A passenger watched their flight take off without them as they waited in a huge queue outside an airport after a power cut caused significant disruption and delays.
In the first major travel hub chaos of the summer, Manchester Airport was hit by a power outage shortly before 8am on Wednesday morning, causing serious issues with check-in and boarding.
One passenger said she got to the airport at 7am well in time for her 10am Ryanair flight to Tenerife, but missed it as she was stuck trying to check in her luggage, Manchester Evening News reported.
"Power cut at airport so stuck trying to check luggage in. Plane has gone. What are we supposed to do? Nobody has come to advise us. It’s my birthday today!" irate passenger Megan tweeted.
Were you caught up in the chaos? Email webtravel@reachplc.com
Tom McKenna said he was stuck in scenes of "absolute chaos" and had just watched his "Ryanair flight fly over my head as I'm queuing outside terminal 3. Utter disgrace…should be ashamed of themselves."
Laurie Marie, who said she'd also missed her Ryanair flight from the airport, claimed passengers were told to return tomorrow to catch another flight.
"We have had to book new flights and a hotel which comes at additional expense we should not have to pay, I fully appreciate this is not anyone's fault but some communication would help," she added.
While the queues outside the airport disappeared as the day went on, the impact of the chaos was still being felt this morning.
"Dragged my 14 year old, 8 year old and 4 year old to the gate to board just in time, for the plane to leave pretty much instantly, leaving me wondering how on earth they found time to pack the baggage," Siouxsie Edwards wrote of her time rushing through the travel hub yesterday afternoon.
"Question answered - they didn't. Arrived in Palma with three children in tow to be told our baggage was left at Manchester Airport, given forms to fill out and hope they were on the next flight tomorrow. Three kids, no clothes except the stuff on our backs....including underwear."
The airport apologised for inconvenience caused by the power outage, which was due to a fault at an external substation and was resolved in the middle of the afternoon.
The latest update posted on the official Manchester Airport Twitter account said: "The power outage that affected Terminal 3 shortly before 8am has been resolved and we are working to return services to normal.
"We are aware this means some passengers are facing long waiting times than usual as our airlines recover their check-in processes and we apologise or any inconvenience."
Early signs suggest the airport is back up to normal standards this morning. The Mirror has contacted Manchester Airport for additional comment and an status update.
The scenes of chaos are reminiscent of those endured by many customers last year, when Manchester Airport was particularly badly impacted by a post-lockdown surge in demand and issues with staffing numbers.
Anton Radchenko, air passenger rights lawyer and founder of AirAdvisor, told the Mirror last month that he would not be surprised to witness similar levels of disruption this summer.
"Last year airlines and airports were unprepared for the sudden increase in travel due to low occupancy travel resulting from Covid, so airlines and airports were not up to speed in terms of hiring and training flight and ground crews," he told The Mirror.
"This year it is expected to be approximately the same based on Q1 2023, as major airline carriers Lufthansa, Air France, and British Airways are almost reaching the 2019 record level."
Pent-up demand caused by people who delayed their trips during the pandemic are being taken now that nearly all global Covid travel rules have been dropped.
Some low-cost carriers including Ryanair have outperformed their 2019 numbers already this year, suggesting they may run into the same problems airlines did in 2019, Anton predicts.
A Ryanair spokesperson said: "Due to a power outage at Manchester Airport, which was entirely beyond Ryanair’s control, some passengers missed their flights from Manchester Airport this morning (24 May).
"Where possible, we have reaccommodated affected passengers on alternative Ryanair flights departing later today and where alternative flights are not available today, we advise passengers to contact our Customer Service Team.
"We sincerely apologise to affected passengers for any inconvenience caused as a result of this power outage at Manchester Airport, which was entirely beyond Ryanair’s control."
