British Airways cancels 650 flights from UK to other European destinations this July
There's bad news for travelers who were planning on connecting through London to other European destinations this summer. In a move set to affect more than 100,000 passengers, British Airways has cut a further 650 flights from London to destinations throughout Europe that were set to depart next month.
The Gatwick Airport (LGW) and Heathrow Airport (LHR) services will bring the total number of July flights to 7,731, down 652 from the originally planned 8,383.
Previously, the United Kingdom flag carrier had preplanned cuts of up to 10% of its summer schedule, in anticipation of issues.
When we reached out to BA, a spokesperson said: "We took pre-emptive action earlier this year to reduce our summer schedule to provide customers with as much notice as possible about any changes to their travel plans.
"As the entire aviation industry continues to face into the most challenging period in its history, regrettably it has become necessary to make some further reductions. We're in touch with customers to apologize and offer to rebook them or issue a full refund."
Plan ahead: The key dates for when travel is set to be disrupted in Europe this summer
The routes most affected will include flights traveling to the popular Dutch capital Amsterdam and Greek capital Athens, as well as Barcelona, Malaga and Palma in Spain, and Faro in Portugal.
July is shaping up to be a stressful month for those flying with BA, which is also contending with the possibility of strikes. Unite and GMB union members voted overwhelmingly in favor of striking last month with walkouts by around 700 BA check-in and ground staff members at Heathrow currently expected to go ahead in late July or early August.
The ballot ended in late June, but no dates have been announced as yet. Any strikes, of course, could cease to go ahead if the dispute between BA and workers – largely focused on a pandemic pay cut of 10% that unions say has yet to be restored – is resolved.
This cancellation announcement also landed on the same day (June 30) that Heathrow asked airlines to cut 30 flights – meaning there were sudden morning cancellations for BA, Aer Lingus, Air France, American Airlines, KLM, Lufthansa and Virgin Atlantic services, affecting a reported 4,500 passengers.
Related: Your flight is canceled or delayed – here's what you should do next