There are delays and strikes in London. After Covid-19 lockdowns, airlines and airports struggled to cope with increased travel demand.
Thousands of flights have been canceled and travelers have to queue for hours at passport control and luggage collection at airports across Europe.
Laura Hoy told CNBC that air travel this summer is fraught with uncertainty.
Long delays and canceled flights are grating on consumers' desire to travel while airlines are trying to hold onto the post-pandemic travel boom and prepare for the likely downturn ahead.
Between June 24 and June 30 of this year, 400 flights were canceled in the UK, which is an increase of 15% from the same seven days in 2019.
It is outside of the peak summer season in Europe.
The busiest airport in London asked airlines to cut flights last week due to high passenger numbers. Some passengers were not aware that their flight had been canceled.
There will be disruption continuing into the summer.
Low-cost airline easyJet has cut thousands of flights over the summer in order to reduce the risk of disorder. The airline said it remained focused on its daily operation and continued to monitor this very closely, having taken pre-emptive action to build further resilience for the summer.
More than 12,000 flights were delayed and hundreds were canceled in the US as people tried to go away for the July 4th weekend.
Stephen Furlong is a senior industry analyst at wealth manager Davy.
There will be disruptions throughout the summer whether it's ATC driven or ground handling or security staff.
A quarter of flights at the main airport in Paris were canceled in June because of a workers' strike.
There is a possibility of more strike-inducing disruptions on the way. British Airways is preparing for a staff strike in the coming weeks as workers demand that a 10% pay cut that was put in place during the Pandemic is reversed. The workers in Spain said over the weekend that they would go on strike for 12 days in July. In Sweden, the airline said it would continue talks with pilots on Monday in an effort to avoid a strike.
Some of the reasons for the travel chaos are industry-wide, not country- or airline-specific issues.
The pace at which passengers have returned to the skies has caught airlines and airports off guard. Alexander Irving, European transport analyst atAB Bernstein, told CNBC last week that they don't have the staff to do a full schedule summer.
Many airlines, airport operators and other companies in the travel sector were forced to lay off workers during the Pandemic. Many of these workers didn't return to the sector and were pushed into early retirement.
Irving said that they needed more staff.
Changes in the labor market, such as the so-called Great Resignation, when workers choose to quit their jobs, often without another one lined up, in search for a better work-life balance, make it difficult to attract new talent.
In travel-related jobs there is compulsory training before workers can start their jobs, so hiring new people is a medium to long term solution.
Many people who stayed in the sector have complained about their work conditions because they don't feel like they're getting enough compensation.
Irving said that it might mean paying people more and treating them better.
At Amsterdam's Schiphol airport, a group of cleaners, baggage handlers and security staff will be paid an additional 5.25 euros per hour this summer. The airport will be limiting the number of passengers this summer in order to reduce disruptions.
The airports of other countries are in need of improvement. Portugal is increasing its border control staff as well as hiring more police at some of its busiest airports.
Most companies reduced capacity because they expected a period of lower growth. Roger Jones, head of equities at London & Capital, told CNBC that the global economy was switched off by the Pandemic.
Inflation is an issue because of the labor market shortages.
He said that the operating environment is weighing on profitability because of cost inflation.
British Airways and Air France-KLM received financial support from the governments during the Pandemic. The revival of the sector is being supported by unions and airlines.
Some analysts think that the recent situation has been overblown, despite the strikes, cancellation and other disruptions.
The majority of flights are operating and on time. While operating 115% of pre-covid capacity, Ryanair has largely avoided disruption so far.
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