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easyJet is a European, low-cost carrier. Since 1995, it has provided affordable flights across the continent. Known for its orange livery, low fares, and no-frills approach, easyJet offers accessibility to a wide range of travelers. That is, when it flies its schedule.
Unfortunately, the airline has announced that it will cut 1,700 flights out of London Gatwick Airport (LGW). This would leave around 180,000 travelers without flights now through September. easyJet says that 95% of affected passengers have been rebooked on alternative flights, but 9,000 travelers have yet to be reaccommodated according to The Independent.
The carrier blames air traffic control delays, which it claims are three times longer than before the pandemic. This mixed with potential ATC strike action, and airspace closures due to the war in Ukraine, has given the airline little choice in keeping its original schedule.
A spokesperson for easyJet stated:
We have therefore made some pre-emptive adjustments to our program, consolidating a small number of flights at Gatwick, where we have multiple daily frequencies, in order to help mitigate these external challenges on the day of travel for our customers. Customers whose flights are affected are being informed, with 95% of customers being rebooked onto an alternative flight and all customers provided with the option to rebook or receive a refund. We are sorry for any inconvenience that this may have caused.”
Even with the cuts, easyJet will still operate over 90,000 flights this summer. Gatwick is a key base for the airline and it operates about half of the airport’s daily flights. The mix of potential issues as well as an unprecedented number of passengers flying will not make it easy for easyJet this summer.
Anthony’s Take: I have not flown easyJet in at least a decade, but can remember hopping around Europe on super-cheap tickets. Hopefully, some of the strike action blows over or is minimized as to not impact too many passengers this summer.
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