Families across the UK face a summer of further chaos if action is not taken it's been warned.
Holidaymakers have reported being caught up in travel chaos over recent weeks as long queues are captured at Manchester Airport and flights delayed or cancelled. One family even had to spend €500 on clothes and toiletries after all their suitcases went missing when they flew to Fuerteventura from Manchester.
A stark warning has been issued that travellers face a "summer of chaos" if the industry fails to act now, the Mirror reports. Union Unite which represents tens of thousands of aviation workers said holidaymakers were paying the price for "chronic staff shortages" brought on following the covid pandemic.
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However, Liverpool John Lennon Airport took to Twitter to reassure passengers that currently, it is not experiencing severe delays. It wrote: "While we are aware of media coverage elsewhere, we want to reassure our passengers that we continue to see 15-20 mins queues through security throughout the day and are, therefore, asking passengers to arrive no more than 2.5 hours prior to their flight departure time."
Speaking about future chaos, Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: "During the pandemic, when airline operators and others in aviation slashed jobs to boost corporate profits, we warned this corporate greed would cause chaos in the industry. The aftermath of mass sackings is now chronic staff shortages across the board.
"Aviation chiefs need to come clean with the public. This is a crisis of their making. We are determined that workers will not pay for this crisis. Current pay and conditions in the industry are so poor that workers are voting with their feet. It can only be resolved by offering higher wages and better working conditions for staff. Unite is utterly determined to fight for that."
Manchester Airport previously issued a statement after much disruption as passengers try to jet off for half-term. The airport apologised and said it is "not the experience" it wanted for passengers.
A spokesman for Manchester Airport said: "We are aware of the challenge being faced by a number of airlines and handling agents, which is leading to delays at check-in and baggage reclaim for some passengers. Airlines and their ground handlers are responsible for their own check-in and baggage handling services. Passengers are advised to direct any questions or concerns about these issues, or anything relating to their flight, to their airline, who will be best placed to respond.
"However, this is not the experience we want passengers to have at Manchester Airport and we are sorry to hear customers have faced disruption. We are in contact with the senior management teams of the relevant airlines and ground handlers to understand the cause of these issues, and to support their efforts to resolve them as quickly as possible.
"Our colleagues are on hand in the terminal to provide assistance to customers and we are working hard to ensure security waiting times are as quick as possible. It remains our advice that passengers should arrive three hours before their flight and be as prepared as they can be for their journey through the airport."
Passengers are often taking to social media to express their frustration at the ridiculous scenes being seen at airports across the UK, including Manchester. According to the Mirror, Kim McManus from Widnes should have been looking forward to her holiday to Turkey, flying from Manchester, when their smiles turned to tears.
They were told their longed for Tui holiday had been cancelled after an issue which then led to cabin crew going over their allotted hours as they tried to sort out the mess. Kim said: "It was so cruel, it broke my heart. I was crying to my own mum."
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