[Travel] Why are all these flights being delayed/cancelled ?

[Barham's tash]

Due to all of the above EJ are now pressing flight crew to work to their very maximum allowable hours and hence any other operational delay is having a knock on effect as crew tip over their allowable time and promptly cancel the flights.

BA cancelled a flight on a package holiday we were due to go on tomorrow two weeks ago offering a 8 hour lay over. With two 4 year olds and a 1 year old we said thanks but no thanks.

Re-booked and heading for Turkey on an independent charter instead. Leaving tomorrow. Fingers crossed.

 

[JJ McClure]

Meant to be heading to Cyprus on a TUI package tomorrow. Have already been told it won't be a TUI plane and crew now. Expecting the worst but hoping for the best. If it gets cancelled fine, I'll have my money back and there's a butt load of DIY to do instead.

 

[Leekbrookgull]

EasyJet a shambles atm….I’m currently stranded in Seville, could be worse places to be stranded admittedly…they sacked too many staff during covid, Ryanair didn’t and are now flying near as damn it a full schedule. EJ Too profit centered and their ex staff don’t want to know + whatever the govt tell us COVID hasn’t gone away and sickness levels in EJ are rampant due to….you guessed it, Covid.

R4 yesterday 6am reported that R/air had bought fuel months ago on the hedge price (?) where several other airlines still buying on The Spot market, could have a bearing?

 

[thedonkeycentrehalf]

From my experience the current issues definitely affect some airlines a lot more than others.

As you probably use easyJet more than most of us, has this been affecting your trips back? Is this also being replicated with other European based airlines that you are seeing from the German press?

 

[Machiavelli]

I agree with all you say, but I think most of the workers are being thrown in the deep end with little to no training.

Its going to take a year to fully settle down IMO.

My tip wait another year and spend some cash directly into our country, we need it.

For those that like waiting around airports playing spot the plane......crack on.

As you've contributed regularly to this thread, and no-one else has mentioned it, I thought I'd respond and raise one issue that the airlines identify: Brexit.

 

[Goldstone1976]

As I type, my partner is in the air down to Nice on an EasyJet flight from LGW that left on time. Whether her return trip on Friday is as smooth is anyone’s guess.

 

[dazzer6666]

Flew out of LHR yesterday. No real queues at check in, security busy but not unusually so and flight more or less on time. Son and GF flew with EJ out of Luton on Saturday, again no issues.

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

I guess this is what happens if you shut down the whole industry and expect it to be back to normal inside 4/5 years.

People don’t want to go back into a now risky industry, airlines can’t recruit and are pinching staff off each other.

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

As you've contributed regularly to this thread, and no-one else has mentioned it, I thought I'd respond and raise one issue that the airlines identify: Brexit.

Actually no, Visas for airline staff are easy to get at the moment.

 

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

I guess this is what happens if you shut down the whole industry and expect it to be back to normal inside 4/5 years.

People don’t want to go back into a now risky industry, airlines can’t recruit and are pinching staff off each other.

The industry was shut down only 2 years ago - lots of staff who were initially furloughed then left permanently and now have jobs which pay as well (badly) and don't have the unsociable hours.

TUI are in for a disastrous summer - they simply haven't got the staff to operate their schedule, same goes for EasyJet - and combined with shortages of baggage handlers etc. it's going to be a very difficult summer.

 

[LamieRobertson]

I guess this is what happens if you shut down the whole industry and expect it to be back to normal inside 4/5 years.

People don’t want to go back into a now risky industry, airlines can’t recruit and are pinching staff off each other.

Aye…..this throws more light

Airline sector expert John Strickland said the removal of the final Covid restrictions in March had come too late for the industry to feel confident about ramping up staffing levels.
"It's a structural challenge for the industry pretty much globally, to get back to [full] manpower levels," he told the BBC's Today programme.
Mr Strickland said it may be some time before the airlines can solve their staffing challenges.
"The level of pay on many of these frontline jobs that are so important to airlines, whether its security search, or check-in or baggage loading and so on, have always been pretty low. They're becoming less competitive now against other industries.
"Many of these jobs are physically and mentally demanding and so regardless of the pay... that pressure of day-to-day, dealing with the strain and getting the kick-back from passengers that are unhappy, means that it is going to be a structural question for the industry for the future."

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

The industry was shut down only 2 years ago - lots of staff who were initially furloughed then left permanently and now have jobs which pay as well (badly) and don't have the unsociable hours.

TUI are in for a disastrous summer - they simply haven't got the staff to operate their schedule, same goes for EasyJet - and combined with shortages of baggage handlers etc. it's going to be a very difficult summer.

A lot of airlines/tour industry are now in start up mode.

The news only shows the issues at the airport. Villas in Orlando at the moment are a complete mess.

There are a lot of issues on planes that can’t be fixed due to the shortage in parts as well, which means tech planes are not being fixed as quickly.

There’s money to be made if you want to go back, Manchester airport is currently paying £50 and hour over time.

 

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

As you've contributed regularly to this thread, and no-one else has mentioned it, I thought I'd respond and raise one issue that the airlines identify: Brexit.

I'd rather be in the EU than out of it, but this is not a Brexit issue - airlines were operating fine from 2016 - 2020 - this is definitely as a result of mass lay-offs post furlough and staff getting (better paid) other jobs with less unsociable hours.

Perhaps if the airlines paid better, rather than competing with the likes of Tesco at the bottom end of the wage scale they might be able to offer a full service.

Yes - it will push flight prices up, but perhaps that's a good thing - should you be able to take a two hour flight for the cost of two pints of lager?

 

[One Love]

My sisters brother in law is an Easyjet pilot out of Luton and was full and ready to taxi to the runway and was told the flight was cancelled.

The only thing that makes sense there is no clearance to land at the destination airport.

Unpaid bills?

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

Aye…..this throws more light

Airline sector expert John Strickland said the removal of the final Covid restrictions in March had come too late for the industry to feel confident about ramping up staffing levels.
"It's a structural challenge for the industry pretty much globally, to get back to [full] manpower levels," he told the BBC's Today programme.
Mr Strickland said it may be some time before the airlines can solve their staffing challenges.
"The level of pay on many of these frontline jobs that are so important to airlines, whether its security search, or check-in or baggage loading and so on, have always been pretty low. They're becoming less competitive now against other industries.
"Many of these jobs are physically and mentally demanding and so regardless of the pay... that pressure of day-to-day, dealing with the strain and getting the kick-back from passengers that are unhappy, means that it is going to be a structural question for the industry for the future."

The wife works in recruitment for an Airline, people don’t want to come back - Crawley had a lot of two parent airline/airport workers.

They don’t want to take that risk again, so a lot won’t go back in case some mentalists decided to shut everything down again

 

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

The only thing that makes sense there is no clearance to land at the destination airport.

Unpaid bills?

No.

Because of lack of baggage handlers it's taking SO long to get bags on board planes that the pilots (and crew) are then 'out of hours' and cannot fly.

 

[One Love]

No.

Because of lack of baggage handlers it's taking SO long to get bags on board planes that the pilots (and crew) are then 'out of hours' and cannot fly.

That sounds like a sh way of running a business

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

I personally know two people who worked in Gatwick security who were already thinking of leaving due to the unsociable hours and low pay when covid struck. They both grabbed the redundancy on offer with both hands. One is now a police officer, the other is a railway signaller

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

I personally know two people who worked in Gatwick security who were already thinking of leaving due to the unsociable hours and low pay when covid struck. They both grabbed the redundancy on offer with both hands. One is now a police officer, the other is a railway signaller

Pre Covid those jobs would have been taken in a matter of weeks.

High airport turn over isn’t a new thing

 

[Pevenseagull]

I've got a mate who works doing security checks for airport workers.

Last week he was doing security checks on people being recruited to do security checks on people being recruited at the airport.