From now till September 11, you will not be able to purchase a flight ticket out of Heathrow airport. Here's what you can do if you are affected
London’s Heathrow is one of the world’s busiest airports so when it made the decision to ask airlines to stop selling tickets for outbound travel this summer on July 12, one can only imagine the chaos that ensued.
Now that travel restrictions have loosened, many are travelling internationally during the summer holidays, thus resulting in airport staff struggling to cope with the demand and ultimately falling short in carrying out their duties.
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Travellers and media outlets alike are reporting exceptionally long queues, flight delays, lost or extremely delayed baggage and other issues as the airport grapples with staff shortages and strikes.
If you are travelling into or out of London soon, here’s what you need to know about the passenger cap.
1. What is happening at London Heathrow airport now?
Due to extreme staff shortages and strikes, London Heathrow airport has made the decision to limit passenger traffic to just 100,000 departures per day till September 11.
This is because the airport can no longer cope with the surge in passengers after borders reopened and travel resumed.
In an open letter to passengers on July 12, John Holland-Kaye, Heathrow’s CEO said: “Over the past few weeks, as departing passenger numbers have regularly exceeded 100,000 a day, we have started to see periods when service drops to a level that is not acceptable.”
This led them to introduce this temporary measure to minimise further disruption.
2. When does the cap begin?
The cap began on July 12 and will last till at least September 11.