Travellers queue in the departure hall of Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam on 26 May 2022. Photo: AFP/Jeroen Jumelet
Chaos continues to engulf airports across the United Kingdom as the ‘travel bloodbath’ and endless delays result in hundreds of trips being cancelled.
Gatwick, Bristol and Manchester airports are among the worst affected, with Bristol’s terminal labelled a “zoo” by travellers who waited up to eight hours for a flight.
Staffing shortages are largely to blame for the delays and queues. City AM referred to the half-term delays as a ‘travel bloodbath’ and said the chaos is expected to continue this week.
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As reported by The Guardian, the June half-term “traditionally heralds the start of the summer tourist season, and this year comes amid rebounding consumer demand for leisure breaks”.
This is compounded with holiday-goers desperate for a return to normalcy since the UK relaxed its Covid-19 travel restrictions.
Unfortunately, hundreds of passengers missed their flights over the weekend after queueing for hours to pass through airport security.
Manchester Airport said on Sunday it “was aware of the challenges” but reminded passengers that “ground handlers are responsible for their own check-in and baggage handling service”.
Airport management had been in contact with airlines and ground handlers “to understand the cause of these issues and support their efforts to resolve them as quickly as possible.”
Meanwhile, Dublin airport warned passengers on Sunday of “significant queues at the terminal – especially at check-in counters, bag drop, and security.
At the time, approximately 50,000 passengers were waiting to depart from the airport during the day.
At Gatwick, travellers were turned away from passport control and automated gates weren’t working.
“And there are only two immigration staff on duty for this section. Bravo, Gatwick Airport, bravo,” one traveller tweeted.
Passengers passing through Gatwick also reported baggage collection delays.
