TUI and Ryanair have issued warnings to customers after scenes of queues and disruption at UK airports in recent days.
Photos have been plastered over social media of travellers waiting in lengthy queues to get checked in for their flights.
It comes as Scots seek a mid-year getaway due to the long bank holiday weekend this week, while schools south of the border close for half-term.
Ryanair, which has flights out from Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Glasgow and Prestwick airports, is urging people to arrive at least three hours before they are due to fly out.
The budget airline said that this is due to ‘security delays’.
In an email sent to customers, the company said: “Please arrive at the airport three hours prior to the departure of your Ryanair flight as we are experiencing security delays at the airport.
“Please note, that our boarding gates close 30 minutes prior to the departure of your flight.”
Meanwhile, TUI has urged passengers not to arrive at the airport too far in advance. It claims that this can contribute to delays at the terminal.
The travel operator has reminded passengers that standard check in opens at least two and a half hours before short and mid-haul flights and at least three and a half hours before long-hail flights.
TUI apologised to customers for the delays over the weekend in a statement on its website.
The holiday firm wrote: “We would like to apologise to some of our customers who have experienced flight delays in recent days.
“As the UK’s biggest holiday company, our priority is to take customers on holiday safely. We continue to work closely with our airport partners to monitor the situation and continue to provide the best possible holiday experience for our customers.
“We’d like to remind customers not to arrive at the airport too far in advance of their flight, as this can contribute to terminal queueing delays. Standard check-in opens at least two and a half hours before departure time for short and mid-haul flights, and at least three and a half hours before departure for long-haul flights.”
TUI was forced to cancel flights flying from various UK airports to popular holiday destinations, including Antalya, Kos, Palma de Mallorca and Rhodes.
TUI cancelled a Glasgow to Antalya on Saturday, while several other journeys that were meant to take off over the weekend were delayed until Monday.
Millions of people across the UK are expected to catch up on holidays this year as Covid restrictions continue to ease up across the globe.
One department that has been hardest hit by the two year backlog is HM Passport Office.
The government body has already processed through a large number of applications, which many people in the UK have held off on doing over the past two years.
Officials anticipate 9.5 million British passport applications to be made this year.
Anyone requiring their passport has been advised allow up to 10 weeks when applying for the vital travel documents.
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