Travel Chaos in Europe a Warning to SA Travellers

The travel industry has almost made a full recovery with travel numbers nearing pre-pandemic figures. But the return of travel is proving more difficult than most in the travel industry would have thought. Post-COVID staff shortages are severely impacting service delivery across the travel and tourism industry in Europe and the United States. And – unfortunately – South Africa is not immune to the disruptions. Travellers in Europe are reporting flight cancellations, slow or lost bags, and huge queues at security and passport control. Especially Heathrow in the UK and Schiphol in the Netherlands are reporting disruptions. Meanwhile, in the US, American Airlines and United Airlines have announced a reduction of domestic services as the airlines are struggling with a lack of pilots. “Just as we thought the travel industry could finally turn the corner as COVID restrictions are being lifted, we’re seeing a new round of disruptions,” says Oz Desai, GM Corporate Traveller. “All across Europe, airports are cutting back on the number of flights they can handle for the months ahead, which is heavily impacting flight availability. The number of flights cancelled in Europe every week is currently estimated at several thousand.” The main reason for the disruptions is a lack of experienced and knowledgeable staff. The pandemic forced many in the travel industry to make drastic staff cuts to survive. Hundreds of thousands of aviation, hospitality and tourism workers were laid off, with years of experience and technical expertise removed from the industry. For example, US airlines shed…

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