June 4. Airlines said on Sunday they are ready to avoid a repeat of last year’s travel chaos, but warned that some flights could still be disrupted by controller strikes and hit out at schemes that force them to pay compensation for unavoidable delays.
«I am reasonably confident that we’ll be able to get through this peak summer without too much disruption,» Willie Walsh, director general of the International Air Transport Association, (IATA) said in an interview on Sunday.
Airline leaders attending IATA’s annual meeting in Istanbul this week remain concerned about air traffic control disruption in Europe and the United States, however.
«But as far as they are concerned, they have fulfilled their obligation to get their resources in place for this summer. Most of the airports I think, will be okay, as well; I think they’ve learned the lessons from last year,».
A faster-than-expected rebound in air travel coupled with labour shortages caused chaos at several airports in Europe and North America last summer and prompted a row between airlines and airports over passenger caps designed to ease the pressure.
Rising numbers of disputes between travellers and airlines globally have led to calls for passenger compensation.
Source: Reuters
