Expert: We've never seen airport chaos worse than this... flight cancellations, strikes, and long queues
Many airlines have been forced to cancel outgoing flights during the summer, and several European airports are experiencing strikes, canceled flights, and long queues at the security barrier. The past few months have seen many stories of chaos at airports. For example, staff shortages at Copenhagen Airport have led to long waiting times to pass through security screening.
Many airlines have been forced to cancel scheduled flights, including SAS, which cancelled 4,000 flights between May and August, and more experts expect the problems to continue through the summer.
Earlier this month, SAS pilots announced a strike, and on Tuesday, SAS mechanics announced a strike in support of the pilots, beginning July 5. Jakob Andersen estimates that the SAS strikes could affect more than half of the company's departing flights, potentially meaning the cancellation of up to 350 flights per day.
According to aviation analyst Jakob Pedersen, there is a shortage of staff both at airports and in the air, creating chaotic conditions and cancellations of departures: “It is much worse than we have ever seen, and it is likely to continue through the summer,” so he is encouraging Danes to arm themselves with patience before traveling during the summer.
Amsterdam Schiphol Airport is one of the European airports that has faced challenges with long waiting times due to staff shortages. Many European countries also have capacity problems that result in long queues, and among the airports that experience this are London Heathrow, Amsterdam Schiphol, Frankfurt Airport in Germany, and Toronto Pearson Airport in Canada.
Consequently, many airports have set a limit on the number of flights to determine the number of passengers, and as a result, many airlines have been forced to cancel scheduled flights. .
As happened at SAS, several unions from Italy, France, Portugal, Belgium and Spain have announced layoffs in the middle of the peak season.
