Passengers are stuck in huge queues snaking outside airport terminals as the travel chaos in Birmingham and Manchester continues.
Some unfortunate air customers missed their flights this morning due to long waits at security.
Lengthy queues have become a fixture at both Manchester and Birmingham airports this year as the travel industry kicks back into full gear following the easing of pandemic restrictions.
At Manchester Airport one woman was due to fly out from the troubled terminus this morning - but missed her plane due to the queues.
Other passengers say they have "never seen it this bad" as they face queues out of the airport and major delays to their travels.
Scores more flyers have taken to social media to express their frustration at the issues, which began first thing on Monday morning.
Problems seem to peak at the post-dawn flight slots with queues of almost three hours.
There were also problems at Birmingham Airport for people hoping to fly-out - but at Stansted it was delayed for returning passengers.
Ben Leather, who as at Manchester Airport, said: “As a regular flyer I’ve never seen it this bad. Feel sorry for the overworked staff who clearly just don’t have the numbers to cope with the passenger load at the moment.
"Give yourself plenty of time to get through security if you’re flying anytime soon.”
Rachael A added: “Absolute disgrace! My sister is in tears after missing her flight because of security.
"Begged security staff to fast track her through as [her] gate was closing no one cares. Disgrace!!”
Earlier this year the embattled airport urged people to arrive especially early to catch their flights, amid staffing issues which are continuing to rumble on now.
The call seems to have been headed, but has had a knock on effect.
Elisabeth Young said she was queueing for "a 8:50am flight with other people who aren’t leaving until 12 [noon]".
She added: “We made our flight but only because they are waiting. 48/133 passengers [were] missing when I got to the gate.”
A statement from the airport read: “The airport is continuing to advise customers to arrive three hours before their flights, and to ensure they are up-to-speed with the latest rules about what can be carried in hand luggage.
"At the same time, the airport is also asking passengers not to arrive earlier than this because it can lead to extra queues, and check-in and security facilities may not be open.”
Airport bosses have said passengers should arrive three hours before their departure, to avoid long delays with ‘extra queues'.
Ian Costigan, interim managing director of Manchester Airport, added: “We want to make sure that customers get away on their travels, so everyone at Manchester Airport is focused on bringing in the extra resources we need to continue operating our full flight schedule.
“It is encouraging to see new staff joining us as a result of our ongoing recruitment drive, and we have seen security waiting times reduce in recent weeks.
“The last few weeks have been challenging but the team on the ground has done a great job in getting passengers through security more quickly, and I would like to thank all colleagues for their hard work and dedication. While the majority of people will get through security in less than 30 minutes, customers need to allow time for check-in and the possibility that security queues may be longer at peak times.”
Things do not appear to be going much better at Birmingham Airport - which has joined Manchester under the "chaotic air terminal" spotlight this month.
Lee Griffiths tweeted from the airport.: “Total shambles. Queueing out the door. Not all baggage lines working.”
Photos and video footage taken by frustrated passengers this morning show an enormous line stretching the length of the building and continuing inside, with flights delayed by up to an hour.
Travellers say "thousands" of people have been stuck in a queue reaching up to "one kilometre" in length.
An airport spokesperson said around 7,500 people were booked to fly during the busy dawn peak, prompting the decision to run security queues outside.
They said the lines were "long but managed and moving".
A passenger flying to Edinburgh this morning reported waiting in line for two hours to get through security.
Matthew Broome told BirminghamLive at 8.40am: "We’re waiting to leave now - should have left 8.20am.
"I think it was a whole two hours queue for security - I had no bags and checked in online and only going to Edinburgh, so reckon you need three to four hours!
"At present, the airport can’t manage the number of flights/passengers, so think it should scale back and reduce what they do until have sorted staffing issues/processes.
"EasyJet also cancelled my return flight yesterday - so bad service with them. Train home tonight!"
At Stansted airport in Essex returning travellers bemoaned two hours of queuing to get through passport control.
Passengers complained problems with electronic gates being closed and others not working properly.
Similar scenes were seen at the city airport this weekend, prompting airline TUI to apologise to travellers passing through the terminal on Saturday.
Last week, airport chief executive Nick Barton admitted the chaos would continue for several weeks.
Speaking to BBC Radio WM, he blamed a 12-week "lag" between recruiting new employees and making them operational.
He said: "It's still the legacy of the industry being turned back on by the Government's removal of the rules in mid-February."
As of this morning airport management have decided to stop express lane bookings "for the foreseeable future" due to over demand.
A spokesperson for Birmingham airport said: "Half of the 15,000 customers flying out of BHX today were booked to depart in our busy dawn peak, so we took the decision to run security queues outside the terminal to avoid them getting tangled with check-in lines.
"Queues were long but managed and moving. We thank customers for their patience.
"As always, our message to departing customers is: Help us help you keep queues moving by removing any liquids, gels, pastes and electrical items from your bags before our security x-ray scanners."
