It's holiday time for many this Friday, but for people heading to Leeds Bradford Airport this morning they were greeted with "horrific" queues.
Queues have been spotted trailing out of the Yeadon airport doors and into the car park since April, and it appears that months on, there is no change. Passengers departing from the airport on Friday morning branded it a "shambles", and one individual said there was a "total disconnect between airport and airline".
Another passenger flying to Dublin in the early hours said it would have been "quicker to walk there", and others said they were amongst "chaos" while waiting in a sea of luggage and people outside. The ongoing issues, which have caused flights to be significantly delayed or cancelled, is due to lack of staffing, LBA previously told Leeds Live.
Read more: How Ryanair strike action could hit Leeds Bradford Airport flights for summer holidays
And, at the end of June Ryanair passengers could be impacted further Now, anyone flying with Ryanair this June to July could face further interruption due to a staff strike. Airline staff have plans for industrial action over working conditions and pay.
Ryanair's Spanish cabin staff will be on strike for six days later this month and in early July, main unions said on Monday. The walkout from June 24 to July 2 follows concerns about working conditions and pay, the USO union said.
The news could fuel more anxiety for passengers travelling from Leeds Bradford Airport. Demand for flying has bounced back rapidly after the pandemic but businesses have been unable to quickly rehire staff, after thousands were laid off.
Despite being "stuck" in queues throughout Friday morning, a number of passengers commended the help from staff at the airport during this difficult time. Many took to social media to share their experience.
@davidfalk said: "Car2bar in 20 minutes! Congrats Leeds Bradford Airport and @jet2tweets for a smooth bag drop and check in!! Really friendly and helpful Jet2 staff. Thank you!"
And @curlybelfast added: "I must commend @LBIAirport for their handling of horrific queues. Not one person missed a flight. Bravo."
Flights departing this morning were airborne up to an hour late. In a recent update on today's flights, flight BE734 to Belfast City was due to depart at 11.30am but is now estimated to depart at 1pm.
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