Blackley and Broughton MP Graham Stringer challenged management at Manchester airport to “catch or get out” after airline passengers faced huge queues on Monday. It was the third consecutive day that the airport – the third busiest in the United Kingdom – had significant delays.
There have also been reports of travel chaos at Heathrow and Gatwick airports, as well as long delays in Dover and a train blockage in the Channel Tunnel.
EasyJet said it canceled about 60 flights to and from the United Kingdom on Tuesday, after canceling 62 flights on Monday due to heavy staff absences. British Airways also scheduled a total of 62 flights on Monday.
This follows a week of mass unrest with more than 1,100 flights being canceled across the UK.
In the week to April 3, a total of 1,143 flights to and from the United Kingdom were canceled compared to just 197 flights canceled in the same week in 2019.
The latest figures show that British Airways canceled 662 flights, while easyJet canceled 357 last week, according to data from Cirium, which conducts aviation analysis.
However, some of these figures are based on historical cancellations and flights were excluded months ago, with airlines claiming to account for a small percentage of their total flights.
Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, Mr Stringer, a former Manchester City board chairman and chairman of the airport board, said: “Covid has made life difficult for everyone in the airline industry.
“The way to respond to this is with good employment procedures and not with cuts, with efficient use of fire and re-employment.
“The airport needs to be refurbished and paid above the market rate to stabilize the situation and give confidence to employees and the traveling public.”
Hundreds of passengers lined up at Manchester Airport on Monday – the first day of the Easter holidays
Passengers also reported chaos as they tried to pick up their luggage at UK airports
Blackley and Broughton MP Graham Stringer challenged management at Manchester airport to “catch or get out” after airline passengers faced huge queues on Monday.
On Monday, the managers of Manchester airport apologized for “delays” after long delays at the weekend.
Meanwhile, photos showed long queues at Heathrow, with airport bosses blaming a huge increase in passenger numbers. Heathrow officials say the number of passengers has now reached pre-pandemic levels, with Saturday being the first school holiday since the pandemic began, with no travel restrictions in England.
The bosses at Gatwick also said that the number of passengers was returning to 2019 levels at Sussex Airport and that while there were some queues for check-in, it was generally “coping well” with the increase in traffic.
In addition to high passenger numbers, experts have also warned that travel companies are facing a staff crisis, as thousands are said to have left the industry in recent months.
A travel expert estimated that there were “probably more resignations in the last three months” than during the Covid crisis because the staff was “worn out”. Another warning shutdown at airports such as Manchester could last for “months”, with companies having to train new staff to cope with rising demand after Covid.
The bosses of the company behind Manchester Airport, which belongs to the same group as Stansted and East Midlands airports, said it had seen a 1,300% increase in passenger numbers in February – compared to the previous year when the country was in lockdown.
Photographs taken at Manchester Airport on Monday showed long lines of people trying to cross the border into safety. Passengers also complained about the lack of organization at check-in, as well as long queues at check-in. In a Twitter post, a frustrated traveler described an airport queue as an attempt to set a world record for “the slowest, longest conga line in the world.”
And in Birmingham, passengers said the situation was “hell” for holidaymakers, with one passenger claiming to have been stuck on a plane for three hours without moving.
To add to the travel chaos, the economical airline easyJet canceled up to 100 flights due to staff shortages due to Covid. As of Friday, the airline has completed at least 222 flights.
BA also canceled at least 115 flights to and from Heathrow Airport on Monday, although only five were believed to be last-minute cancellations caused by coronavirus-related staff shortages – meaning passengers would have been notified much earlier. for cancellation.
The total includes some flights that were canceled due to the airline’s decision last week to reduce its schedule until the end of May to boost reliability, as well as flights that were suspended for several months due to the pandemic, such as those with several Asian destinations.
According to MailOnline analysis, at least five NE flights to European destinations, including Paris, Marseille and Oslo, were canceled from Heathrow Terminal 5 on Monday.
It comes after West London airport faced its own chaos last week, after a major collapse of BA IT forced the airline to cancel or delay hundreds of flights. BA, meanwhile, has been accused of raising prices to “postpone” customers, with return flights to some European destinations costing up to £ 1,000.
Away from airports, drivers hoping to cross the English Channel did a little better on Monday, with a two-hour wait to get to Dover Harbor. Blocked traffic around Dover, bad weather in the English Channel and the suspension of P&O services caused delays of up to nine hours in the port of Kent over the weekend.
Meanwhile, Eurotunnel services were delayed by up to three hours due to a train that stopped in the Channel Tunnel. The Eurostar passenger service, which uses the same tunnel, also reported delays in its services, according to its website.
The disruption of the airport, meanwhile, has been blamed on staff shortages imposed by Covid, with Manchester Airport on Sunday saying it was exploring the possibility of attracting short-term staff to help bring chaos under control.
Although all restrictions on Covid – as well as testing and self-isolation requirements – have been lifted in the UK, up to 4.9 million people are believed to be infected with the virus, according to the UK’s largest Covid surveillance program.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimates that more than 4.1 million people had the virus each day during the week through March 26, equivalent to one in 13 infected.
Airline passengers report huge queues at Manchester airport – the third busiest in the UK – for the third day in a row
Less than 24 hours after Manchester Airport bosses apologized for “delays” after long delays at the weekend, airline passengers again faced huge queues on Monday
Monday was the third consecutive day that Manchester Airport – the third busiest in the United Kingdom – had significant delays, following long queues and chaos at departures at the weekend
The photos showed large queues of people queuing for safety on Monday, while passengers mourned the lack of organization at ticket gates.
Passengers said they encountered “absolute chaos” at Manchester airport on Monday morning, with long queues at safety (photo)
Passengers posted videos on social media with huge long queues at Manchester airport. A spokesman for Manchester Airport acknowledged that the service was inadequate and said on Sunday: “We apologize to passengers whose experience at Manchester Airport was below standard. “As we recover from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, our entire industry is facing staff shortages and recruitment challenges. As a result, we advise customers that safety queues may be longer than usual and encourage them to arrive as soon as possible as suggested by their airline.
There have also been reports of unrest at Heathrow Airport, which last week faced its own chaos following a major collapse of BA IT. Pictured: Queues at Heathrow Terminal 2 on Monday morning
Delays were also reported at Gatwick Airport on Monday morning. In the photo here was a queue for a departure area at Sussex Airport
Drivers, meanwhile, reported two hours of waiting for Dover Harbor (photo: Queues at the M20 in Maidstone). Blocked traffic around Dover, bad conditions in the English Channel and the suspension of P&O services caused delays of up to nine hours in the port of Kent over the weekend
Passengers said they faced “absolute chaos” at Manchester airport on Monday, with long queues at safety.
A passenger, sharing a photo of the queues, said: “5.30 p.m. and complete chaos at Manchester airport. No organization! Many flights are missing “.
Another, sharing a video, said: “Manchester Airport. This is the current safety line at Terminal 2 this morning. What happens?’.
Linn Glotta-Bogerud arrived five hours early for her flight to Norway, but managed to avoid the worst queues.
EasyJet cancels more than 220 flights due to Covid staff shortages to leave some passengers stranded at the airport
EasyJet has canceled more than 220 flights, blaming the interruption on high levels of staff illness due to Covid. At least 222 flights have been canceled since Friday, including 62 scheduled for Monday alone, most of which were canceled shortly on Saturday. Covid infection rates are some of the highest since the onset of the pandemic. An EasyJet spokesman said: “As a result of the current high rates of Covid infections across Europe, like all businesses, EasyJet is experiencing higher-than-usual levels of employee illness. “We have taken steps to mitigate this through the ranking of an additional waiting crew this weekend, however, with the current levels …
