Manchester Airport has released a statement following continued travel chaos.
Families and other passengers have reported facing long queues and delays at the airport as they try to jet off for half-term and before the upcoming Jubilee bank holiday. Flights have also been cancelled over the last week.
Passengers also shared their frustration today as they faced huge queues for the TUI bag-drop. A video taken this morning showed the queues out of Terminal 2 and stretching down the full length of the sky tunnel as people waited hours at the airport.
READ MORE: Family queuing for Tui plane told entire holiday is cancelled
One passenger said he waited two hours in the line before checking in his bags. The man said the queue was "getting bigger" throughout the morning. Another passenger said on Twitter the TUI queue was around three hours long.
In the statement, TUI said: "We would like to apologise to some of our customers who have experienced flight delays in recent days. As the UK’s biggest holiday company, our priority is to take customers on holiday safely.
"We continue to work closely with our airport partners to monitor the situation and continue to provide the best possible holiday experience for our customers. We are doing everything we can to limit any flight delays, which can happen from time to time for various operational reasons.
"On the rare occasion flight delays do take place, we will do everything we can to support our customers, through direct communications and providing overnight accommodation and transfers where needed, as well as meals and refreshments. We’d like to remind customers not to arrive at the airport too far in advance of their flight, as this can contribute to terminal queueing delays.
"Standard check-in opens at least two and a half hours before departure time for short and mid-haul flights, and at least three and a half hours before departure for long-haul flights. At some airports, we are able to offer day before bag drop and self-service bag drop. You can find more information about these services, as well as our advice for making your airport experience as smooth as possible here."
Now, Manchester Airport has also spoken out about the delays on the check-in and baggage reclaim. It said passengers should direct their concerns on these issues to their airline.
However, the airport did apologise and said it is "not the experience" it wanted for passengers. The full statement said: "We are aware of the challenge being faced by a number of airlines and handling agents, which is leading to delays at check-in and baggage reclaim for some passengers.
"Airlines and their ground handlers are responsible for their own check-in and baggage handling services. Passengers are advised to direct any questions or concerns about these issues, or anything relating to their flight, to their airline, who will be best placed to respond.
"However, this is not the experience we want passengers to have at Manchester Airport and we are sorry to hear customers have faced disruption. We are in contact with the senior management teams of the relevant airlines and ground handlers to understand the cause of these issues, and to support their efforts to resolve them as quickly as possible.
"Our colleagues are on hand in the terminal to provide assistance to customers and we are working hard to ensure security waiting times are as quick as possible. It remains our advice that passengers should arrive three hours before their flight and be as prepared as they can be for their journey through the airport."
