EasyJet sees less turbulence after $160m hit from cancellations

EasyJet forecast less turbulence for the rest of the summer after it cut its schedule to tackle delays and last-minute cancellations that cost it GBP133m in the three months to the end of June. CE Johan Lundgren said removing thousands of flights had stabilised day-to-day operations. "This weekend, for example, the first of the UK school summer holidays, we operated more than 3,100 flights across Saturday and Sunday and made zero on-the-day cancellations in the UK," he told reporters on Tuesday. The British low-cost airline said an "unprecedented ramp up" in aviation, coupled with a tight labour market, had resulted in operational challenges and cancellations. EasyJet cut its flights after caps were imposed by London Gatwick and Amsterdam Schiphol airports, a step taken to reduce misplaced bags, delays and last-minute cancellations. Lundgren said this summer was a "one-off" and the industry had to work together to improve service rather than "pointing fingers". "There is no one across the industry in aviation at all who hasn't felt the pressure and the squeeze, whether that is ground handlers, or airports or air traffic management or airlines," he said. Heathrow, Britain's busiest airport which is not used by easyJet, has capped departing passengers at 100,000 a day for the rest of the summer. "We've seen a significant improvement in both punctuality and baggage performance since the cap came in," CE John Holland-Kaye told Reuters on Tuesday. <br/>