BA could extend seat sales ban by a month

BRITISH Airways could extend its ban on seat sales to UK and European hotspots from Heathrow by a month.

The move could herald weeks of inflated fares.

The airline said yesterday that it will pause selling shorthaul tickets from Britain’s biggest airport until August 15. But the flagship carrier is keeping the situation under review until September 11, meaning it could drag on until then.

The move, implemented over the weekend, was to last until Monday – but BA said it was forced to extend it by at least another week due to a cap on departing passenger numbers of 100,000, introduced by Heathrow last month. It threatens to drive up fares from other airports and with rival carriers.

The cost of departing flights on some routes during the first weekend of the school summer holidays had already more than tripled compared to pre-summer as seat numbers dried up. Yesterday the cheapest ticket with BA from London City Airport to Edinburgh on Sunday was £426 for a 75-minute flight.

Flybe, typically one of the cheaper carriers, was selling its Heathrow to Belfast City flights departing today for £300.

BA’s move is a bid to free up enough seats to rebook passengers whose flights have been axed in recent weeks.

It is the latest blow amid the chaos gripping the aviation industry as it continues to struggle with staff shortages.

The carrier has axed around 30,000 flights this summer and easyJet has slashed more than 10,000. Passengers can still book outbound flights with BA from Gatwick and London City airports.

Guy Hobbs, Editor of Which? Travel, said: ‘ With further ticket sale suspensions possible, people should consider booking as early as possible to avoid last-minute disappointment and inflated fares.’

A BA spokesman said the firm wanted to ‘give customers certainty’ about travel plans.