Huge queues were recorded at Manchester and Birmingham airports this morning, with photos taken at the first showing passengers in queues reaching outside the terminal building. An airport recruitment expert said staffing issues could affect aviation for next year. Kully Sandhu, CEO of Aviation Recruitment Network Limited, told BBC Radio 4 today that he currently has more than 300 job vacancies on his site. “In my personal opinion, it will take at least the next 12 months for the industry to calm down in terms of vacancies,” he said. Meanwhile, easyJet and British Airways continue to cancel flights, canceling more than 80 scheduled flights between them today. Their main bases, London Heathrow and London Gatwick, are hardest hit. Both airlines have blamed staff shortages for Covid-related absences. Follow the latest updates below.
Basic points
Show last update 1649764519
Travel in 2022: What does the rest of the year have in store?
Restrictions may have eased, but holidaymakers have experienced travel chaos during the Easter holidays with canceled flights and long queues at airports due to Covid staff shortages. As we look forward to possible travel from the UK after Easter, The Independent’s permanent experts will be at your disposal to help you write down what the holidays might look like for the rest of the year and beyond. Will the travel chaos continue? Will the fuel crisis raise prices? How will Covid continue to influence how and where we go on holiday? Join travel correspondent Simon Calder and travel writer Helen Coffey as they do their best to answer your hot questions and discuss how to make the most of your 2022 vacation. Both experts will be ready to help with The Independent’s free virtual event at Zoom on Wednesday, April 20 at 6:30 p.m. 1649762991
EasyJet is battling illness rates of 20%, says CEO
Britain’s largest budget airline sees “up to 20 percent crew absence due to Covid”. says his CEO. Johan Lundgren, CEO of easyJet, said that as a result it now has to cancel 5 per cent of its daily flights. In a call to the media, Mr Lundgren said passengers were usually informed much earlier and could be booked again the same day. He told the Independent that easyJet is committed to fulfilling its obligations under the rules on air passenger rights. When a flight is canceled, travelers have the right to be transported to their destination on the same day, if possible – even if it means buying an exact seat at a rival carrier. In addition, if the cancellation is made less than two weeks in advance, the airline will have to pay hundreds of pounds in compensation. EasyJet CEO said about 100 newly hired employees are still awaiting security approval. Simon Calder 12 April 2022 12:29 1649762399
What causes airport queues and flight cancellations and how long will it last?
With Easter weekend fast approaching, the UK’s international transport network is creaking badly. Both British Airways and easyJet cancel dozens of flights each day – BA cancellations are short-haul flights from Heathrow, while easyJet’s main base, Gatwick, has the largest number of scheduled departures for the airline. Hundreds more cancellations of domestic and European flights are expected before and during the Easter weekend. If your flight is progressing, then there is an airport to deal with. The managing director of Manchester Airport has resigned after weeks of extremely long queues for security at the UK’s third busiest airport. Read our guide to what happens on Easter weekend: Simon Calder 12 April 2022 12:19 1649758497
The science behind flight cancellations
How do easyJet and British Airways choose which flights to cancel out of the hundreds they operate daily? Simon Calder examines the parameters – and concludes that maximizing happiness is not the most important thing in the minds of business executives who decide whose flight will remain on the ground. “You may want to believe that these demigods have the omniscient ability to minimize pain,” he writes, “since the average traveler to Venice probably enjoys the experience more than a passenger in Frankfurt.” But, he writes, while focusing on limited resources to maximize happiness is an attractive ambition – “these difficult days are gaining finances rather than philosophy”. Total loss of revenue and the obligation to compensate are more pressing concerns. 1649753879
Was the flight canceled? Your rights are explained
Every day British Airways and easyJet cancel dozens of flights as they find it difficult to secure funding for the flight program they have sold. Departures for European holiday destinations in the Mediterranean are particularly affected. However, if your flight is stopped, the airline should take you to your destination on the same day, if possible – even if it means buying an expensive seat at a competing airline. two weeks in advance, the airline has to pay you hundreds of pounds or euros in compensation. Here are your rights if your flight is canceled: Simon Calder 12 April 2022 09:57 1649752729
All easyJet and BA flights were canceled today
Another day brings dozens more canceled flights to and from the UK. Passengers attempting to disembark during the Easter holidays face extensive flight cancellations at UK airports. British Airways and easyJet have once again blocked more than 80 flights between their main bases, London Heathrow and London Gatwick, respectively. BA says passengers were notified of one or two weeks of flight cancellations due to resource problems. British Airways has not made cancellations during the day. See the full list of current cancellations here: Helen Coffey12 April 2022 09:38 1649752363
Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s travel liveblog. We will keep you updated on the latest news throughout the day. Helen Coffey12 April 2022 09:32 1649697037
US airline JetBlue cuts summer schedule to avoid further cancellations
JetBlue is cutting its summer schedule to avoid having to make more last-minute cancellations later in the year, saying the industry is still in “recovery mode.” “We have already reduced the capacity in May by 8-10 percent and you can expect to see a similar reduction in capacity for the rest of the summer,” sad COO and president Joanna Geraghty said in an email to staff on Saturday, which was seen by CNBC. JetBlue canceled hundreds of flights last week as airlines around the world struggled to escalate to meet demand for travel following staff cuts during the pandemic. “Despite these challenges and, based on your comments that the schedule is very tight, we know that the best plan is to reduce capacity now,” Geraghty wrote to staff. “I think everyone recognizes that the industry is still very much in a state of recovery, so we believe that this precautionary step is the right decision.” Lucy Thackray11 April 2022 18:10 1649695051
A man arrives 13 hours earlier for a flight to Manchester airport
A man arrived 13 hours earlier for his flight from Manchester airport, in an attempt to avoid the “madness” in the queue, according to the Manchester Evening News. Tim Samunyai from Coventry reportedly arrived at 5.30am. for his flight at 6.55 p.m. from Manchester to Zimbabwe, after “panicking” when he read headlines about the unorganized and slow queues at the airport in the last fortnight. “I thought if I come here nicely and early, then I will not have to face all this madness over there,” Mr Samunyai told MEN. “I do not know if I panicked because of the news that just emphasizes negativity or whatever. “But there was no difference in the reports, you saw queues for check-in at TUI, EasyJet or Jet2 and it was choc-a-bloc. “My problem was not to realize it, it is panic if you go to Corfu, Greece or Tenerife because everyone wants to go there, and it is half the time. “But if you go to Africa, then there is no problem.” Lucy Thackray11 April 2022 17:37 1649693569
“Images framed online without a frame can be misleading,” says Dublin Airport.
Dublin Airport’s social media team responds to customers who are worried about the recent long queues to reassure them that the queues they see are moving fast, saying that “Images shared on the internet without a frame can be misleading.” After a mother tweeted that she was nervous about flying from Dublin with her children – sharing a photo of a friend with queues outside the terminal – Dublin Airport official social media responded: “The images that “Reporting online without a frame may be misleading, but rest assured that the queue system developed over the weekend was carefully designed, allowing queues to move quickly and allowing passengers to fly.” The social media worker also urged the woman “please contact a member of our staff’s working team at the terminal (you can not miss them, they wear pink hi-viz) who will be happy to help you and your family with anything you can you need. “ Over the weekend, customers reported queues remained long but moving fast, with passenger Keith Bunyan writing on Twitter: “Super staffed staff this morning!” Lucy Thackray11 April 2022 17:12
