British Airways and easyJet are the biggest culprits for chaos on flights, study suggests
- The worst offenders for cancellations are easyJet and British Airways, figures show
- They canceled three of the 100 flights within 72 hours of departure
- Budget airlines Ryanair and Jet2 were among those with the fewest cancellations
As many as 17,000 flights have been canceled at the last minute this year as the aviation crisis continues to thwart summer vacation plans.
The worst offenders are easyJet and British Airwayswho have canceled about three in 100 flights within 72 hours of departure.
Budget airlines Ryanair and Jet2 were among the countries with the fewest cancellations – according to research for the BBC‘s Panorama.
Vacationers have been dealing with chaos at airports in recent weeks. The disruption will get worse from this weekend as most school holidays begin.
As many as 17,000 flights have been canceled at the last minute this year as the aviation crisis continues to thwart summer vacation plans. Pictured: British Airways plane taking off from London
The biggest offenders are easyJet and British Airways, which canceled around three in 100 flights within 72 hours of departure
Rory Boland, travel editor of Which?, told Panorama: ‘What’s reassuring is that it’s not all airlines, it’s not all airports. Before you book, check out what’s happening at the airport near you and the airlines you’re considering.’
Rob Griggs, Airlines UK policy director, told Panorama: ‘I don’t think there have been any wrong decisions regarding the planning for the summer. Of course it can be operational on the day itself, maybe different things can happen in different places.’
Heathrow, the country’s largest airport, has capped passenger numbers to 100,000 a day until September 11, leading to more cancellations.
While some in the industry blame Brexit for exacerbating staff shortages, the government rejects it, pointing to similar staffing problems at airports in other EU countries.
Aviation Minister Robert Courts MP said: ‘Ultimately this is an industry that is privately run, privately owned, privately operated, and it’s up to them to get into the industry the people they need.’
Panorama: Airport chaos: what went wrong? is on BBC1 tonight at 8pm.