Customers have been stuck waiting four hours at Manchester Airport as the "absolute and complete chaos" continues, it has been claimed.
One raging would-be passenger described scene at the travel hub this morning as "hell on earth".
Huge queues at check-in desks and security have raised blood pressures, as have long waits for luggage in arrivals, Manchester Evening News reported.
Many passengers have been left stuck in lines fearful that they're going to miss their flights, despite arriving hours before take-off.
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At around 5.20am, Marion Wolstenholme tweeted: "Chaos @manairport this morning. Almost 2 hours queuing to drop of case & still no end in sight.
"No organisation, no communication. Upset, anxious & frustrated queues of customers."
At around 6am Ozzy Hamid wrote: "Absolute carnage once again at @manairport. Security queues and no staff to help, flight leaves in 40 minutes."
Mhari Oakes said at around 6.15am: "Hell on earth this morning @manairport - avoid it like the plague!!! Everyone missing flights despite getting there 3 hours before departure. Absolute and complete chaos. No check in staff."
At 5.15am, Sarah Thompson said: "T2 Manchester Airport security lanes are long. 40 minutes and counting. Definitely need a 3 hour check-in this time of day @manairport."
Kev Lowes said that he'd endured the worst pre-flight experience of his life and that while the staff were great, the overall organisation was an "absolute shambles".
Adam Thomas said he waited four hours for luggage to come through in arrivals.
He tweeted pictures of passengers sitting on the floor as they waited this morning.
This follows weeks of issues for travellers at the airport caused by staff shortages. Bosses have said the hub is 'on the road to recovery', though passengers are still being asked to arrive three hours before their flight.
Last weekend, a spokesperson for the airport apologised to passengers facing long waits in baggage reclaim.
"After a very damaging two years, our whole operation is facing resourcing challenges at present, including many of the third parties operating on our site, such as baggage handling agents", the statement said.
"We and our partners, including airlines and baggage handling agents, are actively recruiting for hundreds of roles and in the meantime we will continue to work together to ensure processes are running as efficiently as they can, and to mitigate staffing challenges as far as possible."
This morning, a Manchester Airport spokesperson said: "We apologise to any passengers whose experience at Manchester Airport this morning was not how they would like it to be.
"As we continue to recover from the pandemic, we continue to advise customers there may be some times when security queues are longer than usual, which is why we advise people to arrive three hours before their flights.
"On Tuesday morning, while the vast majority of people passed through security in under 30 minutes, waiting times peaked at around one hour in one of our terminals for a brief period of time, and we are sorry for any inconvenience caused.
"By 7am, security queues in all three terminals had improved significantly, and were as low as 15 minutes in the best case.
"We are also aware some passengers reported delays when checking in with their airline, and collecting baggage on their return.
"All parts of the aviation sector are experiencing challenges linked to the rapid recovery from the pandemic and we are working hard with all our partners, including handling agents, airlines and others to deliver the best possible service we can in the circumstances."
