Airports, airlines take steps to avoid repeat of last year's holiday travel chaos - The Straits Times

LONDON - Airports are taking steps to avoid gridlock during the upcoming holiday travel seasons, with some limiting flights during peak hours to avoid the long lines and luggage piles that marred last summer.

The sudden rebound in air travel demand during the holiday season in 2022 as the Covid-19 pandemic subsided in Europe and North America caused chaos at some airports, which were short of staff to handle the flood of passengers.

While smoother holiday travel is expected for Europe and North America, airlines and airports, which learnt tough lessons on holiday travel in 2022, are taking a more prudent approach as global traffic rebounds roughly to pre-pandemic levels.

Canada’s largest airport, for one, has set hard limits on the number of commercial flights that can arrive or depart in any given hour during peak spring and summer hours, the operator of Toronto Pearson International Airport told Reuters.

The Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) also said in an e-mailed statement that it will cap the number of passengers that can arrive internationally, or depart to the United States through each terminal in a given hour.

“The GTAA has taken decisive measures designed to flatten peak-hour schedules for the March break and the upcoming summer season,” said the authority, which did not give further details.

“These slot measures strike a balance between airline commercial interests and the capabilities of the entities across the entire airport ecosystem.”

Air Canada, the country’s largest carrier, said the GTAA’s limits were accounted for in its plans, while rival WestJet Airlines said the limitations “have created hurdles and required adjustments when planning our transborder and international flying”.

Despite extensive planning and hiring in 2023, some airlines and airports are still wrestling with industry staff shortages, including baggage handlers.

Some are also dealing with labour disputes, including expected strikes in the coming weeks for the British border force and disruptions in France and Germany from strike action.

That has some airlines showing restraint on flights despite surging demand, analysts say.

“I would expect airlines to prioritise operational resilience over pushing networks to the limit, after the experience of last summer,” said Bernstein analyst Alexander Irving.

Germany’s Lufthansa said it has cut summer flights by an unspecified amount due to shortages of personnel such as ground handlers at airports in Frankfurt and Munich.

“The adjustments in our schedules are a precautionary measure in advance in order to avoid short-term cancellations in the summer season,” Lufthansa spokesman Andreas Bartels said.

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