Thousands more short-haul flights have been scrapped by British Airways due to continued staff shortages as well as an extension on the passenger cap at Heathrow.
BA has cancelled approximately 5,000 short-haul flights from Heathrow, Gatwick and London City Airport over the winter period – around 8% of the airline’s flights until March 2023.
A spokesperson for BA made a statement regarding the recent cancellations:
“Following Heathrow’s decision to extend its passenger cap, we’re making adjustments to our short-haul schedule for the next two months. While the vast majority of our customers will travel as planned and we’re protecting key holiday destinations over half term, we will need to make some further cancellations up to the end of October.”
What does this mean for customers flying British Airways?
BA announced customers affected by the cancellations would be contacted by them and given an alternative flight or a refund.
Many customers have already expressed their anger towards the airline as many experts predict airfares to increase over the winter period and ski season due to mass cancellations in seat sales and the economic crisis.
Long-haul flights, which are more lucrative for the airline, will largely be protected along with short-haul services to popular skiing destinations such as Switzerland, France, and Austria.
In July, during the height of the summer demands, Heathrow Airport imposed a passenger cap until September 11, meaning airlines had to cancel flights and limit seats on some European destinations. On August 15, the west London airport extended the cap until October 29.
The flight capacity has been reduced overall by around 13% between May and October this year and other airlines are also expected to make cancellations over the next two months following the demand for better pay from airlines as a result of staff shortages.
Have you been affected by these recent cancellations? Let us know in the comments.
