end During the amnesty, BA announced several rounds of flight cuts affecting tens of thousands of passengers, mainly due to flights from Heathrow and Gatwick. The latest, revealed on Wednesday, meant 13% of the summer season schedule would not fly this year. The airline said the latest cancellations would affect its less popular routes to better protect holiday flights. EasyJet, like BA, has also advanced flights at a fairly old pace in recent months, but has faced particular criticism for last-minute cancellations. It is understood to have used the amnesty to cut around 11,000 more services, while its director-general suddenly resigned earlier this week. EasyJet has no plans to cut any more services as it works with affected passengers to secure their summer travel.
