Major UK airports are seeing another day of holiday chaos with Brits finding themselves caught up in three-hour-long queues.
Huge lines were seen forming outside Bristol Airport from as early as 3am, while travellers also reported delays at Manchester, Glasgow, Heathrow and Gatwick.
Despite pleas to arrive at the airports early to avoid queues which have become a feature in recent weeks, lengthy lines to check in remain an issue as millions of people embark on half-term getaways or trips to coincide with the Platinum Jubilee weekend.
Alongside chaos at the country's airports Eurostar passengers trying to escape to the continent found themselves queuing outside St Pancras station in monster three-hour lines as well.
One passenger hoping to jet aboard complained it took more than three hours to check in and go through security this morning, while another said people have been waiting for over two hours to reclaim their baggage.
It also emerged that British holidaymakers are facing long queues when they touch down in Spain, with those arriving at Majorca Airport taking an average of nearly three hours after landing to reach coaches taking them to their hotels, it has been claimed.
Airports have been struggling to cope with the demand for travel this week amid staff shortages, while flight cancellations from easyJet and TUI are heaping further pressure on the travel industry.
TUI announced it is cancelling approximately 43 flights a week until June 30 from Manchester Airport alone, blaming the "ongoing disruption" and saying customers will receive a full refund.
Police have even been drafted in to tell passengers about holiday cancellations as they desperately wait at airports.
Have you been affected by airport disruption? Email webnews@mirror.co.uk
Footage captured an officer announcing to crowds at Manchester Airport that their flight to Kos in Greece would be cancelled, adding: "But what has happened is this. You're all going to be getting a full refund."
Meanwhile, one passenger shared an image of weary travellers queuing in the dark at Bristol Airport earlier today, writing: "3am queuing to get into terminal in the rain."
Another person posted: "Over three hours to check in luggage and go through security at Manchester Airport. I hope there is alternative provision for people with disabilities etc. because I am exhausted!"
Customers labelled the queues at Heathrow as "bloody chaos" after they were directed to take a lift from the arrivals floor, while the escalator for departures in Terminal Two remained closed to limit crowds.
"I think we're just about full, folks" a staff member said as several people forced their way into the lift. One man, squashed in a corner, complained "It's bloody chaos" which prompted the response: "Try working here".
And a Twitter user posted early this morning: "Heathrow Airport I would really like a coffee and breakfast before my flight. Instead 45 mins in the security line with no end in sight!"
Passengers also took to social media to complain about delays at Gatwick Airport, with one person writing: "Just landed and some people in the baggage reclaim say they have been waiting for bags for more than two hours."
Gatwick also saw hundreds of people joining the queue for the Wizz Air check-in desk - which snakes right the way through the South Terminal of the airport.
Parents even had to comfort crying children as staff shortages and flight cancellations continued to cause severe delays.
Passengers travelling with Vueling faced further chaotic scenes with crowds of holidaymakers waiting to be seen by staff.
Isabelle Gray, 27, told the Evening Standard that checking in at Gatwick was like "hell on wheels".
She added: "I arrived here just after 5am and queued for almost 2 hours to check my bag in, the queue was about 500 deep and there was one person at the check in desk."
Passengers also reported hold-ups at Gatwick late last night, with Alex Wood complaining of a four-and-a-half hour delay after waiting one hour on the plane when it landed then spending a further three hours at baggage reclaim.
Airports weren't alone in facing travel chaos, as Eurostar passengers queued up for hours with the line snaking outside London's St Pancras station.
Author Svenja O'Donnell, who was among the passengers in the queue, said she had been waiting in the line for nearly three hours for a train to Paris.
She said: "The queue is through the whole station and down two blocks. We have been given very little information."
Things were so bad she advised other passenger to "stay home" to avoid the "absolute chaos".
Another Eurostar customer described the situation as a "total shambles", adding: "Thousands of people, queues snaking around the station, out into the street and back in again. Shocking mismanagement."
One traveller complained about "waiting outside in the rain" and there being "no clear signs and explanation".
In response to a tweet from one passenger, Eurostar wrote: "We're very sorry for the delay to your journey. We had a technical fault on a train earlier this morning which meant we had to take it out of service.
"As a consequence, there are delays of 30-60 minutes on departure and we're doing all we can to get you moving."
Meanwhile, Jayesh Patel, his wife and family were among the hundreds sitting at the gate in Manchester Airport for eight hours alongside newlyweds going on their honeymoon and children ready for their first ever holiday - until their holiday to Greece was axed.
Mr Patel said there was anger and crying from passengers as policemen arrived to read a statement from TUI.
The statement was delivered just moments after holidaymakers had their hopes dashed by texts telling them their package breaks had been cancelled.
Mr Patel, who was due to travel to Kos with his wife and their three children, aged nine, 12 and 13 - filmed the moment police delivered the TUI statement.
He told the BBC: "People were very upset - some were going on their honeymoon.
"Then we all started getting texts that the flight was now cancelled and because it was a package booking the whole holiday was cancelled."
Mr Patel said the worst part was that no TUI staff were on hand to help.
Manchester Airport said in a statement that airlines and their ground handlers are experiencing "challenges" which is "leading to delays at check-in and baggage reclaim for some passengers".
It added: "This is not the experience we want passengers to have at Manchester Airport and we are sorry to hear customers have faced disruption."
And at Glasgow Airport, queues were seen "snaking" around the first floor and into the car park.
Business traveller John Morrison, 60, boarded a flight from Scotland to Gatwick and arrived in London as planned but said around half the flight was empty, and wondered if people had got caught in the queue.
He said he saw only "three security berths" open at the airport in Paisley, Renfrewshire.
Mr Morrison said: "There was hundreds of people queuing, I couldn't work out what was happening. The queue went round the first floor and round the car park. Fortunately I had fast track but I still had to queue."
He added: "I do fly a lot and I have never seen queues like it in Glasgow."
At Bristol Airport, it is the second day in a row that departing passengers have been forced to wait outside in a long line.
Road transport firm MET Executive Travel, which posted a video of a queue reaching a car park on Monday, wrote: "Here are the queues of passengers trying to get into the airport ... stretching out as far as the drop off zone, worst we've ever seen.
In an earlier statement, Bristol Airport said: "We appreciate the frustration experienced by customers early this morning and apologise for the queues at security, which reached 90 minutes for a short period.
"Over 80% of our customers experience less than a 20-minute security queue; only during peak times we extend beyond this."
Meanwhile at staff-cut Birmingham Airport, passengers slammed baggage reclaim services after claiming they waited hours for their luggage - only to be told to "go home".
Olga Castro tweeted: "Two hours later, announcement made by Swissport at BHX: 'Bags won't be delivered, go home and we'll contact you tomorrow'. Beyond belief."
Another passenger, who claimed to have waited hours for his bags to arrive, labelled the airport's operation as a "shambles".
Travel giant TUI thanked customers for their "patience", with a spokesperson telling BirminghamLive: "We're aware some customers have been impacted by baggage delays at Birmingham Airport.
"We’d like to thank customers for their patience and understanding at this exceptionally busy time.
"We’re working closely with airport staff, baggage handlers and our teams in resort to ensure customers receive their luggage as soon as possible. We’ll be in direct contact with customers once we have more information to share."
The situation could worsen in the coming days with people jetting off once the four-day bank holiday period begins on Thursday.
More than 10,000 flights are scheduled to depart between Thursday and Sunday, according to aviation data firm Cirium.
That is a three-fold increase on the same period last year, when the UK's coronavirus travel restrictions remained in place.
Separately, the RAC estimated that 19.5 million leisure trips by road will take place between Wednesday and Sunday.
A survey of 1,460 drivers' travel plans indicated that Friday is likely to be the most congested day on the roads as day-trippers combine with families returning home from half-term breaks.
