British Airways, owned by airline group IAG, said the cessation of sales of domestic flights and flights to European destinations is intended to allow existing customers to book tickets when needed. Airlines and airports in Britain and Europe are struggling to cope with the numbers of travelers returning on holiday in droves this summer after two years of corona restrictions. This is due to staff shortages.
During the coronavirus pandemic, airlines and airports laid off many people and now they are struggling to find new staff. This has mainly caused problems with security, check-ins and baggage handling.
Heathrow, like Schiphol Airport, has instructed airlines to limit the number of tickets in the summer in an effort to avoid long queues, delays and cancellations. British Airways has already canceled 13 percent of its flight schedule for the period from April to October due to staff shortages.
Competitor KLM announced in July that it would cancel between ten and twenty European return flights daily until the end of August. These cancellations are in addition to the previously canceled flights and, according to the airline, should ensure that all customers can travel without problems. KLM is also further restricting the sale of the remaining seats on European flights in order to have more room to rebook travelers if flights are cancelled.
