Booking a midweek flight could be the best way to avoid any unwanted airport chaos before your holiday, according to one Northern Ireland travel agent.
Long security queues and disrupted flights have been seen at airports in Belfast and Dublin in recent weeks, but Richard Cooper from Carefree Travel in Enniskillen says he believes the worst impact of staff shortages at the airport may be over.
With the school holidays looming, many families will be looking forward to a summer getaway but may be nervy at the sight of long queues.
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Richard told MyFermanagh that booking a midweek flight will often help to avoid long delays at the airport.
“A colleague was travelling out yesterday morning from Dublin Airport and he got through in 25 minutes so the problem from last Sunday seems to have resolved itself in many ways,” Richard said.
“Not that it’s not going to happen again but I know Dublin Airport were training 900 extra security staff so hopefully that will alleviate that.
“For anyone that hasn’t booked and you are free to book any time, if you book a midweek slot the airports aren’t as busy then.
“If you’re going out of Dublin Airport or in the morning time you should look to see if your airline can do your check in the night before
While staff shortages at some airports have been cited as one of the reasons for delays, high numbers of people travelling again following the pandemic are also leading to airports being busier than ever, Richard added.
That is also having an impact on holiday prices as the increased bookings squeeze flights and accommodation higher.
“In the last couple of weeks when we have been checking people in and we are looking at the seat maps for lots of destinations, there were no seats and that is pretty rare for the start of June,” he said.
“The availability is very limited, an awful lot of people are travelling and now have the confidence to travel.
“Without a doubt that is having an impact on prices, any time there is a surge in demand for anything the prices go up, that’s always been the way with airlines and holidays.
“We have a lot of customers now that are looking at September and October dates because they know the prices for the next couple of months are pretty high due to the demand.”
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