Simon Calder says 'long queues' to check-in at Heathrow Airport
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Heathrow Airport asked airlines to cancel 30 flights from their schedules on Thursday morning, June 30, as the UK’s busiest airport’s passenger numbers were exceeding maximum capacity. Over 1,000 flights were scheduled to depart, and the airport said cancellations were necessary for safety.
Some passengers did not find out about their cancelled flights until they arrived at the airport.
Customers affected by the cancellations should be contacted by their airline.
Many are expected to be rebooked onto alternative flights outside of peak times today.
A Heathrow spokesperson said: “We are expecting higher passenger numbers in today’s morning peak than the airport currently has the capacity to serve, and so to keep everyone safe we have asked airlines to remove 30 flights from the morning peak for today only.”
They continued: “We apologise for the impact this has on travel plans.
“We are working hard to ensure everyone has a smooth journey through Heathrow this summer, and the most important thing is to make sure that all service providers at the airport have enough resources to meet demand.”
A “small number” of British Airways flights are among those cancelled, with Virgin Atlantic, Air France, KLM, American Airlines, Delta Airlines, Lufthansa, Aer Lingus, Brussels Airlines and Air Canada also affected.
It is expected that 98 percent of scheduled flights out of the airport will operate as planned.
Travel writer and broadcaster Andy Mossack wrote on Twitter: “Total chaos at Heathrow this morning. British Airways flights cancelled and zero customer service!”
Thousands of staff left the aviation industry during the pandemic.
As a result, the sector is struggling to cope with a sharp increase in demand.
Passengers at UK airports in recent weeks have experienced long queues and delays.
Further chaos could be caused as some BBritish Airways staff are set to strike this summer in a dispute over pay.
So what about YOU? Would you rather have a UK holiday as airport chaos erupts? Vote in our poll and leave your thoughts in the comment section below.
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