ritons are set for further travel chaos amid new plans to cut more flights next week, just as summer vacation kicks off.
Due to ongoing travel issues in the industry, it is clear that airlines using Heathrow are now racing to adjust their flight schedules.
According to The Daily Telegraph, British Airways are expected to face the most cancellations, while Heathrow is due to complete their summer schedule by this Friday.
It is understood that flights canceled or removed from airline schedules after Friday’s deadline will not be subject to the slot amnesty.
The flight amnesty last month allowed airlines to refund landing and take-off slots if they couldn’t use them despite buying slots for the season.
However, in response to the news, British Airways said it “welcomes these new measures”.
An airline spokesperson told the PA news agency that the cancellations “will help us provide the reassurance our customers deserve by making it easier to consolidate some of our quieter daily flights to multi-frequency destinations well in advance.”
The airline had previously planned to carry 1.8 million passengers on more than 9,000 flights from Heathrow in July alone.
The airline told PA it welcomed the new measures, adding that easing slots – which are allocated twice a year at airports – would help BA to “protect more of our holiday flights”.
“Slot lighting allows airlines to shorten their schedules temporarily, yet keep their slots for the following year to maintain networks and provide consumers with certainty and consistency,” BA said in a statement.
“Allocating slots under the (World Airport Slots Guide system) means that airlines can provide the consistent services and efficient connections that consumers are looking for and protect jobs and create growth in the UK.”
It comes after another week of “travel chaos” at Heathrow when the airport ordered flights to be canceled for being unable to handle them.
On Thursday and Friday, passengers at the airport complained of long queues, canceled flights and lost luggage as “schedule intervention” and disruptions at UK airports were exacerbated by strikes in Spain.
The threat of industrial action also continues to loom in Britain after union members overwhelmingly voted to strike over pay – although no dates have been announced.
BA employees are demanding the 10 percent of wages they “stole” from them last year as they faced “fire and re-engagement” during the pandemic.
Last month, the government drafted a 22-point plan to support the airline industry. It describes all measures taken by the government to support the aviation industry, including: assisting with the recruitment and training of personnel; ensure the delivery of a realistic summer schedule; minimize nuisance; to support passengers when delays and cancellations are unavoidable.