Disgruntled passengers hoping to jet off on their holidays missed their flights and were stuck in queues for a number of hours after a power cut caused 'chaos' in Terminal 3 at Manchester Airport on Wednesday (May 24).
The power cut hit just before 8am, causing issues with checking-in and boarding, leaving passengers 'stranded' and stuck in long queues, with those travelling with children becoming 'very restless'.
Travellers have spoken out to the Manchester Evening News about the scenes in Terminal 3, which saw one dad-of-two 'moving a few feet in two hours' amid large queues, another person claiming she missed a flight to attend her daughter's wedding abroad and a family 'scrapping' a trip to Majorca.
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Bruce Moran was set to fly out to Alicante with his wife and two children, aged two and three, at 10.50am, but ended up having to rebook another easyJet flight for Wednesday evening after the power cut tarnished his plans.
He said: "We arrived at Terminal 3 just after 8am and noticed about 25 people standing at the entrance. There were two officials prohibiting access with no explanation as to why.
"More and more people arrived unable to get access, we were there for around an hour with two kids both getting restless.
"When we got in, the queues for lifts were huge. Swarms of people seeking information and communication were met with nothing inside. A picture of chaos soon emerged.
"I joined a RyanAir queue with our luggage and my wife went with our children to seek advice. I moved a few feet in two hours. Other than a tannoy announcement explaining a power outage, there was no communication.
"At 10.35 a Manchester Airport rep then announced that Alicante passengers could fast track. We tried to register our baggage and it wouldn’t allow it because it said it was closed. We approached a Manchester airport rep who said 'flight is closed, you have no chance'.
"The kids are now restless beyond belief. If you can afford it, you had to buy another flight to leave from Manchester, Liverpool or East Midlands.
"We scrambled like many others to get an alternative flight and were fortunate to book on for 5.50pm with easyJet. It’s been a long and frustrating day, but with a positive resolution.
"However, there should be a plan in these situations. It was chaos. There should be prioritisation. There should be proactive response and customer service. There should be support. There should be a presence. There should not be indifference with people left to figure it out for themselves."
The airport announced that they experienced a 'power outage' shortly before 8am due to an issue at an 'external substation' serving the airport. Power was later restored by 9am but passengers still faced a long wait at check-in desks with many facing delays or missing their flights.
On Twitter, @sandyscissors1 wrote: "No direction and missed a flight to my daughters wedding to Rhodes because of the incompetence of the airport management. Absolutely shocking!"
As Tom McKenna posted: "Absolute chaos down at @manairport just seen my Ryanair flight fly over my head as I'm queuing outside terminal 3. Utter disgrace…should be ashamed of themselves."
Another, @enemjay_ added: "Our family holiday with the kids to Majorca has been scrapped, waited 3hrs at check in from 7am with no word whatsoever from #Ryanair or #manchesterairport only to find out the plane had left without us. We are now at home with no available flight or holiday."
In the latest update on social media, the airport said that staff, including customer service and resilience teams, were doing everything they could to ease disruption and apologised for inconvenience caused. Ryanair said the issue 'was entirely beyond' the airline's control as they also apologised for disruption.
Responding to the claims, a spokesperson for the airport said: "Shortly before 8am we experienced a power outage at Terminal 3 due to an issue at an external substation that serves the airport.
"Power was restored by around 9am, but some passengers then faced a long wait to check in whilst our airlines recovered their services. We apologise for any inconvenience this caused.
"We deployed colleagues from our customer service and resilience teams to keep passengers informed, making food, water and sun cream available. We would like to thank colleagues for their hard work in trying circumstances. Passengers who faced delays or missed flights are advised to contact their airline about their next steps.”
In a statement, a Ryanair spokesperson said: "Due to a power outage at Manchester Airport, which was entirely beyond Ryanair’s control, some passengers missed their flights from Manchester Airport this morning (24 May).
"Where possible, we have reaccommodated affected passengers on alternative Ryanair flights departing later today and where alternative flights are not available today, we advise passengers to contact our Customer Service Team. We sincerely apologise to affected passengers for any inconvenience caused as a result of this power outage at Manchester Airport, which was entirely beyond Ryanair’s control."
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