By Calls to fine airlines over chaos as disruption could continue into summer
Consumer groups have called for airlines to be fined over delayed or cancelled flights as unions warn that the current chaos could continue into the summer months.
Which? have said that lessons must be learned from the “travel shambles” over the Easter holidays.
Travellers have faced long delays in recent days and weeks, with airlines also cancelling or delaying multiple flights.
Passengers at Manchester Airport have reported waiting over an hour to get through check-in and security checks.
Significant delays have also been seen at baggage reclaim, with some passengers electing to leave their baggage at the airport to be collected at a later date.
Demand for travel is strongly rebounding after the UK’s Covid travel restrictions were lifted last month.
Travellers at Manchester Airport have been following advice to arrive as early as possible following chaotic scenes at the airport in recent weeks.
Ihe Immigration Services Union warned that Border Force was “catastrophically” under-staffed and that it took nearly a year to fully train new officers as the airports blamed staff shortages for the madness.
The Home Office also said travellers may face longer waits than usual over the Easter period stating: “Border Force’s number one priority is to maintain a secure border, and we will not compromise on this.
“We are mobilising additional staff to help minimise queuing times for passengers and will continue to deploy our staff flexibly to manage this demand.”
One aviation recruitment expert said it would take at least 12 months for shortages to settle down.
The Aviation Recruitment Network, which is working with airports including Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and Manchester, said it currently had more than 300 live vacancies – a record for this time of year.
The Unite union has blamed transport companies’ difficulties in hiring new workers on “bargain-basement wages and insecure jobs”.
They warned the sector “not to use the cover of Covid to slash jobs and pay”, adding: “Now the sector is suffering from a chronic inability to attract new staff because workers are not attracted to an industry where pay is poor and conditions are lousy.”
