International passengers walk through the arrivals area of Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport on November 26, 2021 in London, England.
Leon Neal | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Airlines want people to take a European vacation this summer — as long as they’re not their employees.
Carriers are discouraging their employees from using their employees’ privileges to fly to and from some of Europe’s largest airports, warning that getting a seat at home will be difficult.
The moves come as airport labor shortages and industrial strikes make summer travel in Europe difficult, just as airlines had hoped to cash in on higher bookings after the Covid pandemic stagnated for more than two years.
American Airlines has banned employees from using their flight benefits for personal travel only from London Heathrow Airport until “at least” on September 3. 11 It has temporarily banned the use of these concessions from Amsterdam, until July 31. United Airlines has banned the use of Buddy Passes – highly discounted flights for friends and family – on flights through London Heathrow Airport until at least the end of August.
A United spokesperson said it was also telling employees about the challenges of traveling abroad this summer and to prioritize customers.
Those decisions came after Britain’s busiest airport capped departing passengers in a bid to ease congestion this summer.
Free and highly discounted tickets are a selling point for airlines as they seek to increase staff to counter a jump in bookings. But carriers also want to fill as many seats as possible with paying customers. Using these employee travel privileges as a so-called non-routed or non-returning passenger means flying at the ready, compared to the assured space of the paying passenger.
While getting a free or discounted seat is often a gamble during peak periods, this summer is proving particularly tough for airline employees dreaming of a cheap European vacation.
“Many European airports are experiencing overcrowding, significant delays, and maximum passenger ceilings, significantly limiting the availability of non-express departure flights,” American Airlines said in a letter to employees on August 1. 5.
The letter said only “a handful” of travelers who tried to use Friend Passes recently were accommodated for flights back to the US, and that those trying to use the passes are likely to be stuck in Europe for a long time.
The pressures at some European airports may continue after the peak summer travel season. Earlier this month, the Amsterdam Schiphol said it would cap passenger departures in October.
“The purpose of setting a cap is to ensure the safety of passengers and staff and to create a reliable operation at the airport,” the airport said in a statement.
The issues are not limited to Europe only. JetBlue Airways has halted standby passport travel, including for employees, between New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and Guayaquil’s Jose Joaquin De Olmedo due to “heavy bags and flights” at the Ecuadorean airport, according to an employee note seen by CNBC.
Correction: American Airlines prevented employees from using their flight benefits for personal travel only from London Heathrow Airport until “at least” on 9/11. 11. A previous version erred in the terms of the pause.