Walsh: Heads must roll if airport chaos repeated next year July 17, 2022 OUTSPOKEN global aviation boss Willie Walsh laid into Heathrow management again this weekend, warning that any repeat of this year’s chaos should see bosses given the boot. The Hounslow airport has been bruised and battered by passenger demand outstripping expectations, leaving staff shortages, last-minute delays and myriad stories of travel chaos on social media. “If [...]
Emirates accuses Heathrow of being ‘cavalier’ after refusing to comply with cap July 14, 2022 Gulf carrier Emirates has accused Heathrow’s management of being “cavalier”, after refusing to comply with the hub’s passenger cap. The airline described Heathrow’s request to cut daily departing passengers to 100,000 as “unreasonable and unacceptable,” blaming airport executives for showing “blatant disregard for consumers.” On top of operating flights as scheduled, the Dubai carrier added [...]
Plenty of sympathy for aviation chiefs but time for excuses is running out July 13, 2022 Running an airport or an airline is no doubt a hard job, not least because people most often notice you when something has gone wrong. One wag on twitter says he has a recurring nightmare in which he serves as a social media manager for a major carrier, and it is true that very few [...]
Airlines to stop selling tickets as Heathrow puts 100,000 daily passenger cap July 12, 2022 Heathrow has asked airlines to stop selling summer tickets, as it was forced to cap the number of daily passengers to deal with travel mayhem. The airport’s cap – introduced from today until 11 September – will amount to 100,000 departing passengers per day. Commenting on the decision, aviation analyst Sally Gethin told City A.M.: [...]
Heathrow apologises for poor service as it continues to battle travel chaos July 11, 2022 Heathrow has apologised for unacceptable service levels as it continues to battle the ongoing travel chaos. In a trading update published today, the west-London hub said that while it started recruiting staff in November, rebuilding capacity quickly following the end of travel restrictions had been “very challenging.” Over the last few weeks, travellers have reported [...]
Brits to face further travel woes as airlines prepare to announce fresh wave of cancelled flights July 2, 2022 Airlines using the country’s busiest airport are readying to announce a new torrent of cancellations next week. According to The Telegraph, airlines using the west London airport must tell officials which flights will be scrapped by Friday, before the school summer holidays begin. Tens of thousands of Brits are set to have their holiday plans [...]
‘Total mayhem’ at Heathrow as dozens of flights are dropped without notice leaving furious passengers stranded at check-in June 30, 2022 It is currently “total chaos” at Heathrow Airport, according to dozens of passengers, as Britain’s largest airport ordered dozens of flights to be cancelled because it could not handle them. Thousands of travellers were disrupted by a rare “schedule intervention” which led to the scrapping of 30 flights during the morning peak. Some passengers did [...]
Heathrow ordered to lower passenger charges to less than £27 after bitter dispute with airlines June 28, 2022 The aviation watchdog ordered Heathrow Airport this morning to reduce its passenger charges amid a surge in demand for flights. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said the cap on the west London airport’s average charge per passenger will fall from £30.19 today to £26.31 in 2026. Adjusted for inflation, the fare will amount to £28.39 [...]
Editorial: Is anybody willing to take responsibility for Strike Island? June 23, 2022 Welcome to Strike Island, then. British Airways’ ground handlers – or at least, a chunk of them – are now joining an ever-growing list of unionised workers who have picked walkouts over work amid a heightening cost of everything crisis. Whether it’s wise for union leaders to take their staff out on strike at the [...]
Heathrow raises passenger traffic forecasts following surge in demand June 23, 2022 Heathrow has raised its passenger number forecast for the year following an ongoing surge in travel demand. The hub has increased predictions to 54.4 million travellers – 2.6 per cent up on the 53.3 million forecast last moth – but said it was continuing to work with airlines to match supply and demand levels. “While [...]