Airlines and airports under pressure to avoid second summer of chaos
Airlines and airports are under growing pressure to avoid another wave of global travel disruption, as booming demand for flying puts new strain on a system that buckled over the past 12 months. Industry bosses are confident a combination of extra resources and some caps on capacity mean last summer’s chaotic scenes that marred the return to mass travel after pandemic-related interruptions will be avoided. But they still expect pockets of disruption during peak seasons as a lack of experienced staff and the pile-up of bookings weigh on a system that remains fragile. “Everyone had their fingers burnt during the summer. I think it is in everyone’s interest we improve,” said Jozsef Varadi, chief executive of Europe’s Wizz Air. Some companies have chosen to impose limits on passenger numbers to protect their operations during peak periods. Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport still has a cap on passenger numbers in place, and has asked airlines to cut ticket sales by 5 per cent on busy mornings during holidays in May. London’s Heathrow will stop airlines adding extra flights during the summer peak, while German carrier Lufthansa has cut some planned flights because of staff shortages, according to German media reports. The CE of British Airways owner IAG said he was “worried” about capacity at Heathrow this summer, as he pushed companies operating at the airport to ensure they were properly staffed. Heathrow CE John Holland-Kaye also warned that the industry still needed more experienced staff to cope, although he was confident major disruption at the airport would be avoided. Staff numbers at the 400 companies that work across Heathrow have recovered to about 75,000 people, up from 50,000 at the height of the pandemic, but still 2,000 fewer than in 2019. “We are aiming to have more than 77,000 for the summer because people don’t have the same levels of skills and efficiency than pre-pandemic,” he said.<br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2023-02-27/general/airlines-and-airports-under-pressure-to-avoid-second-summer-of-chaos
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Airlines and airports under pressure to avoid second summer of chaos
Airlines and airports are under growing pressure to avoid another wave of global travel disruption, as booming demand for flying puts new strain on a system that buckled over the past 12 months. Industry bosses are confident a combination of extra resources and some caps on capacity mean last summer’s chaotic scenes that marred the return to mass travel after pandemic-related interruptions will be avoided. But they still expect pockets of disruption during peak seasons as a lack of experienced staff and the pile-up of bookings weigh on a system that remains fragile. “Everyone had their fingers burnt during the summer. I think it is in everyone’s interest we improve,” said Jozsef Varadi, chief executive of Europe’s Wizz Air. Some companies have chosen to impose limits on passenger numbers to protect their operations during peak periods. Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport still has a cap on passenger numbers in place, and has asked airlines to cut ticket sales by 5 per cent on busy mornings during holidays in May. London’s Heathrow will stop airlines adding extra flights during the summer peak, while German carrier Lufthansa has cut some planned flights because of staff shortages, according to German media reports. The CE of British Airways owner IAG said he was “worried” about capacity at Heathrow this summer, as he pushed companies operating at the airport to ensure they were properly staffed. Heathrow CE John Holland-Kaye also warned that the industry still needed more experienced staff to cope, although he was confident major disruption at the airport would be avoided. Staff numbers at the 400 companies that work across Heathrow have recovered to about 75,000 people, up from 50,000 at the height of the pandemic, but still 2,000 fewer than in 2019. “We are aiming to have more than 77,000 for the summer because people don’t have the same levels of skills and efficiency than pre-pandemic,” he said.<br/>
