BA flight cancellations extended to June

British Airways is to cut flights until the end of June — a month longer than expected — to help it through the wave of disruption hitting the travel industry. Airlines have been forced to cancel flights over the past month as they have struggled to rehire sufficient staff to cope with increased demand as border restrictions have eased and people have started travelling again in significant numbers. BA’s CE Sean Doyle told staff on Tuesday that the airline would trim its flight schedules until the end of June to help inject greater resilience into its operations and make its schedules more reliable. The airline had previously said it would reduce its schedules until May. “It’s crucial that we do all we can to give our customers confidence about their upcoming trips,” Doyle said in a video message to staff. BA has chosen flights with low passenger numbers on routes served by multiple flights a day to minimise disruption and avoid cancelling flights with short notice. Doyle did not say how many flights would be cut. Like many other airlines and airports, BA is suffering from a lack of staff after cutting about 10,000 positions as part of cost cuts to help it through the collapse in business during the worst stages of the pandemic. Other airlines, notably easyJet in the UK, have also been forced to cancel flights in recent weeks, but BA’s flights from UK airports have been more prone to cancellations than those of rivals. The airline has had to go from flying 30% of its normal schedules to 80% in just a few months, “a steep mountain to climb”, Doyle said. <br/>