BA To Cut Nearly 1,000 Heathrow Flights

British Airways reduced its winter schedule by 966 flights from its London Heathrow hub--roughly 2 percent of its operation--as a proactive measure to avoid flight disruptions. The carrier's flight reductions, which began earlier this week, will average 12 per day into early December. British Airways will operate fewer frequencies to Boston, Los Angeles, Miami, Newark and New York JFK, as well as on certain routes to African, Asian and European destinations. The reduced schedule will be in effect for three months.

British Airways last month was forced to cancel flights from London Heathrow due to employee shortages and technical problems. "We made this decision earlier this month as a precautionary measure to help ensure the robustness of our operation," said BA CEO Rod Eddington. "By slightly reducing our flying program, we improve our ability to react effectively to the technical issues that face all airlines every day." The carrier said it chose to cut specific flights to markets in which it operates alternative frequencies throughout the day.