Whether we see a return to the airport chaos of spring and summer 2022 this holiday season is yet to be seen, but some in the aviation industry are already taking precautionary measures. German carrier Lufthansa has announced that it intends to cancel an enormous 34,000 flights this summer.
Lufthansa says that staff shortages are to blame for the cuts to its summer schedule, though the airline has also been hit by strikes in recent weeks. Last Friday (February 17), a strike at airports in Bremen, Dortmund, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Hanover, Munich and Stuttgart caused Lufthansa to cancel more than 1,300 flights.
However, in many ways it’s better that Lufthansa cancels the flights now rather than closer to the time. After all, this way it’s much easier for travellers to make alternative travel plans.
If you’ve already booked a flight with Lufthansa this summer, keep an eye out for news. The airline has said it will notify any affected customers well in advance so that they can make other arrangements. As for whether other airlines will have difficulties this summer? We asked several travel experts to find out.
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