Brits hoping to get away this bank holiday weekend are set for more travel chaos with queues up to 2,000 feet long snaking through UK airports.
Travellers jetting away over half-term and the four-day Platinum Jubilee weekend have been faced with hours of queues and cancelled flights which one passenger branded "disgusting".
Issues are still being reported today (Thursday, June 2) across major UK airports including Manchester, Heathrow, Gatwick, Bristol and Birmingham.
Hundreds of flights have been axed in recent days, with some holidaymakers claiming they had to wait hours before they heard their trips had been called off.
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Tui Airways is reportedly continuing to cancel six flights at Manchester Airport daily, representing a quarter of its schedule.
Frustrated travellers at Heathrow have shared images of snaking queues at passport control, while a mum with a 14-month-old baby spoke about how she was stuck in baggage claim for some two hours before they could get home following an eight-hour night flight.
Meanwhile at Gatwick, one holidaymaker shared an image of huge queues at baggage reclaim at 3.15am this morning, claiming nine flights were waiting to get hold of their luggage with more still due to arrive.
" @Gatwick_Airport baggage reclaim at 3:10am this morning," one woman tweeted.
"Appears to be no baggage coming through and approx 9 flights waiting and more arriving. No updates either. Preparing for a 2 hour wait #gatwick #disgusting."
Another described queues that were "600m" (2,000 feet) long just before 8am today, with fears it could take over an hour just to get through security.
At Manchester Airport, one disgruntled traveller said she had been sat in the airport for eight hours before being told her trip to Greece was cancelled, adding that her luggage was still missing.
One said today: "Been sat on the tarmac now for over 1.5hrs at @BristolAirport because @easyJet can’t find enough crew.
"A good chance we’re going to miss our connecting flight & be stuck in France now. No idea what our rights our for claiming money back? Second flight is with a different airline."
Another claimed Bristol Airport was "bursting at the seams" and shared an image of empty meal deal shelves.
She added: " @BristolAirport bursting at the seams! Arrived 3.30 for 7am flight. 50mins to park car, drop bags & go through security. Huge queue for any restaurant/shop, no spare seats anywhere in building! No food on shelves. Some bottles of water. Hopefully just about to board!"
In a crunch meeting with aviation bosses on Wednesday, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the industry must "do their bit" to alleviate issues for travellers.
More than 150 UK flights were cancelled on Wednesday alone, marking the eve of the Platinum Jubilee bank holiday weekend. 377 flights have been axed in the last seven days, according to aviation data firm Cirium.
Around 10,794 flights are scheduled to depart from UK airports between Thursday and Sunday as Brits try to get away for the bumper bank holiday.
The aviation industry is said to be suffering from staff shortages after letting thousands of people go during the Covid-19 pandemic.
They are now struggling to recruit new workers and have their security checks processed.
After the meeting with bosses, Mr Shapps warned that the scenes witnessed over the last few days can't happen again over summer.
“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," he said.
“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.”
