Holidaymakers arriving at airports faced chaos today as flight after flight was cancelled amid continuing staff shortages.
Experts warned the disruption that no-one seems to be able to sort out will hit family holidays this summer and could continue for 18 months.
It came as thousands of BA workers were balloted for industrial action.
Budget airline easyJet cancelled 60 services to and from the UK, Wizz Air scrapped seven flights and British Airways cancelled 124 Heathrow flights, although the airline said affected passengers were given advance notice.
Ali Haynes, her partner and five-month-old baby arrived at Luton airport three hours before their easyJet flight for Palermo was due to depart, only to learn the plane had been grounded.
She said: “We’re now stuck in Luton departures with no information on what next. Holiday ruined.”
The shambles has been caused by issues including airlines struggling to recruit new staff. Critics say they were too quick to axe workers at the start of the Covid crisis and have been selling too many tickets, gambling that they would hire enough new crew in time.
Heathrow chief John Holland-Kaye, below, said airlines and airports needed to “plan much better” to avoid further cancellations and delays this summer.
He added: “I think it will take 12 to 18 months for the aviation sector to fully recover capacity.”
Kully Sandhu, managing director of Aviation Recruitment Network, said it was struggling to fill more than 250 posts, from baggage handlers and shop workers to lorry drivers.
Some companies were offering signing-on bonuses of “anything from £500 to between £1,500 and £2,000,” Mr Sandu added.
He said: “It could be up to 12 months before we see staffing at airports back to pre-pandemic levels.”
Julia Lo Bue-Said, chief executive of Advantage Travel Partnership, represents independent travel agents.
She said: “About 30% of all calls that they’re receiving now are from customers who have bookings for July and August and they are worried.”
The Mirror understands BA engineers at Heathrow, Gatwick and in Scotland and call centre staff in Newcastle and Manchester are involved in the strike ballot. Meanwhile, hundreds of their BA check-in colleagues at Heathrow began voting today on whether to go on strike in a row over pay.
The GMB union said it was because a 10% pay cut imposed during the pandemic has not been reinstated.
National officer Nadine Houghton said: “British Airways faces a gruelling summer of travel chaos if they won’t give these workers what’s theirs.”
BA hit back: “It’s disappointing. After two years which saw the business lose £4billion, these colleagues were offered a 10% payment for this year which was rejected.”
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps is not expected to discuss strikes with BA until the results of the ballot are counted after the June 23 cut off.
Unite has warned Ryanair flights from Stansted could face “serious disruption” this summer amid a pay dispute with a ground handling firm.
Department for Transport officials will today hold internal meetings to draw up plans to stop any travel chaos over the summer holidays.
They will discuss flashpoints with airlines and airports including over-booking and taking customers’ money without the capacity.
“We can’t have a repeat of what happened over half-term, and will be talking to them,” said a DfT source.
Wizz Air apologised for the cancellations, as did easyJet, which added it operated over 1,600 flights today.
Meanwhile thousands of rail staff are to stage three days of strikes in the industry’s biggest industrial action since 1989.
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union at Network Rail and 13 train operators will walk out on June 21, 23 and 25 in row on pay and job losses.
The RMT said 50,000 staff will “shut down the country’s network”. A London Underground strike will be held on June 21 in a separate jobs and pensions row.
RMT boss Mick Lynch said: “Railway workers have been treated appallingly.”
Andrew Haines, Network Rail’s chief executive, added: “We continue to meet with trades unions to discuss their pay concerns and we’re doing everything we can to avoid strike action.”
