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Nearly 100 more flights cancelled today from UK airports – as experts warn summer will be WORSE for Brits
MORE than 100 flights have been cancelled today as Brits face more travel chaos across the UK.
Queues have continued at airports including Manchester, Heathrow and Gatwick, with passengers waiting hours for their bags - and flights are still being affected due to a combination of reasons, including a shortage of staff both because of Covid and slow recruitment.
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British Airways has suspended at least 64 flights to and from Heathrow, which includes UK domestic routes as well as European flights.
Among the international routes affected were services to and from Berlin, Dublin, Geneva, Paris and Stockholm.
British Airways said passengers were given advanced warning of the cancellations, as the suspensions are following their schedule reduction which will last until the end of May to limit the need to cancel flights at short notice due to staff shortages.
It has focused on routes with multiple daily flights, meaning passengers can be offered alternative departures on the same day they booked.
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EasyJet has cancelled at least 25 flights to or from Gatwick, affecting routes such as Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Glasgow and Milan.
The low-cost carrier said cancellations are being made "in advance to give customers the ability to rebook on to alternative flights".
There has been a surge in demand for flights as many families have travelled abroad for the school Easter holidays, which are the first since the UK's coronavirus restrictions for international travellers were dropped.
Airlines have been keen to attract as many bookings as possible after suffering huge losses due to the virus crisis but are struggling to cope with staff shortages.
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The issue is partly caused by difficulties finding new recruits and getting their security checks processed after thousands of jobs were cut during the pandemic.
There are also high levels of coronavirus-related staff absences.
According to data from Cirium, more than 1,000 flights were cancelled in the week between March 28 and April 3, compared to just 197 in the same period pre-pandemic.
John O'Neill, North West Regional Industrial Officer for Unite has warned that Brits can expect holiday disruption in the summer as well, due to a high volume of passengers expected to travel
He said: "Summer is going to be far worse than this. It is the time to get everything in place otherwise summer is going to be very difficult."
Unite has said that airlines need to offer better pay and perks, otherwise there won't be "sufficient workers to meet passenger demand," leading to more cancellations.
And general secretary of pilot union BALPA Martin Chalk said chaos "may well" continue into the summer due to the lack of staff being hired.
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It's not just flights causing chaos for British travellers - queues also continue on the way to Dover port following the suspension of P&O services.
DFDS ferries said they are not be accepting anymore P&O customers, with passengers warned not to travel to the port unless they had booked in advance.
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