Holiday operator TUI will cancel nearly 190 flights over the next month due to ‘ongoing disruption’ at Manchester Airport. Decimating plans for thousands of passengers around half-term and the Jubilee, it follows a series of reports from travellers experiencing delays, cancellations and baggage issues as the hub continues to suffer through turbulent times.
The airline will cancel six flights a day, or 43 a week, from May 31 until June 30. All other airports in the UK, they have said, will ‘operate as normal’. The decision comes amid ongoing tales of missing luggage, holidays being cancelled by text and mammoth flight delays. On Saturday, police were drafted in to tell ‘hundreds’ of people waiting at the boarding gate, following an eight-hour wait, that their flight to Kos in Greece had been cancelled.
TUI had said in a statement that the ‘sudden increase’ in people going on holiday combined with ‘various operational and supply chain issues’ had impacted a ‘small number of flights’. Meanwhile, Manchester Airport bosses had vowed to work with airlines and other handling agents experiencing difficulties amid an urgent recruitment drive, to resolve the ongoing issues for passengers. However, TUI have now taken the decision to remove flights from the schedule in a bid to manage the crisis.
On Tuesday, the airport expanded on the 'issues' being faced by TUI, blaming the impact of 'temporary staff shortages' for both TUI and Swissport, on their check-in and baggage reclaim operations.
READ MORE: We asked TUI, Jet2 and Swissport to explain why Manchester Airport has been hit with half-term chaos
In a statement, TUI said: “ We would like to apologise to our customers who have experienced flight delays and cancellations in recent days and understand that many of our customers have been looking forward to their holiday with us for a long time.
"Due to the amount of on-going disruption in our operation at Manchester Airport, we have made the incredibly difficult decision to cancel six flights a day (43 flights a week), from Tuesday, May 31, until Thursday, June 30. All other airports in the UK are planned to operate as normal.
“We understand how disappointing this will be for those impacted; however, we believe this is necessary to provide stability and a better customer service at Manchester Airport. We will continue to work closely with all our airport partners and suppliers so we can provide the best possible holiday experience for our customers.”
They said customers affected would receive a full refund for their holiday as well as an ‘extra gesture of goodwill’. Customers impacted in the next 14 days will also receive information on how to apply for compensation in line with regulations.
They added: “We would like to reassure our customers that cancellations of this nature are extremely rare and would like to thank them for their patience and understanding.”
A spokesman from Manchester Airport said: “Over the last few days TUI and its appointed ground handler, Swissport, have experienced significant challenges with their check-in and baggage reclaim operations at Manchester Airport. From extensive discussions with the TUI and Swissport management teams, it is clear that they are experiencing temporary staff shortages, in common with other aviation and travel companies
“Given these challenges, we understand TUI’s difficult decision to cancel a number of services over the course of the next month, although we are obviously disappointed to see passengers’ plans disrupted in this way. We will continue to work with TUI, Swissport and other partners to give passengers the best possible service as the travel sector builds back to full strength after the pandemic.
“In the meantime, we continue to advise passengers to arrive three hours before their flight and to be as prepared as they can be for their journey through the airport.”
For interesting daily insights into the stories in Greater Manchester, you can sign up to the Mancunian Way newsletter.
