More airlines have announced winter flight cuts as the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic continues to bring misery for travellers. British Airways announced earlier this month it was ditching swathes of short-haul flights during the coming months.
Now rivals Lufthansa and SAS have also indicated they will both be axing services from winter schedules. German national carrier Lufthansa has confirmed it will cancel an unspecified number of services, while Scandinavian airline SAS will axe an estimated 1,600 flights throughout autumn.
Lufthansa was also forced to cut flights during the summer, blaming staff shortages, and it reported more cuts to its schedule from from late October to March 26. European routes and domestic services are set to be affected.
A Lufthansa spokesperson claimed flights were cancelled because the staff shortages, in particular at Frankfurt airport, have not significantly improved. The airline said it could also make changes to flight times from October in an attempt to offer passengers a reliable and predictable schedule.
SAS revealed plans to cancel up to 1,600 flights in Europe or four per cent of its schedule, blaming staff shortages and delayed aircraft deliveries for the service reductions. However, the carrier said flights during the autumn holiday would not be affected.
British Airways said it would axe an additional 10,000 flights to and from Heathrow Airport between the end of October and late March when the summer 2023 schedule begins. The airline said the latest cancellations were aimed at minimising disruption.
The airline pledged: "Customers booked for winter will be able to travel as planned and are being given several months’ notice of any changes."
