B
ritish Airways on Wednesday announced the cancellation of at least 124 short-haul flights to Heathrow as airlines struggle to meet growing demand for medium-term holidays.
The airline says passengers received advance notice. In the meantime, EasyJet has canceled at least 31 flights to Gatwick, including destinations such as Bologna and Italy. Barcelona, Spain; Prague, Czech Republic; Krakow, Poland; and Edinburgh.
It comes after a cabinet minister criticized aviation chiefs for chaos at UK airports by stressing that they had been warned months ago that they needed to hire more staff.
Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab accused airline bosses of “unpreparedness” for the increase in people who have booked holidays abroad.
Tens of thousands of families have had their flights canceled or delayed in recent days and fears are expected to worsen during the summer months.
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Raab told Sky News: “It is clear that there has been a lack of preparation for this rise in demand from holidaymakers.
“Grant Shapps, the transportation secretary, has been talking to the industry for months, saying that this would happen and that they should make sure you have your hiring in place.
“I don’t think the airline operators have hired what they should have done and have followed the advice given to them by the Secretary of Transport.”
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Union leaders are calling for urgent talks with Sadiq Khan to prevent the Tube strike
Union leaders are calling for urgent talks with London Mayor Sadiq Khan to prevent a 24-hour tube strike.
Members of the Railways, Maritime and Transport union will leave on Monday, threatening the chaos of travel immediately after the Jubilee weekend.
The union is protesting against cuts in jobs and an “imminent threat” to pensions.
It makes no sense for our union to continue to be in front of management representatives who have neither the inclination nor the authority to negotiate an agreement, when the power belongs to the mayor.
RMT Secretary-General Mick Lynch said: “We demand a direct face-to-face meeting with Mayor Sadiq Khan to resolve this issue.
“It doesn’t make sense for our union to continue to be in front of representatives of the management who have neither the inclination nor the authority to negotiate an agreement, when the power belongs to the mayor.
“The mayor of London has the power to raise taxes. Only four banks made a profit of £ 34 billion last year and will pay more than £ 4 billion in bonuses to London traders. An extraordinary tax on those profits would more than adequately fund London’s transport network.
“Mayor Khan has to choose between the Conservative government and demand a fair funding deal for Londoners or attack loyal subway workers who keep the capital moving day by day.”
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Passengers express frustration at the chaos of Gatwick’s travels
Our journalist Esra Arahu is in Gatwick talking to passengers about her experiences.
A group of four told the Standard that they were stranded overnight at Gatwick Airport, after being forced to wait four to five hours to collect baggage for their luggage.
The group, which includes a two-year-old boy and a very pregnant woman, returned on Wednesday afternoon from Antalya to Turkey to London.
They only managed to get out of the airport at noon on Thursday and said the wait had been very hard for them.
The wait was torture, especially with a baby and a pregnancy. “The service was terrible,” said one of the group members.
Meanwhile, another passenger, Joanna Sadec, 58, and her family arrived at the airport just hours before the 11:05 a.m. flight.
They waited to see that they had received a notification informing them that their flight had been canceled
Mrs Sadec said: “No one was helpful. We were given a number to call but no one was there.
“Then they sent us to a door to pick up our luggage, but no one was there.
“The service was very poor and only one person tried to help us.”
She said she is now forced to catch another flight from Luton on Friday.
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Unite: The chaos of travel is because thousands of jobs have been cut
United Secretary-General Sharon Graham said: “UK airports are in crisis because thousands of jobs have been cut and working conditions have been attacked.
“Our money was given to companies without any commitment. Literally hundreds of millions went to the aviation industry during the pandemic, and instead of providing stability, these companies have brought chaos to us.
“They did not protect jobs, many only used public money to prop up the price of their shares or to pay for ‘dismissal and hiring’ to lower wages and conditions. That is why we are where we are.
“It’s time for public money to have a direct connection to jobs. No more brochures without responsibilities. Taxpayers do not pay companies to lay off their workers and cut their salaries and conditions. “
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Ask the army to save the jubilee weekend from travel chaos
Liberal Democrats have called for the deployment of the Army to stop “chaotic scenes at airports up and down the country.”
“Medium-term family getaways have been disrupted and now face the prospect of a long weekend sleeping at airports and sitting in traffic jams,” party transport spokeswoman Sarah said Olney.
“We need drastic action now to deal with this carnage and break the lace.
“That’s why making the best and brightest logistics minds in Britain from the military to get things moving again is obvious.
“Conservative ministers must control this chaos at 11 a.m. to save the jubilee weekend. Empowering the Army to run the point from a command center would do.”
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Airlines UK: The industry did not know when Covid’s restrictions would be removed
Airlines UK, the industry body representing UK-registered airlines, said the aviation industry did not know when the restrictions would be completely removed or how much it would be possible to fly this summer.
He added that “the vast majority of the many tens of thousands of flights that leave the UK in a week” operate as planned.
All remaining coronavirus standards for people entering the UK were lifted on 18 March.
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Labor accuses government of being “missing in action”
Transport Secretary Shadow Louise Haigh accused the government of being “missing in action”.
In a letter to Mr. Shapps called for a series of measures such as speeding up security controls for new airport staff and working with the aviation industry to address the “chronic low sun”.
He said: “Passengers and our world-class companies are demanding action. It’s time for the government to take its ears off and take practical action.”
All remaining coronavirus standards for people entering the UK were lifted on 18 March.
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Work: “The government should move the sky and the earth to stop the chaos of transport”
The shadow of work is rising, Housing and Communities Secretary Lisa Nandy said on Wednesday that “any worthwhile government will move heaven and earth to stop the misery and chaos” unfolding at airports.
He said: “The government was warned all the way through the pandemic that the loss of skilled personnel would create problems.
“They need to show some leadership and get closer to this crisis: get around the table with management and with representatives of the travel industry workers to end the chaos.
“We need a proper post-Covid plan to get the industry back on track and get things moving again, including the shortage of recruitment that has emerged as a result of the pandemic.”
Speaking in Wakefield, Ms Nandy added: “When things go wrong, it’s the government’s job to take a step back and try to fix it.”
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Grant Shapps: Travel Companies Have “Best-Selling Flights”
The aviation industry is suffering from a shortage of staff after thousands of people were released during the coronavirus pandemic.
Airlines and airports have repeatedly called for sector-specific financial support during the Covid-19 crisis, as government travel restrictions suppressed demand.
They are now struggling to hire new workers and process security checks.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said travel companies had “seriously sold flights and holidays in relation to their delivery capacity”.
He continued: “This should not happen again and every effort should be made to ensure that it is not repeated during the summer.”
Shapps has demanded a meeting with airports, airlines and ground operators to “find out what went wrong and how they plan to end the current series of cancellations and delays.”
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Pictured: Departures at Gatwick South Terminal on Thursday
South Gatwick Terminal
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Gatvic South Terminal
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Cirium data show 377 flights canceled from UK airports last week
Avium data company Cirium said 377 flights were canceled from UK airports in the seven days to Tuesday inclusive.
Gatwick was the hardest hit, with 151 cancellations, followed by Manchester (41), Heathrow (36), Bristol (27) and Edinburgh (19).
About 10,794 flights will depart from UK airports between Thursday and Sunday.
Airline passengers have been affected by disruptions for several months, and the situation has worsened this week due to increased demand caused by the mid-term school holidays and the four-day Platinum Jubilee weekend. .