Travellers planning a trip to Europe should take note that the situation at airports across Europe remains chaotic, with flight delays and cancellations leaving travellers stranded. Luggage issues also persist.

The busiest airports in Europe are cutting back on the number of flights they can handle for the months ahead, which is heavily impacting flight availability. The number of flights cancelled in Europe every week is running into the thousands.

The main reason for the disruption is a lack of experienced and knowledgeable staff. The pandemic forced many in the travel industry to make drastic staff cuts to survive. Hundreds of thousands of aviation, hospitality and tourism workers were laid off, with years of experience and technical expertise removed from the industry.

Although the industry is working hard on resolving the current challenges, Corporate Traveller encourages travellers to:

• Book as far in advance as possible. Not only will that help secure availability but it will also help your company manage travel costs.
• Whenever possible, travel with hand luggage only to avoid luggage mishaps.
• Embrace technology and download SAM to make sure you receive updates at every stage of your travel journey.
• Work closely with your dedicated travel expert.

It will take some time for things in the global travel industry to normalise. Disruptions at airports in Europe and the US are likely to continue. However, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Almost every company in the travel and tourism industry has indicated they are in the process of recruiting new staff. Although this increase in capacity will only have its desired stabilising effect in a few months’ time, the industry is working towards a solution.