NEW YORK - Airline passengers face the prospect of delayed and cancelled flights for years to come as staffing challenges continue to plague the industry, according to a survey.
About 55 per cent of the 150 senior airline and airport executives surveyed by travel software company Amadeus expect disruption to remain elevated in the coming years, while just 37 per cent see a return to pre-Covid-19 levels, the survey said.
Staff turnover was exacerbated by massive job cuts during the pandemic, which led to a shortage of experienced workers as travel sharply rebounded.
Over the summer peak season in 2022 and 2023, airlines were forced to trim back schedules, while airports limited flights to cope with the surge in demand.
“We lost the expertise, the people who knew exactly what to do because they’ve seen that scenario before,” said Mr Guy Kavanagh, head of flight operations at Amadeus.
“The demand is back, but the capabilities aren’t there, so we see disruption increasing and that’s likely to continue.”
The shortages are seen throughout the aviation ecosystem, from ground handling services to flight crews.
Post-pandemic staff turnover is much higher and the industry is less attractive to young workers starting their careers, according to Mr Christos Pantazis, ground operations director at Goldair Handling.
Flights across Germany’s major hubs were disrupted for a day last week, after security staff walked out over pay and working conditions.
Ground staff at Deutsche Lufthansa AG are set to strike on Feb 7 over similar demands.
Airlines face expensive bills for disrupted services.
Passengers whose flights start or end in the European Union are entitled to compensation of between €250 (S$360) and €600 in the event of delays, cancellation or denied boarding, under the so-called EU261 rules.
Scandinavian carrier SAS AB estimates disruption is responsible for 8 per cent to 10 per cent for its costs, according to Mr Michael Lindborg, the carrier’s vice-president for airline solutions.
“If we want to minimise customer disruption, we can, but that solution may result in a significant cost increase or poor utilisation of the fleet,” he said.
“We need to be able to quickly understand the full implication of new plans in terms of delay, cost and compensation.” BLOOMBERG
