Britain tells airlines to stop selling flights they can’t deliver
British Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has called on airlines to stop selling tickets for flights they cannot handle after a spate of cancellations.
Airports across Europe have struggled to cope with a post-pandemic rebound in demand, but British airports are facing a particularly difficult week as a school half-term holiday combines with a long public holiday weekend to mark Queen Elizabeth’s 70 years on the throne, Reuters reported.
→ EasyJet expects 240 flights to be cancelled over next 10 days.
“We need to make sure there is no repeat of the scenes witnessed over the last few days. Despite government warnings, operators seriously oversold flights and holidays relative to their capacity to deliver,” Shapps said, adding he would meet industry officials to discuss the issues.
“This must not happen again and all efforts should be directed at there being no repeat of this over the summer.”
Airlines had hoped for a bumper summer for passengers after two years of COVID-19 travel restrictions.
But they have struggled to recruit staff after the turmoil of the pandemic, and complain it is taking longer to recruit new employees and vet them for security clearance.
→ KLM temporarily halts ticket sales for Amsterdam flights.
Shapps said the government had helped the industry by changing the law to speed up the recruitment of staff, adding that the “government has done its part.”
“I think it’s disappointing that the government seems to be blaming the industry. This is an industry that has lost billions,” Huw Merriman, chairman of Parliament’s Transport Select Committee told Sky News, adding that airlines had been waiting for clarity on the rule change.
“We need to find solutions between government and industry to help the industry cope,” Merriman added.
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