It is the 'luck of the draw' whether people 'breeze through' airports or their holiday experience is 'traumatising'.
Manchester Airport has hit headlines in recent weeks due to reports of "chaotic" scenes. Earlier this month, a documentary was aired on Channel 4, in which an undercover reporter got a job as a baggage handler.
Airport bosses hit out at the documentary, saying it was not an accurate representation of the current operations. The ECHO previously reported how a mum and her son were forced to sleep on a "cold floor ", waiting for their luggage, as they described their experience as "traumatising".
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ECHO readers have been sharing their experiences of flying, with some saying they were "dreading it" and others saying it appeared to be a "luck of the draw".
Jordan Woodthorpe wrote: "I have to admit it was bad when we returned from Turkey, straight through passport control, then into a sea of unclaimed baggage and people asleep on the floor from previous flights. We waited over 2hrs for our conveyor to start and then spent a further 30mins watching the customary unclaimed pushchair do the loop 76 times (yes I counted)."
Diane Holden added: "I landed on the 30th and myself and family was waiting hours, in the end I had to make arrangements for my kids to go home as it was late they haven't had tea due to flight time so was very hungry. We also sat on the runway for 45 minutes waiting for us to get off the plane. My husband has said he won't be flying anywhere again."
Pauline Pruden Cureton commented that she flew from Manchester to Alicante on July 19 and has "never experienced anything like it before" as the heat was “unbearable”. But describing it as "absolute chaos", Pauline added her return to the airport was "spot on."
However, not everyone has had negative experience, as some say they have "breezed through". Amy Lou Thomas said: "We arrived back from Cyprus 21st and as we arrived at baggage there were our whole flight cases.
"The whole process was brilliant apart from them forgetting my niece needed the ambulift but even then it was sorted and she was on the plane within half a hour. Whole journey through the airport was next to none and no queues anywhere."
Clare Cooper added: "We have had no issues leaving or returning left last we came back this week hardly any queues didn’t need to prove anything extra, best experience in an airport we have ever had." Kim Burden wrote: "Just got back from Tenerife going there great coming back great we flew with Jet2 not one problem, I was dreading it with all these stories you here but no it was really quick and easy."
It was previously reported that Manchester Airport hit back after the documentary was aired earlier this week, showing "chaos" and "brutal shifts". Bosses said they have "worked hard" to prepare for the summer season, which included the recruitment of staff.
The full statement on August 2 read: "The whole aviation industry has faced challenges in recovering from the pandemic, but we have worked hard since the start of the year to prepare for the peak summer season. For our part, we have recruited more than 600 new staff into our security operation and nearly 300 more are due to start work in the weeks ahead.
"This means we have not had to ask our airlines to cancel large numbers of flights, protecting the holidays of more than three million people who will travel through Manchester Airport this summer. We are confident that, thanks to the progress we have made, the overwhelming majority will have a positive experience.
"As an example, in the last week, more than 95 per cent of passengers got through security in under 30 minutes. While there will be moments when we, or our airlines, ground handlers and other partners, continue to face challenges due to our ongoing recovery, it is our view that Dispatches gave an inaccurate impression of the current state of operations and the experience that passengers will receive in the coming weeks.
"The undercover footage within Swissport’s baggage operation was several weeks old, as were almost all of the case studies and mobile phone videos used. Many of the issues highlighted in the programme related to airports other than Manchester.
"Despite several requests, we were refused a right to reply and not given the opportunity to challenge or factually correct any of the claims made. This prevented us from outlining the improvements made in recent months and risks unnecessarily misleading viewers about what to expect when they travel this summer.
"We apologise to any customers who have faced disruption during our recovery, and want to thank all of our colleagues for their hard work and dedication throughout."
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