UK’s flagship carrier cancels popular routes
UK’s largest airline, British Airways, has axed hundreds of flights up until September on some of its most popular routes, including to the United States and the Far East. The company has already canceled more than 1,000 flights in little more than three weeks, according to media reports.
Among the routes affected were London to Berlin, Dublin, Geneva, Paris, Stockholm, Athens, and Prague. On Wednesday alone, about 112 flights to European and Mediterranean locations were removed from the schedule, after 96 flights were canceled the previous day.
The airline said the canceled daily flight to and from Miami would be picked up by American Airlines. Hong Kong has been removed from the flight list due to ongoing entry restrictions caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Flights from London to Tokyo have been suspended for the rest of the summer 2022 season. There will be no flights to those destinations until September and October, respectively.
The cancellations have led to a wave of criticism. In response to the complaints, British Airways CEO Sean Doyle has reportedly emailed customers saying, “We’ll do everything we can to get you where you need to be.”
Like other global carriers, British Airways is suffering from chronic staff shortages after laying off thousands of staff during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. It is now trying to urgently hire workers to replenish its ranks.
Meanwhile, concerns are growing that other carriers could also be hit with issues, after EasyJet canceled hundreds of flights over Easter. Industry experts have already warned that the travel chaos could take months to resolve due to ongoing staff shortages.
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