As experts warn families face a summer of further chaos if action is not taken, more queues have been reported at Manchester Airport and others across the UK this week.
Holidaymakers have reported being caught up in travel chaos in recent weeks, with flights delayed or cancelled. One family even had to spend €500 on clothes and toiletries after all their suitcases went missing when they flew to Fuerteventura from Manchester.
On Tuesday, Union Unite which represents tens of thousands of aviation workers said holidaymakers were paying the price for "chronic staff shortages" brought on following the covid pandemic.
READ MORE: Moment police told furious Manchester Airport passengers their TUI trip is cancelled
Speaking about future chaos, 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. 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."
Manchester Airport previously issued a statement after much disruption as passengers try to jet off for half-term. The airport apologised and said it is "not the experience" it wanted for passengers.
A spokesman for Manchester Airport said: "We are aware of the challenge being faced by a number of airlines and handling agents, which is leading to delays at check-in and baggage reclaim for some passengers. Airlines and their ground handlers are responsible for their own check-in and baggage handling services. Passengers are advised to direct any questions or concerns about these issues, or anything relating to their flight, to their airline, who will be best placed to respond.
"However, this is not the experience we want passengers to have at Manchester Airport and we are sorry to hear customers have faced disruption. We are in contact with the senior management teams of the relevant airlines and ground handlers to understand the cause of these issues, and to support their efforts to resolve them as quickly as possible.
"Our colleagues are on hand in the terminal to provide assistance to customers and we are working hard to ensure security waiting times are as quick as possible. It remains our advice that passengers should arrive three hours before their flight and be as prepared as they can be for their journey through the airport."
Here are the latest updates from TUI, easyJet, Ryanair and Jet2.
TUI
According to TUI's website, at UK airports bag drop desks open two to three hours before your departure time. The company says that "If you're taking a long haul flight, we recommend you drop off your bags three hours before your flight leaves.
"Only one person from your party is required to drop off the bags, provided all passengers are travelling on the same booking reference. Just one of you needs to bring all printed boarding passes, passports and luggage to the Bag Drop desk, and then you can all go straight to the departure gates together with your tickets and boarding passes."
Responding to recent flight disruption, a TUI spokesperson told the ECHO: "We would like to apologise to our customers who have experienced flight disruption in recent days and understand that they have been looking forward to these holidays for a long time. The May half-term holidays are always an incredibly busy period with many customers looking to get away, and this year is no different.
"Unfortunately, due to ongoing challenges in our operation, we have had to announce a small number of planned cancellations between now and 30 June from Manchester Airport only. We are directly contacting all impacted customers in departure date order and they will automatically receive a full refund.
"We can reassure our customers that the remainder of our flying programme is expected to operate as planned. We’d like to apologise again for the inconvenience caused and we thank customers for their understanding and patience during this time."
easyjet
EasyJet say that passengers must check their information for their own particular travel updates, according to the Mirror. It says: "Closing times for check-in, bag drop and boarding are clearly marked on booking confirmation and boarding passes and must be adhered to at all times. Please check these before you travel."
The travel company states on its website: "You should check-in and print your boarding pass from our website or download your boarding pass on to our mobile app (if you are flying from an airport where mobile boarding passes are accepted) at least two hours prior to your scheduled departure time. If you change your flight or lose your boarding pass, you’ll need to re-print or download a new one.
"If you are late, you may not be allowed to fly. If you miss your flight but arrive at the airport within 2 hours following its scheduled departure, you can transfer to the next available flight by paying a Rescue Fee."
On Tuesday (May 31), a spokesperson confirmed one flight cancellation in Manchester had been made in the previous 48 hours. The spokesperson also said the company is aware of longer than usual delays at airport security but was not aware of queues at its bag drop.
Ryanair
Ryanair has said that it recommends checking in baggage as early as possible. According to the firm's website, the 'bag drop' desks open two hours prior to the scheduled flight departure time.
A spokesperson for the airline said: "Ryanair passengers are advised via their email/Ryanair app to arrive at least 3 hours before their scheduled departure time."
Jet2
Jet2 list its requirement depending upon airport, so you need to double check the information that applies to your particular airport and destination.
A Jet2.com and Jet2holidays spokesperson said: “The half-term period is a very popular time for holidaymakers and we are operating a huge programme of flights, taking many thousands of customers away on their well-deserved holidays. We are receiving positive feedback from many happy customers, thanks to our dedicated teams who are continuing to work tirelessly to provide the best customer service in the industry.
"You only have to look at our fully staffed check-in desks to see the difference between ourselves and other airlines. We have a very visible uniformed presence (referred to as the Red Team) in our UK airports as well as in our main overseas airports and in resorts.
"This team are on hand, making an enormous difference in terms of assisting and guiding our customers through their journey with us. Of course, we are aware that some customers may have experienced delays at other points in the airport, for instance going through security, however this is completely outside of our control.”
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