A 'summer of chaos' warning has been issued to British holidaymakers as staff shortages at airports are expected to impact their journeys hard. Many families looking forward to a May half-term getaway have already had their excitement tarnished due to travel mayhem at airports up and down the country.
It comes as Union Unite, which represents tens of thousands of aviation workers, said travellers are now paying the price for “chronic staff shortages” caused by job cuts during the coronavirus pandemic. Unless the industry acts now to resolve the crisis before July, Unite says the “chaos will last the entire summer season”, the Mirror reports.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “During the pandemic, when airline operators and others in aviation slashed jobs to boost corporate profits, we warned this corporate greed would cause chaos in the industry. The aftermath of mass sackings is now chronic staff shortages across the board. Aviation chiefs need to come clean with the public. This is a crisis of their making.
READ MORE: Flight delays and cancellation rules: Compensation and refunds airlines have to give you
“We are determined that workers will not pay for this crisis. Current pay and conditions in the industry are so poor that workers are voting with their feet. It can only be resolved by offering higher wages and better working conditions for staff. Unite is utterly determined to fight for that.”
Last week EasyJet and Tui cancelled an abundance of flights, while British airways advised passengers to check in their luggage a day before their flight and to consider paying out for an overnight stay close to the airport.
Consumer watchdog Which? has urged the government and airline bosses to response immediately to the chaos, and blamed the ongoing issues on “woeful” understaffing after Covid restrictions were lifted.
Rory Boland, Which? travel editor, said: “There really can be no excuse for a repeat of these failings this summer. Unacceptably long queues and widespread chaos at airports are causing huge amounts of stress to those who have planned to get away this half-term and bank holiday weekend.
“The situation requires an immediate response and the Government must work with airlines and airports to ensure they have the resources and capacity to put an end to the last-minute flight cancellations and disruption we are seeing."
Have you experienced any travel problems lately? Let us know in the comments below
He added: “When their flight is cancelled, all most passengers want is to be put on another plane and taken to their destination. The Civil Aviation Authority should remind airlines of their duty to offer passengers the option of rebooking on any reasonable route as quickly as possible - even if that means using other carriers. Too often this legal requirement is not being met.”
On Monday (May 30), which has been dubbed 'Manic Monday', passengers at Manchester, Bristol, Gatwick and Stansted airports were hit the hardest as thousands of people faced massive queues that began as early as 4am and continued outside the terminal.
Apologies were issued by airlines and airports with Tui, easyJet and Vueling all offering explanations. Easyjet said a “rare cancellation” might take place without warning, due to “a live operational issue on that specific flight”.
Tui said: “While flight delays and cancellations with us are rare, unfortunately the sudden increase in people going on holidays combined with various operational and supply chain issues, has meant that a small number of our flights have been impacted.
“We continue to work closely with our airport partners to monitor the situation and provide the best possible holiday experience for our customers. We’d like to thank them for their patience and understanding at this time.”
Vueling said: “We always strive to offer a timely service, however, if this isn’t possible our priority is to organise the best alternatives for our customers.”
Manchester Airport said in a statement that airlines and their ground handlers were experiencing “challenges” that were “leading to delays at check-in and baggage reclaim for some passengers. This is not the experience we want passengers to have at Manchester Airport and we are sorry to hear customers have faced disruption.”
Bristol airport said it had “fallen short this morning” but added it was “working hard to ensure all customers have a smooth and easy journey through the terminal”, and Gatwick airport said there had been some difficulties but “not to the extent of the disruption that has been reported”.
READ NEXT:
