Wed Sep 15, 2004 1:34 pm
#115686
OK I know this thread will be pulled but what does this all mean? To me it is like saying we give you more but you get less!
From the BBC
BA cancels 1,000 Heathrow flights
British Airways is cancelling almost 1,000 flights from Heathrow over the next few months in an effort to improve its performance, the company has said.
BA confirmed that 966 flights will be cancelled, averaging 12 every day, out of its total of 41,000 flights.
Both short and long haul destinations will be hit, but BA said only "high frequency" routes would be affected.
The airline said the decision to cancel 2% of its overall operations was a "precautionary" measure.
The UK's largest airline stressed that the cancellations were not due to staff shortages.
We have done a prudent precautionary measure which relieves some pressure on the flying programme
BA said it wanted to build some slack into a flight programme which is fully stretched, and that fewer flights would free up extra aircraft if they are needed.
If aircraft cannot fly because of technical hitches, more planes will be available to replace them.
"We have done a prudent precautionary measure which relieves some pressure on the flying programme at what is a very busy airport," a BA spokesman said.
Union leaders, however, say BA is still short-staffed at its check-in desks.
"You don't cancel this number of flights just to make spare aircraft available," said one senior union official.
"There is something seriously wrong here with the whole staff and flight planning schedule."
Last month was an embarrassing time for BA when it was forced to cancel flights at Heathrow because of staff shortages and technical problems.
Thousands of passengers had their flights delayed before the busy August Bank Holiday weekend at one of the world's most congested airports, losing BA millions of pounds.
The routes affected by the latest cancellations will include flights to New York, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, and short-haul routes to Edinburgh, Manchester, Frankfurt, Munich, Brussels and Amsterdam.
The decision to cancel flights over the next three months is not expected to affect BA financially, industry commentators say.
"You would hope that by doing it there was a gain because you would reduce the scope for disruption," said independent airline analyst Chris Tarry.
"You are putting some more buffers in the system so it actually works."
Meanwhile, BA's board is meeting on Friday to discuss last month's cancellations, amid investor speculation that some senior managers may be for the chop.
From the BBC
BA cancels 1,000 Heathrow flights
British Airways is cancelling almost 1,000 flights from Heathrow over the next few months in an effort to improve its performance, the company has said.
BA confirmed that 966 flights will be cancelled, averaging 12 every day, out of its total of 41,000 flights.
Both short and long haul destinations will be hit, but BA said only "high frequency" routes would be affected.
The airline said the decision to cancel 2% of its overall operations was a "precautionary" measure.
The UK's largest airline stressed that the cancellations were not due to staff shortages.
We have done a prudent precautionary measure which relieves some pressure on the flying programme
BA said it wanted to build some slack into a flight programme which is fully stretched, and that fewer flights would free up extra aircraft if they are needed.
If aircraft cannot fly because of technical hitches, more planes will be available to replace them.
"We have done a prudent precautionary measure which relieves some pressure on the flying programme at what is a very busy airport," a BA spokesman said.
Union leaders, however, say BA is still short-staffed at its check-in desks.
"You don't cancel this number of flights just to make spare aircraft available," said one senior union official.
"There is something seriously wrong here with the whole staff and flight planning schedule."
Last month was an embarrassing time for BA when it was forced to cancel flights at Heathrow because of staff shortages and technical problems.
Thousands of passengers had their flights delayed before the busy August Bank Holiday weekend at one of the world's most congested airports, losing BA millions of pounds.
The routes affected by the latest cancellations will include flights to New York, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, and short-haul routes to Edinburgh, Manchester, Frankfurt, Munich, Brussels and Amsterdam.
The decision to cancel flights over the next three months is not expected to affect BA financially, industry commentators say.
"You would hope that by doing it there was a gain because you would reduce the scope for disruption," said independent airline analyst Chris Tarry.
"You are putting some more buffers in the system so it actually works."
Meanwhile, BA's board is meeting on Friday to discuss last month's cancellations, amid investor speculation that some senior managers may be for the chop.