5,000 people hit by Heathrow flight cancellations

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  • Mark Caswell
    Keymaster

    From the BBC:

    “Around 30 flights carrying up to 5,000 passengers have been cancelled at Heathrow Airport due to technical issues affecting baggage.

    “The airport asked airlines to cut 10% of flights from schedules across terminals two and three on Monday.”

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-61862788


    FormerBA
    Participant

    Heathrow was and remains a national embarrassment.

    The fees that they charge passengers and which are conveniently hidden from them by being included in the fare are huge and yet when service fails in such a spectacualr way their answer is to get airlines to cancel.

    Airports should be on the hook for compensation in such circumstances, which might focus their minds on delivering a robust operational experience rather than a high end retail experience and the odd bottle of over priced prosecco!

    2 users thanked author for this post.

    esselle
    Participant

    [postquote quote=1218173]

    Whilst I don’t disagree with the sentiment, I think context is important. My youngest daughter queued for 90 minutes to clear security at AMS this morning, SYD announced last week a hiring programme of 5000 new employees in the next 3 weeks, and similar stories are current in the States and Canada.

    Limiting the number of flights in the short term, which of course prompts every headline writers’ dream, is actually a pragmatic step towards limiting the chaos.


    MartynSinclair
    Participant

    I am constantly reminded of the interviews John Holland-Kaye gave to Sky News during 2021, saying how ready LHR was to receive it’s customers and the Government needs to open up the country. There can be all the excuses under the sun, but the bottom line remains, he was very wrong – airlines and airports were not & are still not ready!


    AMcWhirter
    Participant

    [quote quote=1218206]I am constantly reminded of the interviews John Holland-Kaye gave to Sky News during 2021, saying how ready LHR was to receive it’s customers and the Government needs to open up the country[/quote]

    Indeed. He said exactly the same thing to Nick Ferrari LBC on several occasions over the months.


    LaWhore
    Participant

    Once again, the wise men like Michael O’Leary have been triumphant and have come out of the crisis with little disruption to the operation. Record profits will surely follow.

    While airports and airlines sacked people left, right and centre, he understood from the very start that the aviation industry is a complex web of companies relying on one another to function.

    He knew the benefits of keeping the staff on payroll would far outweigh the lost revenue from flight cancellations should the recovery be rapid.

    What a genius!


    esselle
    Participant

    [postquote quote=1218208]

    And JHK said last week he thought it would be 18 months before things returned to “normal”.


    SimonS1
    Participant

    [postquote quote=1218206]

    Exactly Martyn. During Covid, Holland-Kaye was the classic rent-a-quote man, always banging on about the need to reopen and get things moving.

    Remember of course that all these companies took the taxpayer furlough cash to help keep businesses in shape, yet as soon as the time came they have all been found lacking.

    Not to mention the airlines trying to weasel out of their obligations – no wonder people these days put airlines on a par with banks, utility companies and turds on pavements.

    Gatwick this week was tragic. Huge queues snaking round the terminal for every food place and coffee shop, people queuing out of the door of Boots just to get to the till. And, surprise surprise, Wizz Air 3 hours late on a 10.30am departure due to “knock on delays from the inward flight”. Total joke of an airline.


    ImissConcorde
    Participant

    My flight on 9th July Amsterdam to Heathrow has been cancelled (Part of an hotel package) I accept that this sort of thing happens. The really galling part is that when I call I am told to go online to manage my booking and change it there. That page tell me to call the 0344 number. After listening to the blurb that they are prioritising existing bookings over new sales and pushing buttons the line goes dead!


    Tom Otley
    Keymaster

    Hard to know which of the many cancellation threads to put the latest news on…

    Heathrow flight cancellations cause queues and ‘chaos’

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-61857008

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