Early-morning queuing problems at Manchester Airport have continued today (May 9), as more passengers say they’re facing nightmare waits.
One woman has said her sister was due to fly out from the troubled terminus this morning but missed her flight due to the queues. Other passengers say they have ‘never seen it this bad’ as they face queues out of the airport and major delays to their travels.
Scores more flyers have taken to social media to express their frustration at the issues, which began first thing on Monday morning. Ben Leather said: “As a regular flyer I’ve never seen it this bad. Feel sorry for the overworked staff who clearly just don’t have the numbers to cope with the passenger load at the moment. Give yourself plenty of time to get through security if you’re flying anytime soon.”
Rachael A added: “Absolute disgrace! My sister is in tears after missing her flight because of security. Begged security staff to fast track her thru as [her] gate was closing no one cares. Disgrace!!”
One man who was caught up in the early queues said he did manage to get on board on time, ‘but had to skip the queue’. Ryan Hoey added: “Staff were very helpful to be fair. Difficult for them dealing with angry passengers.”
Elisabeth Young said she was queueing for ‘a 8:50am flight with other people who aren’t leaving until 12 [noon]’. She added: “We made our flight but only because they are waiting. 48/133 passengers [were] missing when I got to the gate.”
Airport bosses have said that passengers should arrive three hours before their departure, to avoid long delays with ‘extra queues’. A statement said: “The 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.”
Hub bosses said last week they are now on the road to recovery ahead of the summer months, with more than 1,600 applicants having applied for jobs at the airport in April alone, with 550 recruits on the floor since January, and 500 new starters currently going through vetting and security training. A further 200 workers are expected to join the operation in May, enabling management to open more security lanes in peak periods, and 'improve customer service'.
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."
