Brits heading on Easter holidays have been facing chaotic scenes at major airports including Manchester, Birmingham and Heathrow in recent weeks due to staff shortages hit by Covid.
Some passengers were subject to four-hour queues for airport security over the weekend, while over 1,143 flights were cancelled in the space of a week according to data from aviation analytics firm Cirium - a 480% increase based on same period pre-pandemic.
That included easyJet cancelling over 200 flights and British Airways also hit with a wave of cancellations. (If you're due to fly, we've got guides on how to check if your flight is cancelled as well as your refund rights if you're affected).
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Commenting on the Cirium data, Paul Charles, CEO of travel consultancy The PC Agency, said: "This is a staggering level of flight cancellations caused by a cocktail of not having enough staff in place and Covid-induced staff shortages. Airlines are certainly seeing a high level of demand to fly, but are simply unable to cope with that demand due to a lack of resources. It’s a nightmare situation for airlines and airports at the moment."
Passengers are being urged to arrive at the airport at the earliest possible time to allow for delays, while unions have warned that the disruption could last for months.
So what is causing all of the disruption? We take a look at five key factors causing the chaos at UK airports.
1. Staff shortages due to Covid
While there is a 'living with Covid' plan, coronavirus is still rife - including nine new symptoms being identified.
Covid-related illness has been causing staff shortages across businesses, including airports and airlines. In fact, easyJet has said it's the main reason why the budget carrier has been forced to cancel hundreds of flights in recent days.
For airports, there are staff shortages across everyone from airport security staff to ground handlers, which in itself slows down the process and leads to delays.
Fed-up passengers have labelled the growing chaos at Manchester Airport an "absolute disgrace" with mammoth queues and delays of several hours putting many at risk of missing flights.
One passenger, Steve Blear,s called the scenes "chaos", estimating he waited in a queue of around 1,000 people outside the airport at just before 5am. Once inside, he said there was "confusion with people unclear where to check in and where to queue".
2. The removal of travel restrictions
Holiday hotspots such as France, Spain, Portugal and Greece have eased their travel rules in time for Easter to make it easier for holidaymakers.
Countries often announce a relaxing of travel rules days before the restrictions get lifted - for example Malta has announced it's reopening to unvaccinated Brits in a week - and that's usually followed by a surge of bookings.
However, it means that airports and airlines don't get much of a warning to prepare for the influx of travellers.
A spokesperson for Manchester Airport previously said of the disruption: "The removal of all travel restrictions after two years, coupled with the start of the summer travel season, has seen a rapid increase in passenger numbers, which is putting an enormous strain on our operation."
3. A surge of holidaymakers
Only in recent weeks have countries begun to once again ease their travel restrictions for UK holidaymakers, so many Brits have been favouring UK holidays instead of trips abroad.
In some cases, holiday hotspots such as France and Italy were only open to fully vaccinated Brits quarantine-free, but announced changes in time for Easter to also welcome back unvaccinated or partially vaccinated travellers, although still with restrictions in place such as Covid tests.
Throughout the pandemic when a country has eased its rules, there's typically been a surge of people booking last-minute getaways, whether for holidays or to be reunited with loved ones for the first time in months/years.
For example Malta has announced it's reopening to unvaccinated Brits in a week, and as it's an April holiday hotspot it's likely there will be an influx of bookings.
Airports where there are staffing issues aren't equipped to cope with the boost of travellers.
4. Redundancies caused by the pandemic
The pandemic devastated the travel industry with foreign travel being banned for non-essential reasons, strict entry requirements and a general halting of holidays in general.
As a result, airports and airlines were forced to cut their workforces including cabin crew, pilots, ground handlers and other employees.
The effect is still being felt now, especially as last-minute relaxing of rules has seen holidaymakers rushing back for getaways.
One Manchester Airport employee told the Manchester Evening News : "It’s very under-staffed at the moment, things are diabolical. The entire work environment is shocking. A lot of people were furloughed and made redundant.
"All the companies in the airport just got rid of far too many staff, everyone panicked during the pandemic. Now everything is picking up again, we can’t just get the staff back.
"There’s a lot of staff threatening to leave and a lot that have already left. We’ve just lost loads of staff - had many hand in notices in the last two weeks."
Sharon Graham, General Secretary of the union Unite, wrote on Twitter: "The aviation sector is suffering from a chronic inability to attract new staff. It is pretty simple – if you want to thrive, treat your workers with respect and don’t attack their #JobsPayConditions #Wednesday."
5. A return to travel and airport rules
Navigating hand luggage rules at airport security is something most people haven't done in years - and all it takes is a few people having to go through security scanners a few times because of forgotten liquids or other items, and the process gets slowed down.
It's not a huge issue when the airport isn't busy - but when there are already four-hour queues, all of those extra minutes add up.
London Stansted’s Managing Director Steve Griffiths said as part of a statement issued before Easter: "While queues may be longer than people are used to at times, customers can definitely help us by arriving in good time.
"We are also keen to remind people how they can minimise any unnecessary delays at the airport.
"The usual restrictions on liquids, sharp items, and electronics carried in hand luggage continue to apply, and although hand sanitiser is also allowed through security if it's under 100ml it too needs to be included in a clear, resealable bag with all other liquids, so we urge passengers to prepare properly before they leave home."
Manchester Airport also issued a reminder for travellers on Twitter, listing the key security rules including: liquids being 100ml or less and placed in a clear, resealable bag; removing large electricals from your bag; limiting your hand luggage; trying to limit the number of security trays you use.
Have you been affected by the delays or cancellations? Email us on webtravel@trinitymirror.com.
