The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

Why is more chaos brewing in air travel?

2022-06-30T17:03:42.755Z


The aviation industry in the US and the world is in turmoil. What can passengers do with their flights? We tell you.


The longest flights in the world would last 19 hours 1:09

(CNN) --

"Now the summer of our discontent."

It's not exactly what Shakespeare wrote in "Richard III," but for US and European airline travelers that's precisely what's happening this summer.

Flights are disappearing from itineraries, some last minute, as airlines fail to offer the services that travelers have spent significant amounts of money for, often hoping to enjoy their first getaway in years.

In the US alone, more than 1,500 flights were canceled last Saturday and Sunday, with the US approaching its busy July 4th holiday weekend.

Delta Air Lines cut about 100 daily flights from its schedule in July to "minimize disruptions" and issued a waiver for Fourth of July travelers as it braces for passenger volume "not seen since before the pandemic."

Air Canada said it will cancel up to 10% of flights in July and August, about 150 a day.

At airports, scenes of passengers queuing at terminal gates or camping out in departure halls are becoming increasingly familiar, as security, check-in and immigration delays add to the chaos.

  • Some travelers, who have seen fewer colds, will continue to wear masks on flights

Passengers have been asked to arrive even earlier for their flight, and then, to add to the confusion, again asked not to arrive too early.

"Please note that you can only be received in the departure lounge 4 hours before your flight," Amsterdam Schipol Airport warned this week.

advertising

And then there is the problem of luggage.

At London's Heathrow airport, photographs showing huge piles of suitcases separated from their owners have become emblematic of the experiences of many travelers facing the frustration of trying to reclaim their lost possessions or waiting days to be reunited with them. .

No immediate solutions

Airports and airlines have struggled to replace skilled workers who have been laid off during the pandemic.

(Photo: Chandan Khanna/AFP/Getty Images)

In short, traveling by plane is a nightmare - even a gamble - right now.

And the high season is just beginning.

It seems that there are no immediate solutions.

This week, German airline Lufthansa warned passengers in an email that the situation was "unlikely to improve in the short term", insisting that stability would only be achieved in winter.

"There are still too many employees and resources not available, not only in our infrastructure partners, but also in some of our own areas," he said.

"Almost every company in our industry is hiring new staff, with several thousand expected in Europe alone."

  • 800 more flights canceled in the US this Monday after a chaotic weekend for travel

Even when the problem is primarily related to airports, it can also mean flight delays and cancellations.

Recently, the Dutch company KLM was forced to cancel all European flights to Amsterdam, apparently due to the saturation of the airport.

So what is going on?

Much of commercial aviation is almost a true obstacle course, but the set of problems currently experienced by airlines and airports is far from that.

It is rather a much more normal business problem: the hiring of personnel.

And the aviation industry should have seen it coming.

"It's not a surprise"

Crowds and lines at airport terminals are becoming a feature of air travel in the summer of 2022. (Photo: Stephane Mahe/Reuters)

"Between their own research, research by my company and others, and their reservation systems, airline executives should have seen - and therefore should have known - that there would be strong demand to travel again," he says. Henry Harteveldt, director of the market research and advisory company Atmosphere Research.

"Either they didn't look at their own data, or they misread or misinterpreted it, but none of this should have come as a surprise to airlines."

In almost every case, the problem is that too many people with experience have been laid off during the pandemic - layoff or voluntary departure - and that airlines, airports and other key parts of the aviation system have not hired and trained enough people to replace them.

This training point is important.

As airlines and airports know all too well, there is a whole process to getting the kind of security pass that allows you to work on a plane or at an airport gate.

In the UK, there is also the fact that they cannot draw on the European Union's labor pool after Brexit.

There's also often quite a bit of training to get the job done, especially since many air travel computer systems look more '80s than the modern world of the iPhone or Android.

Addison Schonland, a partner at aviation reporting and analytics firm AirInsight, sums up that the sectors likely to be affected are "any part of the air travel system that has employees."

"Layoffs are easy, bringing people back with the proper security clearance is hard," says Schonland.

"Also, US airlines, in particular, have a reputation for being unreliable employers - boom and bust cycles mean unstable careers - plus the job requires skilled people and is back-breaking work. These people probably have more attractive options." now".

Some of the problems revolve around excessive outsourcing.

recipe for clutter

Piles of suitcases separated from their owners at London's Heathrow airport have become emblematic of today's air travel woes.

(Photo: Takuya Matsumoto/The Yomiuri Shimbun/Reuters Connect)

At many airports, particularly in Europe, key tasks such as check-in, security, baggage, gates and airport operations are performed by staff working for outside companies that are contracted by airlines and airports.

You will often see them in an inconspicuous uniform that is not the same as the airline employees themselves.

These people do work that is sometimes quite hard, like lifting bags outdoors in the snow and sun, working before dawn and late into the night, and dealing with increasingly frustrated passengers.

In part, it is also a real industrial relations issue.

For example, during the pandemic, British Airways asked some UK employees to take a 10% pay cut.

Since then, some workers have gotten a pay rise, but not Heathrow's check-in staff, who are now willing to strike for it.

British Airways said it is disappointed with the move and hopes to find a way around the strike.

Whichever side of the Atlantic you find yourself on, it's a recipe for disorder.

  • The United States suspends flight restrictions to Cuba imposed during the Trump era

In the United States, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is struggling with a shortage of air traffic controllers, says Harteveldt of Atmosphere Research.

"Covid-19 related health restrictions limited the FAA's ability to hire and train new air traffic controllers in 2020 and 2021," he says.

"Also, air traffic controllers must retire at age 56, and the calendar didn't stop for those two years."

"The FAA is actively recruiting people to become air traffic controllers, but the training process takes time. Meanwhile, airlines are scheduling more flights to some destinations, especially Florida, than the FAA can handle.

"So even when the weather is good, the FAA sometimes has to give some flights longer, less direct routes that can cause delays, in order to spread the load among their air traffic control centers."

What should passengers do?

The best advice I can give you, as an aviation journalist who has never seen so many riots, is to book defensively.

-- Consider alternatives to flying, if your trip is possible in less than eight hours by train, boat, bus or car.

If you're not traveling with people who have to go back to school in the fall, consider a trip in September or October instead of July or August.

-- If you must fly, choose nonstop flights over connecting flights, if available and affordable.

Connections add complexity and increase the possibility of cancellations or delays, especially for flights passing through places that can experience serious weather problems in summer.

-- In Europe, choose smaller hubs with good reputations for efficiency and no recent major disruptions: Munich, Zurich and Vienna are the safest bets.

-- Choose flights earlier in the day instead of later: That will mean more options for same-day travel in case your flight is canceled or significantly delayed.

As much as possible, avoid short connections (less than a couple of hours).

  • What should I do if my flight is canceled or delayed?

-- Opt for airlines that offer many flights a day on one route, rather than one or two.

-- Find out what other options there are on a route.

If you show up on the day and there are storms in Dallas or Houston, can you ask the airline agent to put you through Chicago, Philly or Dulles instead?

-- Some airlines offer express check-in and security, lounge access and priority boarding as a purchase extra, and that's a much better deal than ever.

Or, in the US, consider TSA PreCheck.

Check your reserve every few weeks to see if there are any discounted upgrade options – it's a great time to splurge on extra comfort and quick perks.

-- Join your airline's frequent flyer program.

Not only will you get some miles, but most rebooking systems will prioritize frequent flyers in some way, even those with low mileage balances.

Also use the airline's app, which will make any booking changes easy.

-- In the event that the rebooking options in the app do not work, phone calls or social media may work.

Airlines often respond to direct messages via Twitter.

The platform is also good for airline, airport or even weather updates.

-- Pack light and opt to carry carry-on only, if you can.

If you need to check bags, pack a couple of days' worth of clothes and any essentials in your carry-on.

Bring snacks, chargers and charge your devices with TV and movies.

And take the most important thing this summer -and anytime you travel-: patience.

Good luck, and feel free to ask questions on Twitter, where you can find me @thatjohn.

Aviation journalist John Walton specializes in the passenger experience.

With more than a decade of experience in aircraft, seats, cabins, connectivity, digital, design, marketing and branding, he has a unique perspective on what makes the world's largest industry tick.

He can be found on Twitter at @thatjohn.

travelFlights

Source: cnnespanol

All news articles on 2022-06-30

You may like

News/Politics 2024-02-01T12:29:14.048Z
News/Politics 2024-02-19T11:11:50.320Z

Trends 24h

News/Politics 2024-03-28T06:04:53.137Z

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.