Footage taken at Manchester Airport shows the moment passengers crawled into the restricted baggage area in a desperate bid to retrieve their luggage.
The video was recorded around a month ago as part of a Channel 4 Dispatches investigation set to be broadcast on Monday night. The undercover reporter was nearing the end of his shift as a baggage handler for Swissport when he heard voices across the room.
He looked over to see frustrated passengers crawling across the conveyor belts in an attempt to locate the luggage they had been waiting on for hours. In the video, the passenger can be heard telling the undercover journalist: “We’ve been waiting one and a half hours. I will grab it and help you unload if you want. Do you want me to help you unload the bags? We’ve got another flight to catch yet.”
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Upon speaking to colleagues, the reporter discovered this is a regular occurrence, with workers claiming: “It happens all the time” and “people try coming though, start fights”.
Manchester Airport has endured a nightmare few months since Covid travel restrictions were eased. Passengers have complained of long queues, delayed and cancelled flights and lost luggage as the airport struggled with a lack of staff and a spike in demand.
But bosses say waiting times are falling dramatically despite the airport experiencing its busiest time since before lockdown. During July, 92 per cent of people passed through security in under 30 minutes. Over the last week, more than 95 per cent of passengers got through security in under 30 minutes, with more than three quarters of people passing through in less than 15 minutes.
Commenting on their investigation, the journalist said: “To be honest, I just don't know how people do these shifts and these kinds of hours starting at 3am. It’s absolutely brutal. No one gives them much credit. But without them no one's flights will be taking off. No one will be going on holiday.”
Swissport, the baggage-handling company used by many airlines, sacked over half of its 6000 baggage handling staff during the pandemic.
In response to Dispatches’ investigation, Swissport said: “We are sorry for our part in the disruption some people have experienced at Manchester Airport. We are doing everything we can to mitigate delays for passengers, including hiring more than 4,100 people since January.”
Airport Chaos Undercover: Dispatches is set to be shown on Monday, August 1 at 8pm.
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