Christmas flights could be hit by staff shortages

‘Approximately one million European passengers will be affected by a flight cancellation or a long delay’ this December, says flight compensation site

Airport staff shortages are a concern for some in the industry (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

We’re not out of the woods yet when it comes to airline staff shortages and frustrating delays, which could impact Christmas travel plans, a flight compensation company has warned.

Analysis from Flight-Delayed.co.uk shows that shortages of staff in both the US and Europe could prompt delays and cancellations for those travelling in the run-up to Christmas.

“Ever since the start of the Covid-19 outbreak, the labour shortage has been strongly reflected in the response times of airlines such as Lufthansa, Air France, and Royal Air Maroc,” said Tom van Bokhoven, the website’s CEO.

The company cites British Airways’ 3,000 job openings as it seeks to re-hire and fill out staff roles following huge job losses caused by the pandemic, as well as a lack of baggage handlers at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport causing customers to have to fly without their luggage, and forcing pilots to load cases themselves.

As well as the impact of the months-long travel shutdown, the airline warns that individual airlines’ vaccine mandates may see them shedding staff.

“During the last few years, approximately 1 per cent of December flights have been cancelled and about 29 per cent have been delayed by at least 15 minutes,” said Tom van Bokhoven.

“According to our estimates, due to reasons like the labour shortage and the possibility of the upcoming European winter being especially harsh, the situation will likely be even worse this year.

“We expect that this December, approximately one million European passengers will be affected by a flight cancellation or a long delay of three hours or more, making them entitled to financial compensation.

“Passengers should be ready to spend more time than usual at the airports.”

Flight Delayed aren’t the only industry figures worried about the impact of staff shortages on travel.

Last month, Travel Weekly reported on a staffing crisis across the UK’s travel retail sector.

The director of MBM Travel Executives advised firms: “We’re facing the worst staffing shortage on record. If you cannot offer more money, start recruitment earlier and beef up your benefits package. Ask for staff referrals.”

The title also reported in October that job vacancies in the travel industry had hit the second highest level since February 2020.

In addition, airports such as Heathrow have seen several incidents of unusually long queues this year, with the backlog being partly blamed on staff shortages - one anonymous source suggested a new rota system had led to Border Force staff quitting their jobs.