British Airways has responded to reports its Heathrow services are expected to bear the brunt of new cancellations by saying it welcomes the new measures allowing them to take place.
It comes after another week of travel chaos at Heathrow when the airport ordered flights to be cancelled because it could not handle them. On Thursday and Friday, passengers at the airport complained of long queues, cancelled flights and lost baggage as “schedule intervention” and disruptions at UK airports were exacerbated by strikes in Spain.
The airline told PA it welcomed “slot alleviation” measures that let airlines temporarily reduce their schedules but still retain their slots for the next year.
A spokesperson from the airline told the PA news agency that its cancellations, triggered by the amnesty on take-off and landing slots, would “help us to provide the certainty our customers deserve by making it easier to consolidate some of our quieter daily flights to multi-frequency destinations well in advance”.
It comes after the Daily Telegraph reported BA’s Heathrow services would be the worst hit by a raft of new cancellations.
“Allocating slots according to the [World Airport Slots Guide system] means airlines can offer the consistent services and efficient connections that consumers are looking for and protect jobs and create growth in the UK.”
The threat of industrial action is also continuing to loom. BA staff are demanding the 10% of pay they had “stolen” from them last year as they faced “fire and rehire” tactics during the pandemic.