Travel chaos at major UK airports has continued this morning with passengers being offered contradictory advice.
Bosses at Manchester Airport initially told holidaymakers to arrive three hours before their flight to ensure that they make their flight but have now been told to not arrive too early, Manchester Evening News reports.
The guidance to make sure passengers get their trip to the airport 'just right' may be reminiscent of the children's 'Golidlocks' tale - but it's also a key part of the hub's strategy to tackle delays and queues through check-in and security.
Airport staff are concerned that travellers are so worried about missing their flights after months of mayhem that they are arriving even earlier than the advised time causing even more queues.
In a statement on Thursday, Manchester Airport 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. "
Chaos at the airport has been attested to staff shortages with Manchester Airport confirming there had been more than 8,000 job applications and hiring more than a thousand new recruits to bolster its workforce in a bid to cut queues as passenger numbers surge.
Mayor Andy Burnham warned constituents that despite plans in place to ease the ongoing crisis, the disruption is expected to continue for 'two months'.
In a statement following a meeting with the senior management team at Manchester Airport, Mr Burnham said: "Sadly, the disruption is not going to disappear overnight and this advice will have to be in place for the foreseeable future.
"While the airport expects that there will be some disruption for the next two months, I want people to be reassured that the airport, supported by colleagues in Greater Manchester, are putting in measures to ease it."
He also confirmed that a plan had been put in place to ease pressure which would include an increased police presence at the hub, while transport staff from the bus and tram network would be drafted in to help with 'queue management and communication'.
Passengers are Birmingham airport are also facing similar delays with some travellers complaining about queues of more than two hours to get through security, Birmingham Live reports.
Yesterday the airport announced that the pre-paid express lane through security was fully subscribed and they would not be taking bookings for the "foreseeable future."
The queues follow a weekend of delays with some passengers experiencing three-hour wait times to pass security checks over the Bank Holiday weekend and some complaining of missed flights due to the ongoing situation.
The airport said 110,000 customers travelled through the terminal between Friday and Bank Holiday Monday.
An airport spokesman told BirminghamLive: “There is no quick fix to this problem, but we are tackling it.
"Week by week, our deployable security resources are increasing. Our new security officers, once trained and deployed, will help reduce customer wait times.
"In addition, we are bolstering our front-of-house team to ensure customers benefit from speedy information and improved service.
“As always, our message to departing customers is: Help us help you keep queues moving by removing any liquids, gels, pastes and electrical items from your bags before our security x-ray scanners."
