Passengers expecting delays at UK airports this Easter holiday are taking extra precautions, including arriving early, and some even staying in nearby hotels the night before they fly.
Sallyanne decided to stay in a hotel near Heathrow with her family the night before her daughter's 21st birthday in order to save money. You can switch on and off the thousands of staff at the airport.
After the lifting of Covid travel restrictions, airports are expecting a huge increase in passenger numbers. Demand was strong for school holiday getaways. Hays Travel said it was very busy for overseas departures over Easter.
Many airports have recruited more staff to help cope with shortages caused by staff leaving during the Great Resignation and layoffs during the Pandemic. The labour market is tight and airports are having a hard time filling vacancies.
Extra colleagues have been deployed to help people get on their way as quickly and smoothly as possible, in expectation of passenger numbers not seen since early March 2020.
Manchester airport said it was working to put measures in place before it reopens its second runway next Tuesday. There was a 25% reduction in staff numbers and it began a recruitment drive in January to fill hundreds of roles in its security operation. The airport's partner organizations have been recruiting.
The recruitment drive began in January. The jobs fair will be held at the Spurs stadium next Tuesday. Passengers are advised to leave plenty of time to get to the airport and through the checks and to be aware of all security restrictions before leaving home.
Passengers at Terminal 5 complained about long immigration lines. Richard Benyon, the environment minister, called it a shame.
With the reopening of international travel and a rise in passenger numbers, queue times may be longer according to a Home Office spokesman. It said it was working to ensure passengers have the smoothest possible journey.
Passengers were affected by long delays at British Airways on Wednesday due to a technical issue. The airline said the IT failure was fixed by the afternoon. There was a reduction in schedule on Thursday due to bad weather.
British Airways offered refunds, hotel accommodations, and refreshment vouchers, as well as rebooking people on alternative flights.
Data shows that ghost flights from the UK run at 500 a month.
There were no staffing issues at the second of two terminals at Gatwick, which reopened last weekend, but the terminals may be busy during peak periods, such as weekends and the Easter holidays.
recruitment, training and necessary background checks are some of the things DAA International is working on to address the issue of long queue and disruption. The processes take several weeks.
Passengers have been advised to check their airline's guidelines and to refamiliarise themselves with security rules, including those on carrying liquids in hand luggage.
A report published this week by the Airport Operators Association found that the UK airports have lost more than 10 billion dollars in revenue since the first lockdown in March 2020. The lowest passenger numbers since 1983 were seen at UK airports in 2021.
More help from the UK and devolved governments was called for. The trade body said that airports in Germany, Italy, Ireland and the US received up to eight times as much financial support as UK airports.
At peak times passengers may not have the experience they are used to, according to Karen Dee, the chief executive of the AOA.
The aviation sector is broken and needs to be fixed, said Oliver Richardson of Unite.
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