Staff infections hit British airlines

LONDON - Severe Covid-19 outbreaks in their workforces cause Easyjet and British Airways to slash their schedules. Easyjet cancelled about 100 connections Monday, including 62 UK departures, according to "BBC". The airlines try to discourage short-term bookings with higher ticket prices.

Citing "high levels of Covid" in its workforce, Easyjet trimmed its flight schedule. Passengers took to social media Monday to complain about flight cancellations at the gates.

The UK is experiencing a surge in Covid-19 infections - one in 13 people, five million Brits in total, had contracted the virus and were infected in the week through March 26, according to official data. The government slashed most of Covid-19 restrictions earlier this year.

The "Independent" newspaper noticed a sudden surge in ticket prices on short-haul routes. The intention seems to be to discourage passengers from booking short-term flights, the paper wrote.