and airlines decide which flights to take out of their schedule. The process of cancelling flights in advance is similar
Heathrow: Why cancel flights in advance? •
As part of the Heathrow Winter Resilience Enquiry in 2011, new procedures were agreed to help keep the airport moving during disruption.
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The aim is to better match demand to the reduced capacity available during disruption.
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The procedures allow airlines to develop a revised flight schedule which introduces slack into the system, improves resilience and can be communicated clearly, consistently and in advance to passengers.
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The decision to revise the flight schedule is based on the impact severe weather has on airport capacity. Heathrow’s on-site Met Office forecaster advises on the expected weather and air traffic control then advises what impact this will have on runway capacity. After a discussion between Heathrow and the airlines the schedule is then reduced to reflect this advice and airlines decide which flights to take out of their schedule. The process of cancelling flights in advance is similar to that used by many leading airports across the world as a way to allow passengers to make better informed decisions about their travel arrangements before arriving at the airport.
THE PROCESS 1
Met office advises on weather forecast
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Airlines decide which flights should be removed from the schedule
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Where possible, airlines rebook passengers onto other flights that have spare seats
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NATS advises on the impact weather is likely to have on runway capacity
WHY DOES THIS HAPPEN? Heathrow is the world’s busiest 2 runway airport and is effectively full. This means that flights affected by disruption can’t be moved to later in the day because there are no gaps in the schedule. Severe weather will always reduce capacity and cause delays or cancellations. Cancelling flights in advance introduces space into the schedule and aims to reduce disruption for passengers.
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Heathrow discusses with airlines and agree flight reductions
Passengers can check the status of their flight for the next day and avoid unnecessary travel to the airport
THE BENEFITS HOTEL
Airlines can rebook passengers onto un-allocated seats on other flights, significantly reducing the number of passengers that cannot travel that day and making it more likely that passengers can still reach their destination on the same day.
Passengers get clear information in advance about the status of their flight so they can rebook from the relative comfort of their home or their hotel.
Significantly fewer flights are cancelled at short notice, reducing the chances of people staying at terminals overnight.
