The government’s short, one-off “amnesty” on airport slots rules comes to an end on Friday (July 8).
The policy was announced by transport minister Grant Shapps and aviation minister Robert Courts last month to help airlines deliver a “realistic summer schedule” that minimises disruption and avoids last-minute cancellations.
Carriers have had the chance to hand back their take-off and landing slots, without financial penalty, ahead of the summer peak.
During the amnesty, British Airways announced several rounds of cuts to flights, mainly due to fly from Heathrow and Gatwick.
Sky News said easyJet is understood to have used the amnesty to ditch about 11,000 more services.
Julia Lo Bue-Said, chief executive at Advantage Travel Partnership, said the amnesty will help give consumers “greater certainty and confidence” and “bring some much-needed calm to the market ahead of the busy summer months”.
“In the vast majority of cases flights will not be disrupted and people will be able to travel as planned,” she said.
“The last few months have proved to be a very turbulent time for passengers and the supply chain reliant on aviation, not least travel agents, who have been at the coalface having to deal with hundreds of flight changes and amendments which, once again, has meant another hammer blow to their businesses, both operationally and financially.”
Jo Rhodes, Which? travel expert, commented: “The government has given airlines a golden opportunity to hand back slots they cannot fill so better-staffed airlines can step in and fly them.
“Far too many passengers have suffered from last-minute cancellations already and the amnesty means there’s no excuse for the same levels of disruption throughout the summer.
“Which? urges carriers to act responsibly and temporarily surrender slots wherever necessary.
“Any airlines cancelling flights today must communicate clearly with their customers and ensure they provide information about passengers’ rights to refunds, compensation and rebooking, including with rival carriers.”
More: Last-minute flight cancellations ‘rose 188%’ in June over pre-pandemic levels