Travellers flying between the UK and South Africa may face knock-on delays as airlines work through widespread disruption.
UK flight cancellations have disrupted hundreds of services across Britain, leaving South Africans travelling between the UK and home facing possible delays, missed connections and fewer rebooking options.
More than 400 flights were cancelled across the UK on Tuesday, 8 September, after a technical problem affected the flight-processing system operated by National Air Traffic Services (NATS).
London Heathrow, the main UK airport for direct flights to South Africa, recorded about 100 cancellations as airlines worked to restore their schedules.
NATS fixed the technical problem, but airlines continued dealing with delayed aircraft, disrupted crews and passengers who needed alternative flights.
For South Africans in the UK, the disruption matters because only a handful of nonstop flights connect London with Johannesburg and Cape Town each day.
London currently has about four scheduled nonstop departures to South Africa on a typical day.
Three serve Johannesburg from Heathrow.
British Airways operates BA55 and BA57 to OR Tambo International Airport, while Virgin Atlantic operates VS449.
British Airways also operates BA59 from Heathrow to Cape Town.
That gives travellers roughly 28 nonstop London-South Africa departures during a normal week at this time of year, before airlines add seasonal services.
Norse Atlantic will also resume its Gatwick-Cape Town service from 9 September.
Airlines will add further capacity as South Africa enters its summer travel season.
Virgin Atlantic plans to increase its schedule from late October, with up to 10 Johannesburg flights and 11 Cape Town flights a week during the peak period.
A cancellation elsewhere in the UK does not automatically affect a Johannesburg or Cape Town flight.
But large-scale disruption can spread quickly.
Late aircraft can miss their next departure slots, crews can reach their permitted working-hour limits and airlines may need to move passengers from cancelled flights onto later services.
That can create problems for South African travellers because airlines operate fewer nonstop flights to Johannesburg and Cape Town than they do to many European destinations.
If an airline cancels one South Africa-bound service, passengers may have to wait for seats on the next available direct flight.
Airlines can also reroute travellers through international hubs such as Dubai, Doha, Amsterdam, Frankfurt or Addis Ababa.
Passengers travelling to Heathrow from other UK cities also face disruption.
A delayed or cancelled flight from Manchester, Edinburgh or another regional airport could cause a passenger to miss the long-haul connection to South Africa.
Travellers who booked separate tickets face more risk because the airline operating the South Africa flight may not have to rebook them after a missed connection.
Passengers should check every flight on their itinerary before travelling to the airport.
There was no blanket cancellation of flights between Heathrow and South Africa on Tuesday evening.
British Airways BA57 to Johannesburg, Virgin Atlantic VS449 to Johannesburg and British Airways BA59 to Cape Town remained scheduled when flight information was checked on 8 September.
Airlines can still change schedules at short notice while they clear the backlog.
Passengers should therefore check their flight status directly with their airline before leaving for the airport.
Passengers departing from UK airports have rights under UK passenger protection rules.
If an airline cancels a covered flight, it must offer passengers either a refund or alternative travel to their destination.
Passengers who still want to travel can ask the airline to place them on another suitable flight at the earliest opportunity.
Airlines must also provide reasonable assistance where applicable, including meals, refreshments and accommodation if passengers need to stay overnight.
Travellers who pay reasonable expenses themselves should keep their receipts.
Cash compensation works differently.
Air traffic control failures can qualify as extraordinary circumstances because they sit outside an airline’s control.
Passengers may therefore not qualify for fixed cash compensation in some cases.
However, airlines must still meet their obligations around refunds, rerouting and passenger care.
The disruption comes just before airlines increase capacity between the UK and South Africa for the summer travel season.
Virgin Atlantic will add Johannesburg and Cape Town frequencies from late October, while Norse Atlantic returns to the Gatwick-Cape Town route this month.
The extra services will give travellers more options ahead of the busy December period.
For passengers flying now, however, UK flight cancellations can quickly reduce the number of available seats on South Africa-bound services.
South Africans travelling between Britain and home should check their airline’s latest flight status before heading to the airport.
This is a developing story.
Source: The South African
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