Fed-up passengers landing in Manchester said they were forced to sit on a plane for almost an hour after it landed on Sunday, as others claimed they were left waiting for around two hours for their baggage in another day of 'chaos'.
Flyers who had touched down in Manchester claim they were met with two-hour baggage delays, as others complained they were left stuck on a 'sweatbox' plane after landing at the busy airport. One customer, who had been on board a TUI flight from Turin to Manchester on Sunday afternoon, said passengers were kept on board for an hour after landing, as the heat blazed in through the windows.
She called the plane a 'sweatbox' with passengers left sat in their seats. She told the M.E.N: "We were stuck on the plane for 50 minutes and the pilot was on the phone to the airport continually. It was absolutely boiling. We were all sweating for nearly an hour."
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Another passenger on the same flight, which had already been delayed taking off from Turin, in Italy, said it was 'like an oven', adding: "I am glad I don't suffer from panic attacks or anything like that because it was stifling. The plane crew seemed to be doing everything they could but we were told there were not enough ground crew to put the chocks behind the wheels. It was ridiculous."
Videos shared to social media on Sunday also showed crowds of passengers slumped over their suitcases or lying down on the floor as they waited for their bags. Many reported they had to stay as long as two hours to collect their luggage.
One passenger, who had been on board a flight from Palma in Mallorca, said that after landing at 4pm, they were still waiting for their luggage at 6pm at Terminal 3. They said: "It’s chaos here. People are very upset and kids are tired and crying."
Learning about the news, Councillor Pat Karney, from Manchester City Council tweeted about the issues being faced at Manchester Airport and added that the council needed to meet with Airport bosses to seek improvements.
He wrote: "The reputation of Manchester Airport is nose diving. We all expected challenges as the Airport returns to normality. The operational staff are working around the clock. Manchester Council need to meet with Airport bosses to seek urgent improvements."
It comes just days after passengers at Manchester Airport were warned they could be facing queues for ‘several weeks’ to come as bosses admit they are struggling with staff shortages amid a surge in international travel. It follows a month that has seen huge queues for Check-in, Security and Passport Control, as well as issues in other departments including baggage reclaim.
Earlier this month, it emerged firefighters had been asked to help on the baggage conveyors, while last Friday, a letter was sent to employees asking that they volunteer help out to manage queues.
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A Manchester Airport spokesman said the airport is experiencing staff shortages and working to recruit more staff. "We want to apologise to all customers who have been impacted by queues at Manchester Airport", the spokesperson said.
"We are experiencing staff shortages as we - and the rest of our industry - work hard to keep pace with a significant surge in demand for travel after the removal of restrictions in recent weeks. There has been a large increase in passenger numbers following the start of the travel industry’s summer season, and the situation has been exacerbated by a significant spike in covid-related sickness in recent days.
"That has meant that, while waiting times were kept to a minimum for the majority of the weekend, these factors have combined to place our operation under extreme pressure this morning. We are doing all we can to recruit the number of colleagues we need to support the remobilisation of our operations after the biggest crisis our industry has ever faced.
"Customers are advised to arrive at the earliest time their airline allows them to check-in and to ensure they are familiar with the latest rules around what they can and can’t carry through security. We would like to thank all our teams for their dedication during these challenging times and, once again, apologise to passengers impacted by delays.”
A TUI UK spokesperson said: "We would like to apologise for the inconvenience to our customers on flight TOM2727 from Turin to Manchester yesterday, which was delayed due to the late departure of the outbound aircraft from Manchester.
"We understand delays can be frustrating and would like to thank passengers for their patience and understanding."
