Almost 70 people missed flights out of Leeds Bradford Airport over the weekend as long queues brought on by staff shortages ruined holidaymakers' plans.
Leeds Bradford Airport (LBA) has confirmed 67 people did not make their flight with long queues at airport security cited as one of the main reasons. The airport said it is actively encouraging people to apply for roles in a bid to combat staff shortages.
LBA added it is "experiencing longer queuing times for our security process" with the problem worsening between 5am and 9am - as well as later in the afternoon.
The airport today (Mon) apologised to those who had missed their flight, blaming an "industry-wide problem", but insisted: "Those impacted are mainly those who arrive at the airport late or those who have some form of security issue related to their bags."
On Saturday (March 19) @philchalk tweeted: "At approx 06:00 yesterday morning, the queue for security pretty much stretching (sic) the length of the terminal - two hours from bag check-in to gate... and the staff say this is normal currently."
A spokesperson for LBA said: "We would like to apologise to those impacted and we are working hard to overcome these challenges with ongoing recruitment and training activities and more staff being released to the operation from training each week.
"We have additional opportunities across the operation and encourage anyone looking for work to apply via our website. Unfortunately, these current challenges are an industry-wide problem, caused by the speed of withdrawal of travel restrictions and testing which has led to the rapid recovery of international travel.
"Passenger numbers in March are almost three-times greater than in January, and continue to grow. Airports across the country are being impacted by lead times to recruit and train additional staff.
"We are actively managing queues to pull people to the front as their flights near departure, which ensures that very few passengers have missed flights.
"LBA is confident that, with additional staff being recruited, the situation will return to 'more normal' in the coming weeks."
The airport is currently advising holidaymakers:
- Arrive at the airport three hours before their flight is set to depart;
- Pre-prepare carry-on baggage - remove all large electronic devices, carry liquids and gels less than 100ml in a one litre zip lock bag, do not carry liquids over 100ml or other prohibited items;
- Empty your pockets, remove jackets and coats and take off boots or high heeled shoes before reaching the x-ray units.
