Passengers who are due to fly from Gatwick this summer can be told that their flight has been canceled after the airport announced it would limit daily operations.
Gatwick bosses have asked airlines to cut schedules in the hope that “passengers will experience a more reliable and better standard of service”.
While most passengers will fly as scheduled, airlines will be told to cancel up to 50 flights on the busiest days – requiring thousands of passengers already booked for them to find alternative departures.
EasyJet passengers will bear the brunt of the canceled flights, with British Airways, Wizz Air, Vueling and Tui also expected to cancel flights.
According to The Independent travel correspondent Simon Calder, Portuguese and Spanish flights are likely to be hit hardest by the cuts.
He said: “For British Airways’ easyJet, Wizz Air and EuroFlyer, the most obvious flights will be high-frequency connections such as London to the key airports of the Costa Blanca, the Costa del Sol and the Algarve: Alicante, Malaga and Faro, respectively.
“On weekends, easyJet has six or seven flights a day, and removing one or two of the schedules is probably possible.”
Key points
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That’s all from The Independent’s live cancellation flight tonight.
If you’re just joining us, here’s Simon Calder to let you know about speed:
Liam James June 17, 2022 9:07 p.m.
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An investigation into the death of a disabled man in Gatwick has begun
There was news of a tragedy with a disabled passenger who had just arrived at Gatwick Airport on Wednesday (writes Simon Calder).
Reports indicate that the passenger decided to make his way from the easyJet plane to the terminal, where he fell from an escalator and received fatal injuries.
The unnamed man was one of three “passengers with reduced mobility” (PRM) on the plane who needed special help. The plane was greeted by a staff member of air logistics provider Wilson James.
Of course, easyJet cabin crew members who witnessed the incident tried to help, but were unable to save him.
A spokesman for Gatwick Airport said: “This is a sad and tragic incident and our thoughts remain with the family of the deceased.
Liam James June 17, 2022 8:43 p.m.
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Canceled passengers of easyJet wrongly said five times: There are no alternative flights
A family whose flight has been canceled by easyJet has been wrongly told five times that there are no alternative routes to the airport where they have to fly home, The Independent may reveal (writes Simon Calder).
After the original flight was canceled, the group was automatically rewritten to fly the next day to another airport in the UK.
When they challenged the airline and tried to assert their right to a different flight under European passenger rights rules, the easyJet call center repeatedly denied their legal request.
Hannah and Richard Bicknell, along with their 18-month-old child, were due to fly home from Faro, Portugal, to Manchester Airport in early July.
But a little over two weeks earlier, they had been told that the original flight had been canceled and had been booked again the next day to fly to Liverpool.
Liam James June 17, 2022 7:30 p.m.
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Airport staff can work longer if they want, the minister said
A business minister has a proposal for airline staff concerned about the current chaos at the airport: work longer.
The aviation industry is suffering from a shortage of staff after releasing thousands of people during the coronavirus pandemic.
Business Minister Paul Scully said there were 1.3 million job vacancies across the country, but there were also “people who have readjusted what they wanted to do when they were on holiday”.
He told Sky News: “We want to make sure that those people who don’t necessarily work full time, through Universal Credit, can get them back to work to be more productive if it suits them, and obviously we compare them with sectors where there are these vacancies. “
Asked if that means people work longer, he said: “I’m not talking about going out, forcing people to do anything, but we just want to make sure they’re matched together properly, so that those people who they can work longer – those who want to work longer – can do it. ”
Liam James June 17, 2022 6:40 p.m.
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easyJet aims to book again for most passengers on canceled Gatwick flights
EasyJet said it was “reviewing the details” of the summer hat on Gatwick’s flight, but insisted it expected to be able to “re-accommodate the majority” of passengers if their flight was affected.
The passengers of the budget airline will bear the burden of the cancellation in July and August, when the maximum number of monthly flights of the airline from the second busiest airport in the UK will be reduced to 825 and 850, respectively.
An easyJet spokesman said the airline expected to be able to get most of the affected customers on various flights.
The airline’s statement in full: “We are aware of the capacity limit announced by Gatwick Airport and are now reviewing the details to assess what this means for easyJet’s Gatwick operation.
“We recognize the need for Gatwick Airport to do this, as airports across Europe are visible to all airlines and are in a good position to decide what capacity is realistic in the current challenging operating environment so that all airlines can provide reliable services for their customers.
“Given the high frequencies of our services to and from Gatwick, we expect to be able to re-accommodate the majority of customers if their flight is affected by the restriction.”
Liam James June 17, 2022 5:40 p.m.
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Long delays in Gatwick before a busy weekend
Cancellations with a short notice in London Gatwick have been eased, but departure screens show some long delays.
Afternoon and evening flights with delays of three hours or more include:
- British Airways to Cagliari
- easyJet to Kos, Athens
- Wizz Air to Tel Aviv
Many passengers arrive well behind schedule, including British Airways from Cancun (five hours late) and easyJet from Nantes (two hours).
But arrivals at night from Spain, Turkey and Mauritius are on schedule.
Simon Calder June 17, 2022 17:17
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Gatwick flight rejection: Positive move – for most
In today’s travel podcast for The Independent, from Gatwick Airport, Simon Calder explains why he thinks the cancellation order from the second busiest airport in the UK is a positive move.
While this is a real pain for the 5 percent of passengers who will have to reschedule their trip, it increases the chances of the other 95 percent having a stress-free trip. Crude but effective (the announcement, not Simon).
“Gatwick came out and did the right thing – to tell the airlines, come on, guys, you failed to do what you promised to do, so we’re going to ask you to cut back on your flights.”
Listen to today’s episode here:
June 17 – Gatwick plans to cancel some summer flights Simon Calder’s Independent Travel Podcast on Acast
Passengers of airlines booked for flights from Gatwick this summer can contact them and tell them that their flight has been canceled. Sussex Airport, the second busiest in the UK after Heathrow, announced plans to limit operations in July and August – with airlines instructed to reduce some take-offs. Simon Calder is at Gatwick Airport for us – with some reassurance. Of course, this podcast is free, as is my weekly newsletter, which you can receive every Friday: See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Simon Calder June 17, 2022 16:56
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Is BA planning a last minute cancellation?
Earlier this week, a reader asked me, “Does BA cancel flights in the short term? We were flying to Iceland on Sunday and they canceled the return flight a few weeks ago, so I booked the flight again the next day.
British Airways canceled many thousands of flights this summer – the airline says almost 20,000, which is about 100 a day. Unlike other carriers, almost all cancellations are announced – as in your case – a few weeks in advance.
Of course, there will always be interruptions in the day and every summer several flights from a big airline like BA can be canceled, but I would give you a good chance that the flight will continue without any problems.
Of course, if you are unfortunately grounded in the short term, then you can consider alternatives such as the excellent Icelandair to take you to Reykjavik.
Read on for five more hot travel questions about canceled flights this summer:
Simon Calder June 17, 2022 16:36
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Are Ryanair staff planning strikes this summer?
The only confirmed strikes announced by the airline’s employees are those of the Spanish crew, which are to take place on June 24, 25, 26 and 30, as well as on July 1-2.
The Spanish unions USO and SITCPLA agreed to industrial action following a dispute over pay and working conditions. The French staff left for the airline on 12 and 13 June.
In a joint statement, the two Spanish unions said Ryanair had made little improvement in working conditions despite several attempts at mediation.
A Ryanair spokesman said: “Ryanair has negotiated collective agreements covering 90 percent of our people across Europe. In recent months, we have been negotiating improvements to these agreements as we work through the Covid recovery phase.
“These negotiations are going well and we do not expect mass disturbances this summer.
(Associated Press)
Lucy Tacrey June 17, 2022 4:17 p.m.
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Downing Street “welcomes” Gatwick’s decision to restrict flights
A Downing Street spokesman said on Friday that the government welcomed Gatwick’s announcement that it would limit the number of flights it operated in June and July, with a spokesman …
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