Sales of BA flights could be paused

Following the recent capping of a maximum of 100,000 travellers per day through London’s Heathrow Airport, The Daily Telegraph has reported British Airways may pause sales of its long haul flights for the short-term. This move would follow BA’s recent pause of sales of its short haul flights internally within the UK and also Europe. The pause in short haul flight sales had originally been set to be in place until 8 August; however the suspension has now increased in time until 15 August.

The Telegraph reported on Wednesday that BA was poised to pause sales of long-haul flights to destinations such as New York as the airline battles disruption at Heathrow. It went on to say that a spokesman confirmed that BA could not rule out disruption to long-haul routes out of Heathrow while the cap remained in place. The paper said this may well push up prices and also that people trying to book to places such as New York, Singapore or Dubai might be unable to find seats. A quick review of the BA website shows the direct flight from Grand Cayman via Nassau at around USD2,800 per person for a return journey in August, flying economy.

Thousands of people travelling to and through Heathrow have seen their travel plans disrupted as the air industry gets to grips with staff shortages caused by a slow response to the ending of the Covid restrictions and the impact of Brexit creating staff shortages. This has led to last-minute cancellations, long queues particularly at security, as well as lost or delayed baggage. In July, Heathrow, Britain’s busiest airport, announced that a maximum of 100,000 people per day would be allowed to fly until 11 September in a bid to ease the chaos.

Gatwick Airport, which is Britain’s second busiest airport, has also limited the number of flights that can operate to reduce the pressure.