After a summer of increasing travel chaos, British Airways decided to put a pause on sales of short-haul journeys from its base at London Heathrow Airport. The move comes after a summer of steady criticism regarding everything from the queues and mayhem at many British airports to the number of delayed and cancelled flights.
In July 2022, Heathrow announced a controversial cap on the number of flights leaving its runways daily. The announcement stated that the airport would limit passenger traffic to 100,000 departures per day during the peak summer season, and asked airlines to stop selling summer and early autumn plane tickets until 29 October. At the time, Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kaye noted, “We have seen 40 years of passenger growth in just four months. However, over the past few weeks, as departing passenger numbers have regularly exceeded 100,000 a day, we have started to observe unacceptable service levels.”
Currently, British Airways has paused ticket sales for short-haul flights for a couple of weeks. A statement from BA said, “When Heathrow introduced its passenger cap, we took a small number of additional flights from our schedule, and to continue to comply with the cap, we’ve been taking responsible action by limiting sales of all available fares on some of our Heathrow services to ensure more seats are available to rebook customers.”
The suspension is scheduled to last until Monday, 15 August, but could be extended.
Which routes are BA stopping?
The pause covers the sale of tickets on short-haul routes leaving from Heathrow. Short-haul flights are defined as flights less than three hours, encompassing many domestic and European flight paths.
Are more British Airways flights being cancelled?
No further cancellations have been announced as part of this move.
Will the suspension on ticket sales continue?
It’s possible. At the moment, BA states it plans to limit sales “dynamically” after 15 August rather than extending a blanket ban.
How can you minimise the impact on your summer travel plans?
If you’re already booked onto a British Airways short-haul flight from Heathrow this summer, this news shouldn’t affect your plans. Therefore, it is advisable to arrive at the airport at least two hours early to manage potential airport stress and ensure you’ve checked the latest Covid requirements for your destination to avoid any last-minute surprises.
If you have not booked a BA short-haul flight and are planning to travel later in August or September, consider booking a ticket sooner rather than later in case the ban is extended, or explore alternative means of travel such as by train.
