Holidaymakers are being warned to turn up for flights this Easter as much as four hours before the flight is due to take off. There have been huge queues at some of the UK's biggest airports soaring coronavirus cases forced flight delays and cancellations for British Airways and easyJet.
Manchester and London Heathrow airports have seen widespread delays this week, after easyJet cancelled 62 flights and British Airways cut 115 of its journeys for Monday. Read here about why the flights have been cancelled.
The majority of Welsh schools break up for the Easter holidays at the end of this week, with the first major getaway since the start of pandemic expecting to make it busier than usual.
READ MORE: Wizz Air launches nine new routes from Cardiff Airport
TUI is advising customers to arrive up to three hours before departure, while Andy Prendergast, national secretary of the GMB which represents the majority of airport staff, advises people arrive p to four hours before.
A spokeswoman for TUI said: "TUI is advising customers to arrive up to three hours before departure and to allow extra time to go through security before going to their boarding gate. We have an entry requirements hub on our TUI site with up to date requirements for each destination we travel to."
All Ryanair customers can check-in online, free of charge, up to two hours before the scheduled flight departure. Customers can check-in for flights 60 days in advance of both departure flights by choosing a seat or if they have a Flexi Plus ticket. Both outbound and return flights must be within 60 days of departure. Customers can select where they would like to sit and choose to sit together if travelling with a group. More details are here.
Easyjet is warning passengers that with rules and restrictions changing all the time, it "makes sense to prepare". Adding: "There’s plenty to do before your flight, whether it’s filling in forms, checking restrictions, or getting the right tests." You can check what is needed here.
Andy Prendergast, national secretary of the GMB, says the pandemic is the "simple reason" behind the delays and cancellations. See the latest rules for Spain, Greece and Turkey here.
Speaking to BBC Radio Wales on Tuesday, he said: "Large numbers of staff were given redundancy during the pandemic. And quite simply, those staff haven't come back. The wages aren't competitive any more. The security checks take an awful lot of time and people are simply found other careers.
"There's a huge number of vacancies and we've been speaking to some of the airports and some of the baggage handling companies who are saying quite simply, they can't currently get a crew for the amount of flights that they're getting.
"You know, this is also a wages issue. A lot of our members are living on relatively low wages in the airport, as a result of losing jobs over furlough they are now seeing better opportunities in other areas. And quite simply, I think that they're looking at more secure employment.
"Unfortunately, airports used to offer secure employment, but over the pandemic, people have already had their confidence shaken in them as an employer."
His advice for travellers is to get to the airport four hours before your flight is due to take off.
"The view at the moment is you probably need to get there about four hours beforehand," he said. "That is not something we want to say but at the moment you need to take that extra time to make sure you can get through. We have heard stories like one from a woman who got there three hours before and still didn't get on the plane at Manchester.
"Unfortunately, in the short term, that's what's going to happen. So you need to get to the airport as early as possible. And please remember as well, that they are understaffed and overworked, and they're doing their best and I know it's very frustrating for travellers, but these people are working really hard to get you through and we would ask that you treat them with a bit of respect and dignity."
Cardiff Airport advises passengers: "We recommend that all passengers continue to check with their airline for the latest flight information, and to check their destination's entry requirements as testing/documentation may be required."
Bristol Airport says "We do recommend you arrive at least two hours ahead of the scheduled time of departure. Whether you have checked-in online or are checking-in at the airport, do allow plenty of time for traffic, parking and security search.
"We endeavour to make your journey through the airport as quick and efficient as possible, but this may take longer when flying at the busiest time, between 6am and 7:30am. Do remember, it’s your responsibility to arrive on time. "
