Americans hoping for European vacations this summer should prepare for one thing: Chaos

Delays, cancellations and strikes. It’s been a messy time for many European tourist hotspots as airlines and airports struggle to cope with staffing problems and pent-up travel demand after Covid-19 lockdowns. Thousands of flights have been canceled and travelers have queued for hours at passport control and luggage collection at airports across Europe — and the issues are expected to drag on. On Monday, Scandinavian airline SAS canceled 173 flights, more than half of its schedule, as a breakdown in pay talks set off a pilot strike. It said the strike would force it to cancel half of SAS’s scheduled flights and affect about 30,000 passengers each day.“Air travel this summer is fraught with uncertainty, both for passengers and airlines,” said Laura Hoy, equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown. “Long delays and cancellations are likely grating on consumers’ desire to travel while airlines toe a fine line between trying to grasp hold of the post-pandemic travel boom and preparing for the likely slowdown ahead as economic conditions deteriorate.” According to aviation data firm Cirium, 400 flights were canceled in all UK airports between June 24 and June 30, representing an increase of 158% from the same seven days in 2019. And that’s outside of the peak summer season — usually between July and early September in Europe. London’s busiest airport, Heathrow, asked airlines last week to cut flights, as passenger numbers were above what it could cope with. Some passengers were unaware their flight had been canceled, while others complained about the long queues. Story has more. <br/>