Passengers have been met with more queuing chaos at Manchester Airport this morning with lines stretching out of the terminal building.
Many of the passengers have taken to social media to report the problems they've encountered, in a repeat of scenes from days and even weeks ago. The issues remain in the security checkpoint area with some commenting that queues have been snaking out of the security department and into the drop off area.
Manchester Evening News reports that one traveller, Jonathan Allan, who was leaving from terminal three this morning, described the situation as "an absolutely appalling experience". He also commented that he would never fly from Manchester Airport again.
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Another social media user, AmiA, posted on Twitter: "Chaos at [Manchester Airport] this morning. Queue for security is outside in the drop off area. Then snaking inside before you are even near the gate for security."
Martin Overton also complained about the queue in security. He posted: "[The airport] is an absolute shambles today. Security queues are unbelievable."
Ben Leather tweeted: "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."
Staff at Manchester Airport have advised passengers to arrive at least three hours prior to their flight. This was in an attempt to reduce the extra queues.
An airport spokesman 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.”
A raft of new staff have been drafted into the airport since the start of 2022 to try and deal with the massive surge in demand from passengers with bosses saying last week that they'd already had 1,600 applicants for jobs at the airport in April alone. 550 new recruits have taken to the airport floor since January and 500 new starters are currently going through the vetting process and security training.
Ian Costigan, Interim Managing Director of Manchester Airport, said: "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."
