Passengers who boarded a plane at Manchester Airport say they waited more than two hours on the tarmac for baggage handlers to load their luggage. Stephen Davies, 63, from Bolton, says the Ryanair flight to Budapest was due to depart at 3.40pm on Wednesday.
But after the aircraft arrived an hour late, passengers were not able to board until after 5pm - and were then stuck on the tarmac for two hours and 15 minutes because, according to a message relayed by the pilot, baggage agent Swissport - which operates separately and with a different management team to Manchester Airport - didn’t have the handlers to unload the bags.
Property developer Stephen, who reports arriving into Budapest three hours and 15 minutes late, says he’s fed up of the ‘staff shortage’ reason given for what he believes is poor service, adding: “Initially the pilot said we'd be 25 minutes late, but then he said he wasn't getting any news at all. Eventually we waited more than two hours."
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He added: "I missed half a day. It’s cost me £200 because I had to stay the night in a hotel when I got to Budapest because I missed the onward connection and I couldn’t get to my meeting in the morning.
"There were other planes taking off on time, we could see them loading the baggage. I think staff shortage is now used as an excuse for incompetence. It’s just one thing after another with Manchester Airport. It’s unbelievable.
“I have travelled through hundreds of airports around the world and Manchester is by far the worst. I live in Hungary and travel through Budapest quite regularly - typically it takes no more than five minutes to go through security irrespective of the time of day or number of flights."
The latest complaint comes as Manchester Airport and partner agencies scramble to cope with passenger demand. Hub bosses say they are dealing with the crisis through a series of measures, including a mass recruitment drive which has led to them hiring more than a thousand recruits.
Passengers are still asked to arrive three hours early for their flights, while ensuring they don't get to the hub too early, and are clued up on security requirements to save time.
A Manchester Airport spokesman said: “We are disappointed to hear Mr Davies was unhappy with his experience when flying through the airport. We are aware of challenges faced by our partners on the day in question, which led to service standards falling below what we want to see at Manchester Airport.
He added: “The whole of the industry is facing challenges associated with recovering from the biggest crisis it has faced in a generation, and while we understand the pressure this places on all partners operating at Manchester Airport, we will work with those concerned to understand the root cause of issues.”
A Ryanair spokesman said they 'sincerely apologise' for the delay, adding: “This flight from Manchester – Budapest (4 th May) was regrettably delayed ahead of take-off due to our handling provider experiencing a shortage of staff at Manchester Airport. Passengers were informed of the delay via their Ryanair app and by email and were advised of the rescheduled departure time."
They said that passengers were able to buy onboard refreshments, which can be expensed back on Ryanair.com.
A Swissport spokesperson said: "We are sorry for the delay passengers experienced, following a number of delays to scheduled flights which exacerbated some existing resource challenges.
"While the aviation industry is still recovering from the pandemic, we are working hard to address these challenges and have already welcomed over 1,200 new colleagues across the UK and Ireland. We understand how frustrating and inconvenient delays are and we continue to work with our partners to implement contingency measures and improve turnaround times."
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