‘We left at 5am for a 3pm flight’: travellers facing long waits at Manchester airport

Passengers have been told to expect huge delays at Manchester airport, with some enduring waits of up to eight hours before they can even be checked in. Photograph: Mark Waugh/The Guardian

David and Jasmine Pringle had woken up at 4am to travel to Manchester airport from County Durham after Qatar Airways told them to expect huge delays for their flight to Doha.

“Leaving the house at 5am for a 3pm flight isn’t ideal,” David said. “But it’s been over two years since we last saw Jasmine’s family in the Philippines and we’ve been desperate to make the journey to see her elderly parents. We’ve paid the best part of £3k for the flights. Now we just want to get there.”