BA suspends short haul sales from Heathrow

British Airways been forced to suspend ticket sales on short-haul flights from Heathrow until August 8 in response to the London airport’s decision to cap capacity amid continuing disruption and cancellations.

The airline, owned by IAG, said the move would allow existing customers to rebook flights when needed.

Passengers have endured weeks of chaos as airlines and airports in the UK and Europe have failed to cope with the increase in demand for travel after the easing of Covid lockdown restrictions.

Having sacked thousands of staff during the pandemic, the industry now faces acute shortages, especially around ground handling and check-in as former workers secured jobs elsewhere.

Heathrow and Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport both demanded airlines cut ticket sales. The west London airport capped the number of passengers flying from the hub at 100,000 a day to try to stem the chaos.

“As a result of Heathrow’s request to limit new bookings, we’ve decided to take responsible action and limit the available fares on some Heathrow services to help maximise rebooking options for existing customers, given the restrictions imposed on us and the ongoing challenges facing the entire aviation industry,” BA said in a statement.

Reporting by Frank Prenesti at Sharecast.com