Over 15,700 flights canceled by airlines in European skies for August (about 2% of those expected), short-haul ticket sales suspended for a week by British Airways, strikes announced by Lufthansa. The highlight of the summer holidays promises to be almost as hot for air travelers as the torrid climate that grips the old continent.
The situation has partially improved compared to June and July, when the rapid and unexpected recovery in demand caught most of the carriers and airports unprepared, left short of staff after two years of Covid. However, it remains complex: “It promises to be a hot August and the operators are very worried,” admits Ivana Jelinic, president of Fiavet (the association of travel companies of Confcommercio). Because in the event of flight cancellations or delays, the logistical and economic burden of the resulting disruptions falls on the agencies and tour operators, at least immediately, required by European directive to guarantee assistance and alternative solutions to customers left on the ground.
The impact on new bookings
But the impact of this chaos in air traffic on operators is not limited to the costs and difficulties to be faced immediately. The problem is that this situation seems to have discouraged, in recent weeks, some travelers, at least those who had not yet booked their holidays, who preferred to change their destination or postpone their departure until September. With the risk of jeopardizing the recovery of the tourism sector after the excellent start of the past months.
«Most of the people who have already booked try to leave in any way – explains Jelinic -. But in some cases we find ourselves forced to advise against certain destinations, because the situation is complex. Just this morning I spoke to a client of mine who wanted to take a flight to Poland via Germany: I suggested that if it is not essential to leave right now, it would be better to leave at the end of August. Unfortunately, such situations happen to me and to many colleagues on a daily basis: we are recommending postponing trips that can be postponed or moved forward ». In other cases, those who intended to make a trip abroad preferred to stay in Italy or in any case choose a destination that can be reached by alternative means to the plane.
Normalization expected in September
The hope is that from September things can normalize, both due to the physiological reduction in tourist flows, and because in the meantime airlines and airports should have solved the current bottlenecks. The problem is large, explains Pier Ezhaya, president of Astoi Confindustria Viaggi, which represents tour operators adhering to Federturismo: it concerns not only air carriers, but also airport facilities, with problems at check-in, ramps, security, to parking lots and luggage.