Tuesday 2 August 2022 02:09 PM BA ramps up ticket prices by more than TENFOLD trends now

Tuesday 2 August 2022 02:09 PM BA ramps up ticket prices by more than TENFOLD trends now
Tuesday 2 August 2022 02:09 PM BA ramps up ticket prices by more than TENFOLD trends now

Tuesday 2 August 2022 02:09 PM BA ramps up ticket prices by more than TENFOLD trends now

British Airways' halt on sales of short-haul flights from Heathrow Airport could last for the rest of the summer, experts warned today, as the airline ramped up its prices more than tenfold amid a scramble for tickets. 

Sales on BA's domestic and European routes and via Morocco and Cairo have been suspended up to and including August 8. 

The airline said it was the 'responsible' thing to do amid 'ongoing challenges facing the entire aviation industry'. It is hoping to re-start sales next Tuesday.

But last night aviation experts said it was 'very possible' that ticket sales would have to be limited for the rest of summer, including the August bank holiday. 

'I've never seen anything like this before,' one senior aviation source told The Times. 

Meanwhile, the cost of remaining BA flights has soared, with a flight from Heathrow to Amsterdam on August 27 costing £511 compared to just £44 in June. 

Others included London City to Nice on August 8 (£662 from £99); Gatwick to Marrakesh on August 5 (£575 from £184); London City to Berlin on August 7 (£789 from £142); Heathrow to Barcelona on August 13 (£543 from £236); and Heathrow to Athens on August 27 (£691 from £218). 

Paul Charles, from the PC Agency, told MailOnline: 'What's happening is that prices are going up due to demand. A lot of people are still researching and buying tickets, and that is pushing up the price of remaining tickets. BA is yield managing as they always have done.' 

But Simon Calder, travel correspondent of The Independent, suggested the dramatic price rises could be an attempt to put people off from booking. 

'There is a tradition of airlines inflating air fares to absurd levels in a bid to stop people booking,' he told MailOnline.  

The cost of British Airways flights has soared after the airline announced it would stop selling tickets for short-haul flights from Heathrow

The cost of British Airways flights has soared after the airline announced it would stop selling tickets for short-haul flights from Heathrow 

'For example 24 hours before the collapse of Monarch in 2019, when presumably the top management and Civil Aviation Authority realised it was game over for the airline, all fares were increased by around £400 in the hope that no new customers would book and add to the scale of the problem.

'British Airways is certainly not in financial trouble, but across a wide range of flights BA wants to keep seats open in case of cancellation or – more likely – missed connections.

'My understanding is that it cannot simply close flights to further sale without messing up the ability of travel agents to amend bookings. So instead it prices flights at levels only the foolish or desperate would pay. 

'Then, when an arrival from Naples is over an hour late, as mine was last week, and connections are missed, some space is still available on other airlines.

'In a perfect world, from the airlines' perspective, fares would be pitched at levels that are high but not punitive: carriers such as BA earn a fortune from late bookings.

'But right now aviation in the UK is in such a mess that it's more about damage limitation – reducing the likelihood of having to pay out a fortune for disruption and getting on the wrong side of Heathrow.'

BA has cancelled more than 30,000 flights over the summer and axed more after Heathrow last month brought in a daily departing passenger cap of 100,000. It means customers are entitled to being re-booked on to alternative services if their original flight was cancelled, and the move is to ensure there are enough seats to accommodate those affected.

Those who can't be re-booked on to a BA service will be entitled to being given a seat on a rival carrier at great cost to the airline.

It comes after Heathrow boss John Holland-Kaye warned curbs on holiday flights from the UK and European airports could continue until next summer.

Mr Holland-Kaye told the Mail: 'We've seen no change in airline behaviour towards ground handling and unless something changes radically we're going to be in the same situation in six months' time or maybe even 12 months.' 

Overhead views show another busy day at Heathrow airport as passengers continue to face lengthy delays at Terminal 2

Overhead views show another busy day at Heathrow airport as passengers continue to face lengthy delays at Terminal 2 

Heathrow boss John Holland-Kaye warned curbs on holiday flights from the UK and European airports could continue until next summer

Heathrow boss John Holland-Kaye warned curbs on holiday flights from the UK and European airports could continue until next summer

BA said in a statement: 'As a result of Heathrow's request to limit new bookings, we've decided to take responsible action and limit the available fares on some Heathrow services to help maximise rebooking options for existing customers, given the restrictions imposed on us and the ongoing challenges facing the entire aviation industry.' 

The airport's cap disproportionately affects BA as it is the largest airline at Heathrow. 

BA's decision to suspend sales will affect the whole industry, pushing up prices on rival carriers. 

But it will help to stabilise the carrier's operations and reduce the risk of disruption caused by overbooking.  

BA's suspension of ticket sales for short-haul ticket flights comes as passengers were filmed crawling through hatches in the baggage reclaim area at Manchester Airport, after they lost patience with hours of delays and 'chaos.'

An undercover reporter working at Manchester Airport as a baggage handler for Swissport was told that travellers trying to get air-side to reach their bags 'happens all the time.' 

They added that it causes 'fights' and branded the

read more from dailymail.....

PREV Just skin and bone: The starving Gaza toddlers kept in incubators as UN human ... trends now
NEXT In news vacuum, rumours and concern swirl over Catherine mogaznewsen