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[Travel] Why are all these flights being delayed/cancelled ?
- Thread starter WATFORD zero
- Start date
- Jul 10, 2003
- 26,188
- Thread starter
- #162
And sadly, it doesn't look like it's ending any time soon
Jet2 boss blames airport hell on Brexit 'taking millions out of the job market'
Jet2 boss Steve Heapy is said to have made the comments during talks with Grant Shapps this week after the transport secretary rejected calls for airlines like BA and easyJet to have more powers to hire visa-free workers from Europe. The industry wants post-Brexit rules relaxed so they can hire foreign staff, rather than relying on British applicants who they say miss interviews.
In a statement to Metro.co.uk, a Jet2 and Jet2holidays spokesperson said: ‘During a meeting with government and industry on Friday, Mr Heapy expressed his frustrations with the current employment market – as Brexit has taken hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people out of the job market and that is having an impact on many industries, including ours.
https://metro.co.uk/2022/06/03/jet2-boss-blames-brexit-for-recent-airport-chaos-16762007/
Icy Gull
Back on the rollercoaster
- Jul 5, 2003
- 72,015
I was in Stansted Airport a few years ago, it seemed just about everyone working there was from Eastern Europe
Pretty damn obvious if you ask me. EasyJet Europe, with a pool of 500 million people to recruit from….minimal issues. EasyJet UK with 50-60….can’t find the staff and resort to removing seats from airplanes to reduce crew numbers. My prediction is they will shut down EasyJet UK and switch everything to Europe.
Wardy's twin
Well-known member
- Oct 21, 2014
- 8,522
I thought Ryanair was the one who squeezed too hard......
As you say though plenty of worse places to stay..
I agree to an extent but Schipol Amsterdam airport has been having severe issues, last 2 days has seen almost wholesale cancellations but it’s been ramping up for weeks, so can’t just be Brexit related. I think KLM their national airline cancelled all flights yesterday
- Jul 10, 2003
- 26,188
- Thread starter
- #167
I believe that the underlying reason is trying to ramp up the recruitment and training of staff Internationally following Covid. I suspect all countries have the same problems with those staff having now gone off to do something else and not wanting to come back.
It's just that the other countries decided that significantly reducing the pool of workers to recruit from wouldn't be helpful to the process and consequently, are not suffering to the same long term extent as they would, had they done something similar
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I wish I'd read this yesterday. Had a flight booked this morning for work to Schipol on BA. Uploaded my covid declaration and vaccination pass onto the BA website on Saturday night, no problem. Checked in online and then leisurely day packing yesterday, in between watching sport, cab booked for 4.45am, all good. No indication at all from BA that it was in danger so £60 cab ride expensed this morning, straight through security and into the South Terminal airside. Five minutes later my colleague arrived to tell me we were delayed from 7.35 to 9am. Fair enough, though a bit annoying, get breakfast in overcrowded Pret with 20 minute queue, work a bit, NSC a bit. Colleague goes for a wazz and while I'm looking after his bag the board and app update the flight to "contact airline". It was, of course, cancelled.
And here's where airlines can do better. The customer service was non-existent, an absolute dereliction of duty. Not once from that point on did we see a single BA worker. They'd just sent a Dear John text or email and gave security the job of getting us back to passport control via a gate. They rebooked the flight automatically to tomorrow (no good to me, was going for a 9am meeting tomorrow) and wouldn't answer calls about refunds. It was as if the flight didn't exist.
Surely, even if the issue is at another airport or with needing to train more staff, you can get a manager down to a gate to explain the reasons for the cancellation and the options you have. Or answer a phone call. But, no.
And, since all the others are just as shite we rebooked our meeting for next Wednesday and are going by Eurostar. Should that go well I'll be taking the train whenever our company expense policy allows it, and certainly considering that for any personal travel to nearby mainland Europe.
portslade seagull
Well-known member
Flight to Naples with Tui left onetime this morning and have been lapping up 30 degrees with a few Peroni's in Sorrento. Saw 1 Easyjet flight cancelled in the gate next to ours after they had shut the gate.
Ken Newbury
Active member
Arrived at LGW this evening from Corfu, the flight arrival was delayed by 45mins as a result of a 90min delay departing this morning from LGW. Once we landed we were left in the middle of nowhere, it took 20mins for a set of steps to arrive and then a further 30mins before any buses arrived to allow us to get off. On the positive side passport control was a 1min walkthrough and our bags were already on the carousel in baggage reclaim.
Landed about 45 mins early at LHR T5 this morning. No queue for passport control, luggage arrived on the carousel literally within a couple of minutes of us getting there…couldn’t have been smoother.
Bold Seagull
strong and stable with me, or...
Not surprising given the half term / double bank holiday is done and dusted. Next big test will be from 18 July when the school holidays start.
pasty
A different kind of pasty
Mrs P & daughter flew from Gatwick to Lanzarote yesterday, and said the longest queue they encountered was for Pret in the departure lounge 
Fignon's Ponytail
Well-known member
Flying from there on the 26th, and returning on the 7th July...hopefully we will have the same sort of experience as you had
thedonkeycentrehalf
Moved back to wear the gloves (again)
- Jul 7, 2003
- 8,754
Mixed experiences this week. I flew BA from Heathrow to Madrid - all fine with security etc, minimal queues apart from Starbucks in T5. On the return, loads of closed shops in Madrid Airport including the Real Madrid store. I was delayed but that was a tech issue with a cargo door sensor - these things happen. I got an email from BA within minutes of landing apologising for the delay.
My colleague was heading out to Zurich on Monday morning with easyJet. Left home at 4am for 7am flight, got a message just after he had left home to say his flight was cancelled and no alternatives available. Had to book on a very expensive Swiss flight the following morning instead.
My colleague was heading out to Zurich on Monday morning with easyJet. Left home at 4am for 7am flight, got a message just after he had left home to say his flight was cancelled and no alternatives available. Had to book on a very expensive Swiss flight the following morning instead.
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Maybe, but son and GF (she’s a teacher so they’re tied to school holidays) came home on Saturday from a week in Gran Canaria via Luton - had the same trouble-free trip both ways (Easyjet).
Bold Seagull
strong and stable with me, or...
I think its fair to say not every flight is going to be effected. The industry though is not geared up or has the confidence or flexibility to deal with huge fluctuations in demand. Many people will go on holiday without delays or cancellations July / August, but don't think that is going to tell the whole story.
Well obviously…….a large element of luck involved case by case and no real pattern (apart from one or two airports that seem to be consistently shambolic). Our cabin crew last night was a couple of staff short but if they hadn’t announced it I wouldn’t have noticed.
Bold Seagull
strong and stable with me, or...
It's a pretty ruthless industry. They've been able to cull many senior experienced cabin crew and pilots and basically start again. I think many are on zero hours, agency contracts etc. hence the impact of only finding out you don't have enough crew at the last minute. Winter is predicted to be lean for them, so the summer could be a huge problem.
I’ve got two BA pals that were made redundant….one has recently been re-employed on a far worse contract. The redundancy terms weren’t very good either (but the one who hasn’t rejoined at least kept staff travel benefits for his lifetime due to length of service)
I’ve got another pal who is a former MD at Tui who now runs one of the subsidiaries they sold off a while back (Brighton based) - he hates it. Constantly restructuring etc.