Australians warned travel chaos will continue
An aviation expert has warned travel chaos “pain” in Australian airports could continue into 2023 as the industry struggles to meet soaring demand after stripping back services during the pandemic.
Flight Centre managing director Graham Turner cautioned travellers to be wary of delays and cancellations until at least the end of the year as airlines contend with inexperienced and ill staff.
“Bear in mind the aviation industry, and you know travel industry generally, has two-and-a-half years when we had to absolutely cut to the bone everything and now building that back up is quite difficult,” he said on Channel 9’s Today show.
Mr Turner admitted the aviation industry was experiencing a “tough period” and asked travellers to exercise “a bit of patience” and noted the chaos was more manageable for domestic travellers despite the chaos.
40 flights between Sydney and Melbourne have been cancelled and hundreds of people were left sitting on planes after a computer outage grounded Qantas planes.
Mr Turner said there would continue to be “pain” for travellers for at least the next couple of months as the industry grapples with staffing issues and the effects of the ongoing pandemic.
He predicts travelling around Australia will be much easier by the end of year when “all of this really settles down”.
“Domestically, it will improve and we predict certainly by October/November, assuming the Omicron does settle down, it will be much better off,” he said.
While the news will surely be welcomed by local travellers, those looking to travel internationally have no reassuring timeline for when the dust will settle.
Sydney’s Kingsford Smith International Airport was recently ranked one of the 10 worst airports in the world for flight delays. Meanwhile, social media has been flooded with angry travellers reporting lost baggage, delayed or cancelled flights and staggering queues.
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