bmi to operate ghost flights from Heathrow
16.07.08
bmi has admitted that it will fly almost-empty planes out of Heathrow this winter, in a bid to retain its coveted airport slots. The airline told The Times that rather than cancel flights as the credit crunch and high fuel costs deplete passenger numbers, it will operate 'ghost flights' - short-haul trips with only a handful of passengers.
The airline’s deputy chief executive Tim Bye told the paper that he would prefer to cancel the uneconomic flights, usually those in the middle of the day from London to the North of England and Scotland, but that he had to fly that service four fifths of the time under the 'use it or lose it' slot rules at Heathrow.
'Senior industry figures' predicted that other airlines will cancel domestic flights from Heathrow at short notice, and gave warning of chaos ahead for business travellers, the newspaper adds. Rather than withdrawing from uneconomic routes, the tactic of cancelling individual flights is another way of retaining landing slots.
Green campaigners have called the practice 'environmental vandalism' but industry insiders say near-empty flights are not unusual, and that other airlines will be forced to make similar management decisions this winter.
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