Long queues have been pictured at some of the UK's largest airports as a lack of staff continues to cause delays. Birmingham, Manchester and London Heathrow airports have seen large queues on and off for several weeks as more people jet on holiday since coronavirus restrictions lifted.
Passengers at Birmingham Airport over the weekend said it took them two hours to get through security and check-in, and some were in tears at Manchester Airport on Monday morning because they missed flights.
The delays have been blamed on a number of factors, including the time it takes for new ground staff to pass security clearance, staff sickness, a lack of Border Force officials and the spike in demand for travel following the end of the UK's coronavirus restrictions.
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Andy Prendergast, national secretary of the GMB, says the pandemic is the "simple reason" behind the delays and cancellations.
He said: "Large numbers of staff were given redundancy during the pandemic. And quite simply, those staff haven't come back. The wages aren't competitive any more. The security checks take an awful lot of time and people are simply found other careers.
"There's a huge number of vacancies and we've been speaking to some of the airports and some of the baggage handling companies who are saying quite simply, they can't currently get a crew for the amount of flights that they're getting.
"You know, this is also a wages issue. A lot of our members are living on relatively low wages in the airport, as a result of losing jobs over furlough they are now seeing better opportunities in other areas. And quite simply, I think that they're looking at more secure employment.
"Unfortunately, airports used to offer secure employment, but over the pandemic, people have already had their confidence shaken in them as an employer."
Birmingham Airport said in a statement: "Half of the 15,000 customers flying out of BHX (Birmingham Airport) today were booked to depart in our busy dawn peak, so we took the decision to run security queues outside the terminal to avoid them getting tangled with check-in lines.
"Queues were long but managed and moving. We thank customers for their patience.
"As always, our message to departing customers is: Help us help you keep queues moving by removing any liquids, gels, pastes and electrical items from your bags before our security x-ray scanners."
It added: "Of the 7,500 customers booked to fly out of BHX in today's dawn peak, 99.7% successfully caught their flights. Anyone who missed was rebooked."
The airport said 43% of its employees were made redundant during the pandemic due to travel restrictions which were lifted in mid-February with no prior warning.
It added that it began a recruitment drive in November 2021. New security officers are expected to be on duty soon after completing training.
The airline's website advises people to check with their airline about how long before take-off they should arrive at the airport.
Passengers at Manchester Airport have been told to arrive three hours before their departure.
A statement said: "he airport is continuing to advise customers to arrive three hours before their flights, and to ensure they are up-to-speed with the latest rules about what can be carried in hand luggage. At the same time, the airport is also asking passengers not to arrive earlier than this because it can lead to extra queues, and check-in and security facilities may not be open."
British Airways and easyJet are continuing to cancel flights every day due to staffing issues.
It emerged over the weekend that easyJet is removing six seats from about 50 of its aircraft to enable it to operate them with three members of cabin crew rather than four, as the airline battles a shortage of staff.
UK Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, is introducing a rule to allow new aviation recruits to begin training before passing security checks, to reduce the time it takes for them to start work.
Ian Costigan, Interim Managing Director of Manchester Airport, added: "We want to make sure that customers get away on their travels, so everyone at Manchester Airport is focused on bringing in the extra resources we need to continue operating our full flight schedule.
"It is encouraging to see new staff joining us as a result of our ongoing recruitment drive, and we have seen security waiting times reduce in recent weeks. The last few weeks have been challenging but the team on the ground has done a great job in getting passengers through security more quickly, and I would like to thank all colleagues for their hard work and dedication.
“As we continue to recover, we are reminding customers to arrive at the airport three hours before their flight and to ensure they are familiar with all security rules. While the majority of people will get through security in less than 30 minutes, customers need to allow time for check-in and the possibility that security queues may be longer at peak times."
