People travelling from Belfast International Airport early this morning were faced with huge queues stretching outside the building.
The airport put plans in place ahead of the Easter period as it was anticipating a surge in demand. Belfast International has also been working on an ongoing campaign to recruit over 200 roles at all levels.
Robert Grundy was travelling from Belfast International Airport this morning, on easyJet's 7:30am flight to London Stansted.
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He arrived at the terminal at 6.25am and was greeted by the huge queue stretching outside the building onto the street.
After flying out of the airport regularly over the past month, Robert said he was "surprised" when he turned up on Thursday morning.
"I was immediately confronted with the queue that was outside the building. When I joined it, it was about 50 yards long," he told Belfast Live. Robert was still in the security queue as his flight had been called to the gate at 7am.
He added: "I took an executive decision and ducked under the barrier and went down the express lane, and went straight in front. The issue is ordinarily I would've asked permission from staff, but there were no staff there organising anything, so I had to just take the decision to jump the queue.
"I would worry about people who feel like they can't take that initiative, and who just stay in the queue and end up missing their flight. I don't know how many people missed their flight this morning or if they did, but I would imagine they did."
He said he found the early morning delays to be "unexpected" and that there was "no real warning" of it for passengers heading to the airport.
"The problem is when it's like that first thing in the morning, there's no real warning for folks who have just got out of bed and straight up to the airport," Robert said.
"I've been largely okay when I've been flying out from the International in the last month, so it was just unexpected that early in the morning."
Terence McCracken also regularly flies from Belfast International Airport, and was on this morning's 7am flight to Liverpool with easyJet.
He arrived at the airport at 5.40am after taking a taxi from Whitehead and was shocked at the length of the queues already.
"The queue was down to the WHSmith kiosk near the check-in area. In two minutes of standing there, the queue was out through the door," Terence said.
"I was doing the mental calculation, I had an hour and 20 minutes until my flight. Which for Belfast International is usually plenty of time to get through."
Terence added that a number of problems were evident, including staff shortages and flights being scheduled too close together.
He continued: "If you looked at the departures board you could see the first of the problems, which was within a twenty minute period they had five flights going out. You're talking about a thousand people trying to get through security at the same time. People were beginning to get stressed, you could see gates closing.
"They were clearly short staffed, the staff were frazzled and rushed off their feet. They even called up the airport security police to start carrying the trays to keep security running. You had the guys there in their high-vis carrying the trays backward and forwards.
"I got through at around 6.40, the gate was final call, my flight was at gate 24 so I had to run all the way down to the far end and the guy said there were lots of people still to come. I got onto the plane and it was half full. The pilot delayed the flight to 7:20 to let everyone get through.
"I fly every week and over the course of the year would fly through most regional and London airports. I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt, the experience at Belfast International is always the worst."
A spokesperson for Belfast International Airport said: “We would like to apologise to those passengers who had to wait longer than expected to pass through security early this morning.
“The security lines are now flowing well and we thank passengers for their patience and understanding. We would ask all passengers intending to travel through the airport to follow the guidance:
Belfast International Top Travel Tips
Check Travel Requirements
Always double-check travel requirements to and from your chosen destination before you leave for the airport and make sure you have the correct documentation ready at check-in.
Arrive On Time
Check with your airline for the latest information on your flight and arrive when your airline advises. We recommend you arrive at the Airport at least two hours before your flight departs.
Keep Travel Essentials Handy
Make sure your tickets and boarding pass, travel insurance, driving licence, currency and credit cards are safe but easily accessible. It’s also mindful to carry a charger for your smartphone and have your airline information ready.
Remove Liquids
Remember, you can only take liquids in individual containers with a maximum capacity of 100ml on the plane. Each item should be removed from hand luggage and placed in a transparent, re-sealable plastic bag of not more than one litre capacity per passenger.
Click here for hand luggage information
Get Set For Security
Before reaching security, it’s a good idea to remove your laptop, tablet or similar electronic devices from your hand luggage to be inspected separately. Coats, jackets and belts should also be removed. For more information visit Security | Belfast International Airport (belfastairport.com)
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