Flight cancellations, delays expected as school holiday demand peaks

With all states on school holidays starting tomorrow, people traveling to see relatives or fleeing to warmer climates can expect to see delays at airports.

Key points:

• Adelaide Airport is expected to pass 30,000 people today
• Travelers are advised to arrive two hours before domestic flights and three hours before international flights
• Dozens of flights have been canceled due to weather disturbances and staff shortages

Today is expected to be the busiest day at some airports since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, with school holidays starting in South Australia and Tasmania — and ending in Queensland and Victoria.

NSW is in the middle of its school holidays.

At Adelaide Airport, 30,000 people are expected to pass through the terminal today, which is busier than before the pandemic and higher than previous peaks over Easter.

The airport’s managing director, Brenton Cox, said Monday and Thursday are also expected to be busy, peaking on July 22 – the last Friday of the South Australian school holiday.

“There are seven days over the next three weeks where we will be approaching 30,000 people per day, which is busier than it was before the pandemic and busier than Easter, where our busiest day was 26,000,” Cox said.

The airport recommends that travelers arrive two hours before domestic flights and three hours before international flights.

Cancellation at Melbourne Airport yesterday.(ABC News)

Dozens of flights canceled this week

Thirteen flights in and out of Adelaide Airport were canceled on Wednesday and then nine yesterday.

More than a dozen flights were also canceled at Melbourne Airport on Thursday, including due to weather disruptions for passengers bound for flood-hit NSW.

Flight delays and cancellations were reported in Brisbane, Sydney and Perth.

Adelaide travel agent Phil Hoffmann said his company advised customers to be “patient” and expect changes to flight times.

He said today “will be a test”.

People have reported waiting more than an hour for bags to arrive after their flights have landed.(ABC News: Sally Eeles)

Most airlines will try to put passengers on the next available flight rather than offering refunds, he said.

“It happened – we didn’t have much control over it,” Hoffmann said.

“We can only say to people, ‘Be patient about it.’ Hopefully they can get on the next flight.”

However, he said some people were put on flights up to six hours later than originally intended, and some flights were only announced as canceled 10 minutes before their scheduled departure.

“Things can change, cancellations happen, which I often find annoying because it happens so close to departure,” he said.

“Surely they knew well beforehand.”

Airlines say demand is higher than ever

Virgin Australia said the number of travelers flying this school holiday was 15 per cent more than 2019 levels and “much higher” than during the Easter holidays.

“Airports and airlines globally are experiencing huge demand as travelers return to the skies as pandemic restrictions ease,” a company spokesperson said.

Virgin Australia customers can get a refund or travel credit if a suitable flight is not available to replace the flight they booked.

Passengers whose flights are delayed overnight can receive $220 for hotel accommodation, $50 for meals and a refund for airport transfer fees and “reasonable personal effects”.

Flight delays have affected all airlines, including those serving regional destinations.(ABC News)

The number of staff is also a problem

South SA/NT Transportation Workers Union Secretary Ian Smith blamed flight cancellations on staff shortages stemming from airlines that laid off thousands of workers at the start of the pandemic.

He said staff numbers were still far below the initial 2020 numbers and many workers were contractors not hired directly by airlines.

Secretary of the SA/NT Transportation Workers Union Ian Smith.(ABC News)

“They’re security filters, plane cleaners – all that kind of stuff – and these people have an impact on whether planes take off,” he said.

“Pilots themselves and cabin crew have a limit on working hours, and if the plane is late leaving [or] arrived late, did not get off the ground because the luggage was wrong.

“You get pilots at the end of the day out and they don’t replace them and I don’t believe the airline has hired enough people to do that.

“And people don’t want to work for airlines – we even have pilots who we believe have left the industry completely.”

He said it was “obvious” problems would arise after the trip back to the previous level.

“Qantas itself can improve baggage handling by rehiring 1,600 or 2,000 workers they illegally fired,” he said.

“There are a lot of them who want to come back and work for Qantas.”

Mr Hoffmann said the travel industry in general found it difficult to get workers due to job insecurity.

“We’ve noticed in our industry as well that I can put 15 to 20 new senior consultants tomorrow, but we can’t get them,” he said.

“They don’t want to go back to an industry that was badly shaken by COVID.”

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