Passengers stuck in massive security queues at Bristol Airport on Friday ( March 31) was a reminder of a “nightmare” experience for a Bristol couple who missed out on a rare opportunity to go away. The hours of standing around may have also sparked crippling back pain for Bristol resident, Mark Hendy, which has seen him in hospital three times since they tried to go away.
As the Bristol Live Facebook page was flooded with comments from the public as to the chaos taking place at the airport with the start of the Easter holidays, Mark Hendy said he and his wife, Theresa had missed their flight to Cyprus due to similar circumstances at the beginning of the month.
Mr Hendy, who owns their family run business Mark Hendy Car Repairs, said he "could not remember the last time" they were out of the country, but the opportunity to see his team West Ham United play AEK Larnaca in Cyprus on March 9 was not to be missed. The couple rarely went away midweek due to the business, but decided to spoil themselves with a three day break which would take in the football match.
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But it all went wrong from the moment they arrived at the airport. Mr Hendy said: “We arrived at the airport at around 6.30am for our 8am flight. It was the day it was snowing but all the flight times were still up on the board.
“We went through to the departure lounge which was heaving, people were standing along the walls. I had a back op a few years ago so cannot stand still for long, I have to keep moving around,” he said.
The couple’s flight to Cyprus was moved on the departure board to 9am. He said while other airlines cancelled their flights, they were told to watch the board for Jet2 flights so they had to stand around and wait. Mr Hendy said: “About 12.30 we were told to go to gate three where we got a bit of paper saying we have to get a bus to Manchester as the flight was cancelled.”
After going outside the couple were told the first bus to Manchester was for families only. He said: “That was fair enough, but when I asked about the second bus, I was told another hour or hour-and-a-half to wait.”
He felt they would not make it to Cyprus until the following day as the coach journey was about four hours, as was the flight to Cyprus. With increasing back pain, the couple decided to call it quits on the holiday.
He said: “It was a nightmare. Because we work for ourselves, we don’t take time off so this was an occasion for the two of us. It was really disappointing."
"We know the airport could not help that it was snowing, but if the flights were cancelled, why weren’t they honest with us instead of holding us for six hours. We could have got a coach to Manchester by 9am.”
The following day, he was in pain due to his back and since that time, he has been in hospital three times and is now on crutches. He is due to see a specialist this month and said that working for himself with his older son to help, his business has been significantly impacted as he would normally carry out the "big jobs" in the garage.
He confirmed refunds for his trip were underway. Meanwhile angry passengers took to social media to vent their frustration over the long queues and chaos at Bristol Airport on Friday morning, with one commenting there were “no queues at Heathrow”.
A spokesperson from Bristol Airport said: “Security was very busy for a period of time early this morning, with average queues of just under 40 minutes in our central search area. We always recommend passengers arrive at the terminal at least two hours before their scheduled departure time.
“Whether passengers have checked-in online or are checking-in at the airport, please also allow plenty of time for traffic, parking, and security search.” Delays had eased by mid-morning.
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