Summer holidays at risk as British Airways cancels hundreds more flights Yorkshire News

The summer holidays have been put at risk as British Airways has canceled hundreds of flights to popular destinations.

Flights from the UK to the US and the Middle East during the summer are among the cancellations, which come as the airline struggles with staff shortages.

British Airways has canceled half of its flights from London Heathrow to Miami, with flights reduced from two a day to one from June 4 until at least September.

The airline said the canceled daily flight to and from Miami would be picked up by American Airlines.

Hong Kong has been removed from the flight list due to ongoing entry restrictions caused by the Covid pandemic, and flights from London to Tokyo have been suspended for the remainder of the 2022 summer season. There will be no flights to these destinations. until September and October respectively.

Other popular routes affected include flights from London to Berlin, Dublin and Paris.

It is not yet clear how many other British Airways flights will be scrapped over the summer.

In response to a slew of complaints, British Airways chief executive Sean Doyle emailed customers to apologize for the cancellations and long delays, The Mail reports.

The email said: “We will do everything we can to get you where you need to be.”

The move comes after the airline canceled more than 100 flights this week, with the disruption blamed on staff shortages due to Covid or a reduction in schedules.

Industry experts have warned that the travel chaos could take months to resolve due to staffing shortages.

British Airways alone canceled around 300 flights over the Easter weekend, and the airline has cut more than 1,000 flights in the last three weeks.

Passengers traveling through major UK airports have been urged to arrive up to four hours before their flight departs due to the disruption.

Paul Charles, chief executive of travel consultancy The PC Agency, has previously said of the problems plaguing the flight industry: “This is a staggering level of flight cancellations caused by a cocktail of not having enough staff on site. and Covid-induced staff shortages.

“Airlines are certainly seeing a high level of demand for flights, but they just can’t keep up with that demand due to a lack of resources.

“It’s a nightmare situation for airlines and airports right now.”