According to the Financial Times, two of Europe's biggest airlines have restricted the sale of cheaper tickets in order to reduce demand. The summer travel chaos was caused by a lack of ground handling staff, high Covid sickness rates and general staff shortages. The newspaper reported that the airline stopped selling cheapest tickets for a few days so that passengers who had been affected by the disruptions could rebook. On Friday, the limitations were removed.
The prices for short-haul flights such as Amsterdam to London were getting more expensive by the day. The price of a return ticket on that route was almost $850 on Friday, up from a normal price of $170.
The entire airline industry is hurting. Not only airlines, airports, suppliers and air traffic control are experiencing an operational crisis, all over the world.
The surge in demand from about 30% of pre-pandemic earlier in the year to 90% this summer was "impossible" and "overwhelming", Ritter said.Lufthansa cut the number of flights it operated in Germany in July as a result in an attempt to stabilize demand.Lacking staff in ground handling, high sickness rates because of COVID, supply shortfalls, the tight airspace, and the war in Ukraine are some of the factors that have disrupted its schedule.
Many have questioned why airlines in the US and Europe that received government financial support have not been better able to cope with passenger demand.
Insider did not get a response from the airlines.
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