Travellers’ Confidence Sinks as Air Travel Chaos Across Europe Mounts

ForwwarKeys has shown through one of its most recent analyses that the European flight bookings for July and August have substantially dropped as travellers have chosen to not book a flight at all to avoid air travel inconveniences, such as flight cancellations and delays, AtoZSerwisPlus.com reports.

According to ForwardKeys, the number of air tickers issued from January until early July for intra-European travel in July and August was down by 44 per cent compared to the same period in 2019.

As for scheduled seat capacity for intra-European arrivals between July and August 2022, it has been explained that as of July 11, Amsterdam, London, Milan, and Frankfurt have registered the highest change in seat capacity.

Compared to May 30, Amsterdam registered an -11 per cent change in seat capacity, followed by London (-8 per cent), Milan (-8 per cent), and Frankfurt (-7 per cent).

“Things have come back so fast that airports and airlines have struggled to cope, which is causing chaos for the travellers whose flights are affected. While we can be confident that airports will eventually succeed in recruiting the staff they need, there are a few trends that give cause for concern,” VP of Insights at ForwardKeys, Olivier Ponti, said, commenting on the air travel situation.

Ponti noted that the main trends that give cause for concern are the increase in the price of oil, inflation, as well as the increased level of disruption, which is dampening demand.

Previously, AtoZSerwisPlus.com reported that as of July 15, Europe cancelled over 15,700 flights scheduled for August. Cirium revealed that Europe accounts for around 60 per cent of flights cancelled all over the world, meaning that the region has been the most affected by staff shortages, strikes, and high demand.

The same source said that Turkish Airlines cancelled the largest number of flights that were scheduled to fly in August. Other airlines that have cancelled a high number of flights are British Airways, easyJet, Lufthansa, and Wizz Air.