Holidaymakers are being warned they may have to abandon their summer breaks abroad in order to avoid the ongoing airport chaos.
Travellers who have only paid a 10 percent deposit toward their holiday may want to consider cancelling it, aviation expert Julian Bray has said.
Lengthy queues and last minute flight cancellations have led to scores of disgruntled passengers across the UK and holiday hotspots in Europe, with airlines blaming staff shortages.
Mr Bray pointed out families could find themselves stuck with no guarantee of an outbound flight or a return flight, or if flights are delayed or cancelled while customers are abroad, they have to fork out for a hotel.
“‘If you’re a family of four as a capital sum that could be £3,000 to £4,000. If you then have to pay for return transit, which would be a ferry to the mainland, possible train, possible new flights - then all the baggage to contend with,” he told the MailOnline.
“I don’t say everybody should do it, but they should consider. If you’ve got a spare £2,000 or £3,000 that you can take as emergency money so you’ve got the wherewithal to get back, you might take a different view on it.”
The aviation expert also claimed there are 60,000 job vacancies to be filled in the industry and a months-long backlog of potential workers that need to be vetted before starting the job.
He warned the travel chaos could continue up until Christmas.
It comes as London MP David Lammy has become the latest to fall victim of the travel chaos many Britons are experiencing across the UK’s airports.
In a tweet on Friday morning, the Tottenham MP said he returned from a work visit to be caught in a large queue at passport control at Heathrow Airport.
He said: “Arriving from work in Afghanistan this morning at 7am. Priti Patel has achieved the longest passport control queue I have ever seen at Heathrow.
“A warm welcome home to fellow citizens and visitors alike. Another feather in her cap. Well done.”
The Standard has learnt some minor issues were reported at E-gates in terminal two on Friday morning while Covid certification for some flights has caused longer queues.
On Friday, British Airways cancelled 110 short-haul flights to and from Heathrow amid the ongoing crisis within the industry.
