The summer of 2022 is proving to be one of the worst in recent years for those who have to fly. A series of problems, largely caused by the pandemic, lead to serious disruptions at Europe’s airports and the United States, with flights canceled even hours before departure. What are the reasons for all this chaos? And what can travelers do to save their vacation ?
Chaos at airports
You may have read about it in the newspapers, or experienced it if you’ve been on a plane recently. In Europe alone, eleven thousand flights were canceled last month, which created difficulties for hundreds of thousands of travellers. At airports, we encounter difficulties in loading luggage, frequent delays, but above all long queues : in Amsterdam, the average wait before boarding is four hours! This early summer malaise does not bode well: how long will we have to wait in July? How many flights will be canceled in August?
Causes of canceled flights
The air traveler’s odyssey is due to an unfortunate combination of issues that arose during the pandemic. As we all know, the transport sector has been terribly affected by the movement restrictions imposed by the states. Airlines have responded to these losses by leaving less-needed workers, such as ground staff at airports, at home. But with the end of the restrictions, the number of travelers has increased rapidlytaking the airlines by surprise as they suddenly found themselves without enough staff to handle the influx of tourists.
But that’s not all: the remaining employees found themselves working in increasingly exhausting conditions, having to cover the hours of their missing colleagues, which, added to other shortcomings denounced during the pandemic, led to one series of strikes by workers in the sector. Result: flights canceled even a day in advance.
What travelers can do
Are we in the hands of Lady Luck, or can we do something about it ? For those who have already booked a flight, we recommend keep an eye on major newspapers of the country you are visiting, as well as the dates of upcoming strikes. We also recommend that you arrive at the airport well in advance to avoid long queues. Websites and apps such as FlightAware and Flight Radar, which allow you to monitor most commercial flights, are also very useful.
For those who haven’t booked yet, there is an alternative: the bus. France and Europe are full of destinations that can be reached comfortably by coach: the duration of the trip is perhaps a little longer than that of a flight, but without the stress of cancellations and delays. Let’s take a look at some of the possible alternative destinations.
France
Spain
Other European countries
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