easyJet PLC, the low-cost airline, is suffering high levels of staff absentees because of Covid, forcing the company to cancel hundreds of flights.
The company has cancelled more than 200 scheduled flights since last Friday, many of them at short notice. Around 100 flights scheduled for today have been cancelled, the BBC reported.
easyJet cancelling ±100 flights today, affecting around 15,000 passengers, due to staff shortage.
Your flight cancelled? easyJet must get you there on the same day if at all possible, including buying a ticket on a rival airline. And pay cash compensation.https://t.co/KeI1xMTdFO
— Simon Calder (@SimonCalder) April 2, 2022
“As a result of the current high rates of Covid infections across Europe, like all businesses easyJet is experiencing higher than usual levels of employee sickness,” a spokesperson for the airline said.
“We have taken action to mitigate this through the rostering of additional standby crew this weekend, however, with the current levels of sickness we have also decided to make some cancellations in advance,” the statement continued.
Customers affected by the cancellations have been contacted and been offered the chance to book an alternative flight or receive a voucher or refund.
So last week @easyJet began allowing no masks on flights.
Today they’ve cancelled over 200 flights due to…..
………wait for it…….
STAFF SHORTAGES DUE TO …COVID.
Oops… ????
(You couldn’t make this up)✈️
— Margo Buchanan. #FBPA (@MargoBuchanan) April 3, 2022
The low-cost airline may have copped most of the flak for cancelling flights but now British Airways is getting it in the neck.
The airline, part of the International Consolidated Airlines Group (LSE:IAG) SA, has cancelled several flights for the same reason easyJet gave: staff absentees caused by Covid.
The airline has tried to ameliorate the situation by calling in standby crew but reports indicate it still had to cancel 90flights to and from Heathrow this morning.
“Aviation has been one of the industries worst hit by the pandemic and airlines and airports are experiencing the same issues rebuilding their operations while managing the continuing impact of Covid. We are also building a completely new subsidiary at Gatwick while increasing the size of our schedule at Heathrow,” a spokesperson for British Airways said.
"So while the vast majority of our flights continue to operate as planned, as a precaution we've slightly reduced our schedule between now and the end of May as we ramp back up.
"We've apologised to customers who are affected by this and to limit the inconvenience have re-booked them onto earlier or later flights on the same day they were originally due to travel where possible. We're also offering them the opportunity to book onto an alternative flight or request a full refund,” the spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, Manchester Airport has similarly been affected by staff shortage. The BBC web site contained footage of long queues of people – hardly any of them wearing masks – queuing at the airport.
"Our whole industry is facing staff shortages and recruitment challenges at present, after the most damaging two years in its history," a spokesperson for Manchester Airport said.