LHR asks airlines to stop selling tickets for next two months.
Jul 12, 2022, 9:22 am
#1
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LHR asks airlines to stop selling tickets for next two months.
Heads up for anyone planning to travel to/through LHR this summer.
https://www.ft.com/content/9e76ca20-...7UA270Pzcx_smQ
https://www.ft.com/content/9e76ca20-...7UA270Pzcx_smQ
Jul 12, 2022, 9:45 am
#2
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Heads up for anyone planning to travel to/through LHR this summer.
https://www.ft.com/content/9e76ca20-...7UA270Pzcx_smQ
https://www.ft.com/content/9e76ca20-...7UA270Pzcx_smQ
Jul 12, 2022, 9:52 am
#3
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Paywall - didn't read.
I read the article on the fltertalk main page - LHR is smoking some good crack if they think airlines are going to stop selling tickets.
What is the airport going to do, turn away pax as they arrive for flights? Or force airlines to cancel more flights and create even more mess?
I read the article on the fltertalk main page - LHR is smoking some good crack if they think airlines are going to stop selling tickets.
What is the airport going to do, turn away pax as they arrive for flights? Or force airlines to cancel more flights and create even more mess?
Jul 12, 2022, 9:56 am
#4
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Non-Paywall BBC Article:
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-62136022
Some snippets from the article:
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-62136022
Some snippets from the article:
BBC
Heathrow Airport has told airlines to stop selling summer tickets, as the UK's biggest airport struggles to cope with the rebound in air travel.
The airport is limiting the number of passengers who can depart each day over the peak summer months to 100,000, 4,000 fewer than currently scheduled.
The cap on passenger numbers will be in place from now until 11 September.
Thousands of UK travellers have been affected by disruption in recent weeks, including last-minute cancellations.
.......
In addition, a temporary government "amnesty" to the rules on airport slots was put in place, allowing airlines to change their summer schedules without facing a potential penalty.
But despite this, Heathrow said airlines were still planning to operate flights carrying more daily passengers than could be processed in an acceptable manner.
"Over the past few weeks, as departing passenger numbers have regularly exceeded 100,000 a day, we have started to see periods when service drops to a level that is not acceptable: long queue times, delays for passengers requiring assistance, bags not travelling with passengers or arriving late, low punctuality and last-minute cancellations," said Heathrow boss John Holland-Kaye.
"Our assessment is that the maximum number of daily departing passengers that airlines, airline ground handlers and the airport can collectively serve over the summer is no more than 100,000.
"The latest forecasts indicate that even despite the amnesty, daily departing seats over the summer will average 104,000 - giving a daily excess of 4,000 seats. On average only about 1,500 of these 4,000 daily seats have currently been sold to passengers, and so we are asking our airline partners to stop selling summer tickets to limit the impact on passengers."
......
Heathrow isn't alone in introducing restrictions. Gatwick imposed a lid on daily flights several weeks ago.
Heathrow Airport has told airlines to stop selling summer tickets, as the UK's biggest airport struggles to cope with the rebound in air travel.
The airport is limiting the number of passengers who can depart each day over the peak summer months to 100,000, 4,000 fewer than currently scheduled.
The cap on passenger numbers will be in place from now until 11 September.
Thousands of UK travellers have been affected by disruption in recent weeks, including last-minute cancellations.
.......
In addition, a temporary government "amnesty" to the rules on airport slots was put in place, allowing airlines to change their summer schedules without facing a potential penalty.
But despite this, Heathrow said airlines were still planning to operate flights carrying more daily passengers than could be processed in an acceptable manner.
"Over the past few weeks, as departing passenger numbers have regularly exceeded 100,000 a day, we have started to see periods when service drops to a level that is not acceptable: long queue times, delays for passengers requiring assistance, bags not travelling with passengers or arriving late, low punctuality and last-minute cancellations," said Heathrow boss John Holland-Kaye.
"Our assessment is that the maximum number of daily departing passengers that airlines, airline ground handlers and the airport can collectively serve over the summer is no more than 100,000.
"The latest forecasts indicate that even despite the amnesty, daily departing seats over the summer will average 104,000 - giving a daily excess of 4,000 seats. On average only about 1,500 of these 4,000 daily seats have currently been sold to passengers, and so we are asking our airline partners to stop selling summer tickets to limit the impact on passengers."
......
Heathrow isn't alone in introducing restrictions. Gatwick imposed a lid on daily flights several weeks ago.
Jul 12, 2022, 10:04 am
#5
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I'm curious if this is even legal. After all LHR is slot controlled. As long as airline has a slot, can't see grounds to deny services. Also any court would likely note LHR can hire extra staff, just they might have to pay big ££££.
I don't know UK law, but I see major payouts. (Passenger likely can even sue)
I don't know UK law, but I see major payouts. (Passenger likely can even sue)
Jul 12, 2022, 11:19 am
#7
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The problem is with the airport staff. There just aren't enough people to provide, security, baggage handling and other infrastructure support tasks to allow "normal" airport operations. LHR has figured out if it gets above 100,000 pax a day, it all breaks down (as witnessed for many, many weeks now). They can't just hire more staff, because they all need background checks to work at LHR, and the backlog for background checks is even more terrifying than the backlog of unclaimed luggage at Heathrow. There is no quick fix for this, but the lack of anticipation for travel picking back up post COVID probably demands some answers from the LHR operators.
Some numbers earlier predicted that in reality this will means a reduction of about 4,000 passengers per day. 4,000 passengers is somewhere between 20-40 flights, depending on whether we are talking long or short haul. The cuts are likely to be route density and price dependent, if an airline has to lose passengers, are you going to lose the $200 a ticket pax, or are you going to lose the $1,000+ ticket passengers? Best possible scenario is that the current pax forecast for August is 100,000/day or less, so this will result in an inability to book certain fights during this period, rather than the worst case scenario, which is having to cancel existing flights and bookings.
I would prefer to transit LHR with a manageable infrastructure and the ability to catch my on-time flight, rather than participate in some scene from Dante's Inferno, fighting each other to the death over the last salmon puff in the Virgin Lounge.
Some numbers earlier predicted that in reality this will means a reduction of about 4,000 passengers per day. 4,000 passengers is somewhere between 20-40 flights, depending on whether we are talking long or short haul. The cuts are likely to be route density and price dependent, if an airline has to lose passengers, are you going to lose the $200 a ticket pax, or are you going to lose the $1,000+ ticket passengers? Best possible scenario is that the current pax forecast for August is 100,000/day or less, so this will result in an inability to book certain fights during this period, rather than the worst case scenario, which is having to cancel existing flights and bookings.
I would prefer to transit LHR with a manageable infrastructure and the ability to catch my on-time flight, rather than participate in some scene from Dante's Inferno, fighting each other to the death over the last salmon puff in the Virgin Lounge.
Jul 12, 2022, 11:36 am
#8
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No different than any other slot controlled airport limiting arrivals. Though the approach is different by stating the limit is to 100,000 passengers, how is this any different from the FAA (in the US) limiting flow to a particular slot controlled airport due to ground congestion (which is ultimately what the airport can argue will happen by continuing to exceed 100k daily passengers). Too many passengers => too many bags/security screening for the airport to handle => either flights get delayed to accommodate this (leading to ground congestion) or people miss their flights leading to terminal congestion as people now need to be rebooked with limited options as everything is full. Either way this leads to is the airport eventually saying they need to restrict the number of hourly departures & arrivals under flow control policies, which they're allowed to do even in a slot controlled airport. This way at least doesn't jump straight to that (and cause revenue loss for the airport from less flights terminal/landing fees), and gives airlines an option to see if they can work things out with how many people they're flying instead of getting hammered with a sorry you need to full out cancel some flights due to flow restrictions we're implementing.
Jul 12, 2022, 1:18 pm
#9
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Can't find the article but the real pinch point seems to be security screening. It's not just background checks but training that is a bottleneck. LHR made commitments to airlines to be able to flex their slots, and I'm guessing they're looking at a hard battle if they try to pull the plug on that early. Alternative seems to be "you can fly, just don't bring anyone."
Jul 12, 2022, 3:06 pm
#10
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This has been discussed in the BA forum. There are reports of flights leaving without loading any checked bags because of lack of staff. Also some shorthaul flights are cancelled, then fly to the destination empty but fly back with passengers.
Jul 12, 2022, 3:29 pm
#11
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Heathrow is telling airlines to stop because the airport can't staff itself, yet the airlines ultimately get blamed for cutting flights.
(the BBC article quotes Willie Walsh - whom I know from the IATA World Passenger Symposiums - who points the finger at Heathrow)
(the BBC article quotes Willie Walsh - whom I know from the IATA World Passenger Symposiums - who points the finger at Heathrow)
Jul 12, 2022, 6:36 pm
#13
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Now there's a business model for the textbooks. Layoff most of your staff during a slowdown, promote your business during said slowdown, then reduce business during comeback as you no longer have staff and/or adequate resources. Not only have you alienated your customer base, your current and ex-employees no longer share the loyalty you abandoned, all the while placing blame on everyone but the ones orchestrating the fiasco, your own upper level management. Seems a number of major airports have taken the same classes.
Jul 12, 2022, 6:55 pm
#14
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Perhaps some UK flights can be redirected to other airports, like Manchester or Stansted (ugh) if their facilities and labor markets are up to it. Both of these places are well connected to rail. Birmingham?
Jul 12, 2022, 9:22 pm
#15
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Now there's a business model for the textbooks. Layoff most of your staff during a slowdown, promote your business during said slowdown, then reduce business during comeback as you no longer have staff and/or adequate resources. Not only have you alienated your customer base, your current and ex-employees no longer share the loyalty you abandoned, all the while placing blame on everyone but the ones orchestrating the fiasco, your own upper level management. Seems a number of major airports have taken the same classes.