Once again, KLM Airlines is canceling flights at Schiphol airport due to staff shortages. Since January, the airline has been canceling flights because of lack of staff, COVID-related sickness or absenteeism.
The cancellations keep rolling in at Schiphol
This weekend KLM Airlines has continued frustrating its passengers with more than 50 flights canceled at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS). Thankfully the disruption is not as bad as earlier this month when sudden cancelations left thousands stranded or told not to go to the airport. While a strike by baggage handlers initially contributed to that chaos, the following weekend staff shortages were blamed for the continuing disruptions. At the end of April, Schiphol wrote to airlines and asked them to cancel flights from 2-8 May. At the time Schiphol told Simple Flying:
“It’s a busy May holiday period. Due to the increasing numbers of passengers and the shortage of staff, passengers at Schiphol are faced with longer than usual waiting times. In recent days, this has led to very busy situations at the airport. Schiphol has therefore asked airlines to reduce the number of local departing passengers this weekend by canceling bookings and not accepting new bookings from Schiphol in the period 2 to 8 May. This is an annoying but necessary measure to reduce the number of passengers, to manage the crowds together with our partners. Schiphol advises passengers to contact their airline for questions about their flight.”
Schiphol has a grading system on its website to give passengers an idea of crowding pressures at the airport. The conditions are assessed as normal, busy or peak, and while it may be helpful, will it change anything or prevent cancellations?
Amsterdam Schiphol Airport has a pressure gauge on its website to warn passengers of crowding at the airport. Data: Schiphol Airport
As May draws to a close and the busy summer peak looms large, how will Schiphol, and many other airports, cope as it gets busier on a regular basis? From the moment COVID restrictions started to ease, it has been evident that the pent-up demand for air travel is enormous. Airport chaos has made headlines in the UK, Europe, the US and Australia, and while the Qantas CEO blamed it on passengers not being ‘match-fit,’ the usual reaction is staff shortages and COVID-related absenteeism.
It’s time for solutions, not more excuses
KLM needs to address capacity issues at Schiphol airport before the summer peak arrives. Photo: Getty Images
Those factors are relevant, but why are they not being solved? If airports find it impossible to recruit and train enough staff to operate efficiently, then airlines need to reduce capacity from their schedules. An airport’s capacity is driven by how many flights it can handle, not by trying to cram in as many people as the airlines have booked. To passengers, bookings are promises that need to be kept and not just canceled at the last minute because demand and supply are out of balance.
KLM has around 180 aircraft at its disposal, so it has the hardware to move all its passengers, assuming it matches bookings with staffing availability. Airports need to make honest assessments of what they can deliver in the next few months, and airlines need to match that to the promises they are making to passengers. When will they learn that it’s better if a customer can’t make a booking than to make one and have their flight canceled?
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