Holidaymakers resorted to crawling through conveyor belts to get their suitcases during ongoing chaos and delays at a British airport.
Passengers at Manchester Airport spent hours waiting for their luggage before taking the matter into their own hands.
Staff working brutal shifts at the airport said "it happens all the time", while some travellers even started fights after becoming frustrated with huge queues, delays and cancellations.
The shocking situation was revealed by undercover journalist Jane Moore as part of a Channel 4 Dispatches documentary, which is set to air on Monday, reported Liverpool ECHO.
“To be honest, I just don't know how people do these shifts and these kinds of hours starting at 3am," Ms Moore said, while working undercover as a Swissport baggage handler.
"It’s absolutely brutal. No one gives them much credit. But without them no one's flights will be taking off. No one will be going on holiday.”
Colleagues described seeing desperate holidaymakers climb through the conveyor belt in a bid to get airside and find their luggage after being forced to wait for hours.
Some baggage handlers also reported working "brutal" shifts over multiple days that would usually be covered by two or more people before the pandemic.
Other team numbers had been slashed, and the majority of those who had lost their jobs were “experienced staff”.
Swissport, the baggage-handling company used by many airlines, more than halved its 6,000 baggage handling staff during the pandemic.
Several passengers affected by flight cancellations also told of their struggles at the airport, including a family who spent almost £4,000 rearranging flights for a wedding.
Another passenger was left stranded in Europe without critical heart medication, while a third with accessibility needs was abandoned on a plane.
One family missed their flight to Barcelona, where they were due to celebrate a Ruby wedding anniversary.
In another devastating turn, a single mother had saved for years to take her son on his first holiday abroad... only to have it cancelled.
Almost all of the passengers claimed they were either denied compensation or did not receive a response when they made a compensation claim.
However, many did eventually receive compensation after Dispatches got in touch with the airline on their behalf.
Among flights leaving the UK, Wizz Air delayed almost seven in 10 flights in June 2022, according to data from air travel data provider OAG.
More than half of easyJet flights and eight in 10 BA flights were also delayed, the research revealed.
It also estimated that 1.7 million people flying to and from the UK have been impacted by cancellations within 48 hours of their flight since January 2022.
A spokesperson for Swissport commented on the situation at Manchester Airport in response to the Dispatches investigation.
“We are sorry for our part in the disruption some people have experienced at Manchester Airport," they said.
"We are doing everything we can to mitigate delays for passengers, including hiring more than 4100 people since January.”
Exclusive research for Dispatches revealed that since January 2022, 1.7 million people flying out of, or into, the UK were impacted by cancellations within 48hrs of their flight
A recent review commissioned by Home Secretary Priti Patel found that the UK’s Border Force is operating in an “unsustainable and highly inefficient way”.
Dispatches heard from a whistle-blower from the department who gave insight into the lengthy queues at passport control.
Speaking anonymously, the whistle-blower said: “We don’t have the staff, we don’t have the resources.
"When we start to get summer levels close to pre-pandemic summer levels with current staffing, you’re going to get queues significantly longer than three hours.”
Meanwhile, a Wizz Air whistle-blower revealed that pilots feel pressured to fly longer hours whilst suffering fatigue.
"To avoid cancelling flights they encourage staff to work harder," the source said.
"There is pressure for us to help out by flying on our days off… you can report sick if you are fatigued but you will lose financially if you do.”
