EasyJet warning over more flight cancellations in coming days - how to check yours

Holidaymakers have been warned to expect more flight cancellations as staff shortages continue. More than 1,000 UK flights have been axed in recent days due to crews being off sick amid a rise in coronavirus cases.

Industry experts also said airlines and airports are struggling because of the number of job cuts made during the pandemic. Aviation data firm Cirium said 1,143 UK flights were cancelled last week, compared with just 197 during the same period in 2019.

The vast majority of last week’s cancellations were by easyJet and British Airways. The rate of staff absences at easyJet is around double normal levels. Some 60 of its flights scheduled for Tuesday (5 April) were cancelled.

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A spokeswoman for the airline said: “EasyJet will operate the vast majority of its 1,525 flights today with a small proportion cancelled in advance to give customers the ability to rebook on to alternative flights. We are sorry for any inconvenience for affected customers.”

After cancelling 62 flights due to operate on Monday, the London-based carrier warned it expects to make “similar levels of pre-emptive cancellations over the coming days, due to the ongoing high level of sickness”.

Passengers at Heathrow, Manchester and Birmingham airports have also reported long queues in recent days. The disruption is affecting many families heading abroad for the school Easter holiday, which is the first since the UK’s coronavirus restrictions for international travellers were dropped.

Paul Charles, chief executive of travel consultancy The PC Agency, said: “This is a staggering level of flight cancellations