U.K. airlines face staff shortages in post-mask COVID-19 era

Airlines in the U.K. are canceling hundreds of flights after they removed mask requirements for staff and passengers while traveling, reported CBS News.

Masks have not been required by EasyJet since March 27, a move that was made after the U.K. removed all travel restrictions in March.

“Following the removal of mandatory mask wearing in a number of countries, we have reviewed our mask policy onboard and have taken the decision that, from 27 March 2022, on flights where masks are no longer legally required at both ends of the route, we will not mandate customers and crew to wear masks onboard the flight,” the airline said in a statement.

Since the removal of the measure, EasyJet has had to cancel a significant amount of flights. From March 28 to April 3, the airline canceled 3,517 flights, compared to zero cancelled flights during the same period in 2019.  

According to a spokesperson for EasyJet, the increase in flight cancellations is due to “higher than usual staff sickness levels.”

"As a result, we have made pre-emptive cancellations so customers can be notified in advance of travel and are able to move easily onto alternative flights," the airline said.

Similarly, the U.K. has seen high rates of airline and airport staff absences due to Covid 19, reported Reuters. British Airways has also canceled 662 flights on Sunday alone, aviation analytics firm Cirum reported.

"It's ironic that the very desire to get people booking again, post-pandemic, is causing more difficult transport issues than those created by COVID itself," said Paul Charles, the travel consultancy The PC Agency.

Despite the staffing shortage numbers seen in the U.K., U.S.-based airlines are also re-evaluating the effectiveness of mask mandates at airports and on airplanes. 

On March 23, the C.E.O’s of leading U.S. airlines sent a letter to the Biden administration asking for the lifting of the federal mask requirement while in the air.

“Now is the time for the Administration to sunset federal transportation travel restrictions – including the international predeparture testing requirement and the federal mask mandate – that are no longer aligned with the realities of the current epidemiological environment,” said the letter.