Passengers looking to fly away this weekend should take just one carry-on bag with them and not check in luggage to avoid delays, a union boss has said.
The measure will ‘limit disruption’, according to the GMB union, which represents aviation workers. The advice follows months of disruption at airports across the country, including Manchester, where passengers have endured long queues for Security, Check-in and at baggage carousels, leading to thousands of cancelled and delayed flights.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has met with industry leaders to discuss the problems across aviation. At Manchester Airport, staff shortages have led to reports of queues which extend into car parks, missing baggage spotted from 1,300 miles away, police rescues after flights failed to take off and even food shortages for those passengers actually able to board their flights. More than 30,000 TUI customers have received messages cancelling their trips, while easyJet and Jet2.com passengers have also been affected.
Manchester Airport, meanwhile, say their recruitment drive has bolstered the workforce by 800 people and that security queue times have improved as a result. However, disruption and delays at check-in and with baggage are ongoing. These have been blamed on staffing issues among airlines and handling agents.
The Manchester Evening News has asked Manchester Airport if they support the view that passengers should streamline their luggage to avoid long queues at check-in. Andy Prendergast, national secretary of the GMB, thinks passengers can defiintely help themselves by travelling light. He told the Daily Telegraph: "It is one less thing to worry about. If people can check in online and do not take bags, that limits the disruption.
"It's not a magic bullet but it does reduce the chance of there being problems."
Meanwhile Paul Charles, chief executive of travel consultancy PC Agency, said: "The smaller the bag, the less time you spend in security queues. That would reduce the queues during the busiest weekend of the year so far."
So far, at least 377 flights out of the UK have been cancelled since 25 May, according to flight tracking firm Cirium, affecting thousands of people who booked holidays over the half-term break and the Jubilee bank holiday weekend.
Nationally, more than 30,000 members of staff were laid off from UK airlines alone.
Manchester Airport and its partners have been scrambling to hire them back. But insiders say there have been delays as many have found jobs elsewhere, while there have been claims of long waits for security clearance and airside passes.
It’s understood aviation chiefs have asked Mr Shapps to allow them to recruit from overseas.
Following a meeting with aviation bosses on Wednesday, Mr Shapps said: "Today’s meeting was a chance to hear from airports and airlines first-hand what went wrong this week. The scenes we’re witnessing at airports are heartbreaking, with holidaymakers missing out on their first trips abroad after the pandemic.
“We’re grateful to those airlines and operators who have continued to deliver good services despite the current pressures and we recognise that not all operators have been affected in the same way. I also understand the resourcing strains on the aviation sector but it does not excuse poor planning and overbooking flights that they cannot service. The companies who have seen the most disruption need to learn from those who ran services smoothly.
“We will continue to monitor the situation closely to make sure consumers don’t lose out from any further disruption. Both myself and the Aviation Minister have made the changes needed to allow the sector to prepare for summer, but now we need industry to do their bit.
"We have been crystal clear – run services properly and according to schedule or provide swift, appropriate compensation. We do not want to see a repeat of this over the summer - the first post-covid summer season – and will be meeting again in the coming weeks to understand the progress that is being made."
For analyais of the day's news stories in Greater Manchester, sign up to the Mancunian Way newsletter.
