Austrian Airlines' boss warns of price hike for flight tickets
Travellers from Austria face a rise in the cost of flight tickets, Austrian Airlines CEO Annette Mann has warned, as well as travel headaches caused by staff shortages at airports abroad.
Increasing fuel costs will make flight ticket prices more expensive just ahead of the summer holidays, Austrian Airlines boss Annette Mann told Ö1-Morgenjournal on Friday.
She said tickets are expected to rise by "a few euros" for short flights but by €50 to €100 on longer distances. Travellers will continue to see increased ticket prices all throughout 2023 and possibly longer, according to the executive.
However, the airliner is not suffering from a shortage of personnel problems that affected several companies, including its parent company Lufthansa.
READ ALSO: Strikes and queues: How airline passengers in Europe face summer travel chaos
This is due to the short-time work (Kurzarbeit) program in Austria, which provided financial assistance to companies that did not cut jobs during the pandemic.
However, she mentioned that a "summer Covid wave" could affect personnel numbers, given people will need to take sick leave if they get infected. Still, Mann said that Austrian Airlines hired 150 new people as cabin crew to deal with the high demands on air travel.
'We are dependent on other airports'
She did alert that, despite the company having enough personnel, they depend on the situation in other airports. "If there are delays or missing luggage in other airports, we might be affected by that", Mann said.
The statements are in line with what Austrian airport operators have already said, as The Local has reported.
“In Vienna, our partners and ourselves succeeded, particularly through the instrument of short-time work, to keep as many personnel as possible in employment. Unfortunately, however, this is not the case at many other airports we also serve,” explained Austria Airlines spokeswoman Sophie Matkovits.
READ ALSO: Airport chaos in Europe: What are your rights if flights are delayed or cancelled?
Even though airports and Austrian airlines are fully operational, they are not solely responsible for the flights. Furthermore, the companies stress that local operators can’t influence the situation at other airport locations.
Vienna Airport recommends checking the flight status and planning more time than usual for departure on intense travel days.
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Increasing fuel costs will make flight ticket prices more expensive just ahead of the summer holidays, Austrian Airlines boss Annette Mann told Ö1-Morgenjournal on Friday.
She said tickets are expected to rise by "a few euros" for short flights but by €50 to €100 on longer distances. Travellers will continue to see increased ticket prices all throughout 2023 and possibly longer, according to the executive.
However, the airliner is not suffering from a shortage of personnel problems that affected several companies, including its parent company Lufthansa.
READ ALSO: Strikes and queues: How airline passengers in Europe face summer travel chaos
This is due to the short-time work (Kurzarbeit) program in Austria, which provided financial assistance to companies that did not cut jobs during the pandemic.
However, she mentioned that a "summer Covid wave" could affect personnel numbers, given people will need to take sick leave if they get infected. Still, Mann said that Austrian Airlines hired 150 new people as cabin crew to deal with the high demands on air travel.
'We are dependent on other airports'
She did alert that, despite the company having enough personnel, they depend on the situation in other airports. "If there are delays or missing luggage in other airports, we might be affected by that", Mann said.
The statements are in line with what Austrian airport operators have already said, as The Local has reported.
“In Vienna, our partners and ourselves succeeded, particularly through the instrument of short-time work, to keep as many personnel as possible in employment. Unfortunately, however, this is not the case at many other airports we also serve,” explained Austria Airlines spokeswoman Sophie Matkovits.
READ ALSO: Airport chaos in Europe: What are your rights if flights are delayed or cancelled?
Even though airports and Austrian airlines are fully operational, they are not solely responsible for the flights. Furthermore, the companies stress that local operators can’t influence the situation at other airport locations.
Vienna Airport recommends checking the flight status and planning more time than usual for departure on intense travel days.
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