Passengers faced long queues at Heathrow and Manchester airports as the Easter holidays got under way.
Travellers vented frustration on social media as Covid checks, high passenger volumes and reported staff shortages and e-gate problems meant long waits for check-in at Heathrow.
The airport confirmed “some congestion” was affecting Terminal 2. In a statement, a spokesperson said: “Due to high passenger volumes and the Covid documentation checks still required by many end destinations, Terminal 2 departures has experienced some congestion today.
“Our teams are supporting our airline partners to get passengers away on their journeys as quickly as possible and we apologise for any inconvenience this has caused.”
At Manchester airport, which has struggled to cope with delays in recent weeks, a spokesperson apologised to passengers, saying: “As we recover from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, our whole industry is facing staff shortages and recruitment challenges. As a result we are advising customers that security queues may be longer than usual, and we encourage them to arrive at the earliest time recommended by their airline.
“We are exploring a number of short-term measures to deliver the best possible service we can, such as the use of agency staff and different ways in which existing colleagues can support our operation”.
Meanwhile, easyJet cancelled more than 60 flights due to high levels of staff sickness due to Covid.
A spokesperson for the airline said that it had rostered additional crew for the weekend, but were unable to avoid cancellations. “We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause to customers on affected flights,” they said.
Tourist traffic near the port of Dover was “free-flowing” again on Sunday after gridlocked roads on Saturday affected ferry users, with some drivers stuck in nine-hour queues.
The suspension of P&O services, with three of the company’s vessels at berth in Dover, had been partly blamed for the long queues. Adverse weather in the Channel and congestion in Kent caused by the Easter getaway was also said to have contributed to the traffic jams.
Drivers had on Saturday been forced to wait for hours to board ferries after measures were triggered to control the movement of HGVs in the area. Under Operation Brock, lorries heading to Dover are allowed to use one side of the M20 while all other traffic is restricted to a contraflow system on the opposite side.
National Highways said the M20 remained closed with the operation still in place on Sunday “due to ongoing reduced ferry capacity at the port”.
The cross-Channel situation was dealt a further blow when a DFDS ferry, Dover Seaways, hit a berth in high winds on Thursday. DFDS said in a statement the vessel was being inspected ahead of repairs and was expected to return to service on Monday or Tuesday.
Richard Ballantyne, the head of the British Ports Association, said on Sunday the situation had improved, but that delays are likely to continue beyond the weekend.
He told BBC Breakfast on Sunday: “East Kent and the Kent police services … and the very well-established operations team at the Port of Dover are predicting this is going to continue for another couple of days, but it is something we just quite don’t know how long it’s going to go on for.”
