To help minimize the disruptions caused by staff shortages at Nats, which operates the control tower, London’s Gatwick Airport has implemented a daily cap of 800 flight movements. This limitation will prevent last-minute cancellations and delays for passengers while Nats addresses its challenges related to sickness and staffing constraints. Normally known for having the busiest runway in the world, Gatwick Airport, along with airlines like easyJet, British Airways, Ryanair, Tui, Vueling, and Wizz Air, will be affected by the capped movements. Despite this being beyond their control, airlines will lose revenue and incur costs for customer care.
Here are some key questions and answers regarding the situation at Gatwick:
What exactly is the problem at Gatwick?
In recent weeks, sickness among air traffic control staff at Nats has intermittently caused a slowdown in the flow of arrivals and departures at Gatwick, the busiest runway in the world. The current issue is an outbreak of Covid-19. As fewer flights can land, disruptions increase throughout the day, including cancellations, diversions, and delays. The economic and emotional impact of such disruptions is significant, resulting in substantial costs for airlines in terms of passenger care and negatively impacting holiday, family, and business trips. In an effort to reduce chaos from last-minute cancellations, Gatwick has imposed a daily cap of 800 movements, which it believes can be adequately managed given the current staffing challenges.
What will be the impact of the cap?
Expected movements on specific days, such as September 26 and 30, will be limited to 800, so no cancellations are anticipated. However, on other days, there will be an excess number of movements. For example, September 27 expects 29 excess movements, September 28 expects 40, September 29 expects 65, and October 1 expects 30. In total, there will be 164 excess movements, equivalent to 82 round trips from Gatwick. Assuming an average passenger load of 150 per affected flight, approximately 25,000 passengers will soon discover that their flights have been cancelled.
How will the cancellations be determined?
Airlines will be informed of the number of flights they must cancel each day under the capped limit. After receiving this information, it will be up to the airline to decide which specific flights to cancel. Factors that may influence their decisions include the availability of alternative flights and the need to protect revenue. Flights with multiple daily departures to a particular destination and ample space for rebooked passengers are less likely to be cancelled. Moreover, heavily booked flights with higher fares may have priority over flights with fewer seats sold and lower average fares.
When will I find out if my flight is cancelled?
Airlines are likely to prioritize cancellations in chronological order. Therefore, cancellations for a specific day, such as Thursday, will likely be announced on Wednesday afternoon, followed by later dates.
What options do I have if my flight is cancelled?
According to European air passengers’ rights, airlines must provide alternative transportation as soon as possible for any cancelled flight, regardless of the reason. For example, if easyJet cancels a flight from Gatwick to Rome and has no available flights to Rome on the day of travel, passengers can request to be rebooked on British Airways from Heathrow or Ryanair from Stansted. If a hotel stay becomes necessary, the airline must book and cover the costs of accommodations and meals until the passenger reaches their destination. Passengers whose trips become pointless due to a cancellation can obtain a full refund for the affected flight. If another leg of the journey has been booked on the same ticket, it is also refundable, even if that flight is still operational.
Can I claim compensation?
No, as these cancellations are clearly beyond the control of the airlines, compensation claims cannot be made.
Will everything return to normal by next Monday?
That is the hope. However, airline sources express concern about the lack of overall resilience in the control tower at Gatwick. Since the beginning of the summer, it is estimated that 40 days have been affected by staff shortages.
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