Airport chaos: More problems for holiday makers as British Airways axe 10,300 flights this summer and EasyJet reported to Civil Aviation Authority

Holidaymakers across South Yorkshire and the UK have experienced problems, delays and cancellations this summer with ongoing chaos at airports across the country.

These problems look set to continue with more cancellations and delays announced and expected throughout the summer.

British Airways have just announced that they will be cutting around 10,300 flights from the start of August until the end of October, taking the total percentage of cancellations for British Airways flights to 13 per cent this summer.

The major British airline has been among the worst affected this summer with schedule disruption as the the entire aviation industry battles the effects of staff shortages and an increase in demand.

On the 10,300 flights being cut, a spokesperson for British Airways said: “The whole aviation industry continues to face into significant challenges and we're completely focused on building resilience into our operation to give customers the certainty they deserve.

"The Government recently decided to give the whole industry slot alleviation to minimise potential disruption this summer. While taking further action is not where we wanted to be, it's the right thing to do for our customers and our colleagues. This new flexibility means that we can further reduce our schedule and consolidate some of our quieter services so that we can protect as many of our holiday flights as possible.

"While most of our flights are unaffected and the majority of customers will get away as planned, we don't underestimate the impact this will have and we're doing everything we can to get their travel plans back on track. We're in touch to apologise and offer re-booking options for new flights with us or another airline as soon as possible or issue a full refund.”

With the announcement of 10,300 flights being cut, Rory Boland, Editor of Which? Travel, says the consumer choice brand has reported British Airways to the Civil Aviation Authority for neglecting to inform customers.

"Which? recently reported BA to the Civil Aviation Authority for neglecting to tell passengers about their right to compensation and failing to reroute customers at the earliest opportunity. The CAA must take action if BA fails to meet its legal obligations amid this latest round of cancellations.”

Which? have also reported EasyJet to the Civil Aviation Authority for potential consumer law breaches. They have urged EasyJet to improve its treatment of customers after hearing from customers who were kept in the dark about their legal rights when it came to claiming compensation.

Which? have also said customers have been left to sleep on the airport floor or buy expensive flights home after cancellations by EasyJet.

“EasyJet has treated its passengers appallingly, but this is just the latest example of a systemic problem in the aviation sector,” said Rory Boland. “Some airlines routinely ignore their legal obligations because they know they won’t face any consequences.

“With thousands more flight cancellations potentially to come, passengers face a miserable summer unless the CAA and government act on their promises to stamp out consumer rights abuses."