Today is expected to be the busiest day for British airports in three years, leaving Britons detained abroad or unable to leave the country.
Today, as the four-day bank holiday weekend and half-term holidays come to a conclusion, will be the busiest day for air travel since before the pandemic, with 2,864 departures from the UK and the same number of inbound flights.
After 15,000 individuals were affected by last-minute modifications yesterday, more lineups were visible this morning at airports like Stansted, Manchester, Bristol, and Edinburgh. According to experts, clearing the backlog will take three days.
Meanwhile, Transportation Secretary Grant Shapps has declined to aid airlines with staffing shortages by easing visa requirements.
Planes heading for Luton were diverted hundreds of miles away because of a power cut yesterday, and there was also trouble on the trains – with Eurostar passengers left waiting up to eight hours for their trains because of power failure on the line near Paris; while London’s Euston station had to be evacuated after a fire alarm went off.
It capped a nightmare week for British holidaymakers that saw understaffed airlines cancel hundreds of flights at the last minute, leading to police having to deal with the angry scenes in overcrowded departure lounges.
The government, on the other hand, is resisting requests to intervene to assist the aviation industry, which has been accused of laying off too many employees during the pandemic and then selling too many seats once the Covid travel restrictions were relaxed.
Mr Shapps was asked if he would temporarily modify post-Brexit restrictions to allow more foreign workers into the nation, similar to what happened last year when a lack of lorry drivers left shop shelves and gas stations bare.
Commuters on the tube face travel disruption due to strikes.
Due to a strike, tube stations around London were closed Monday, causing transport mayhem for many returning to work following the long bank holiday weekend.
People were cautioned not to travel by the London Underground, which warned of serious disruption across the network from the start of service this morning to 8am tomorrow. Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) are taking industrial action in a dispute over jobs and pensions. Transport for London (TfL) said some train services will run but many stations, especially those in central and south London, will be closed, while others may only open for limited periods.
Commuters wait to board a bus at London Victoria station today, while most stations in the city are closed due to strike action.
Other TfL services, like as the DLR, London Overground, and Trams, are unaffected by the strike and will continue to operate, though at a higher capacity.
TfL stated that no recommendations on pensions or terms and conditions have been made, and that no one will lose their job as a result of the proposals.
The government has ordered TfL to aim toward financial sustainability in its operations by April 2023 as part of prior financing agreements. TfL has proposed not hiring for about 500 to 600 vacant positions when they arise.
RMT members on the Tube are also taking action short of a strike, meaning station staff might not work overtime, until Sunday July 10, which may result in short notice station closures.
The result of the 2016 Brexit referendum, according to the Transport Secretary, meant an end to recruiting ‘cheap labor from somewhere else.’
‘I didn’t vote for Brexit, but the country did, and we’ve decided that we want a high-wage, high-skilled economy,’ he said. ‘That implies the aviation sector, like all other sectors, must evolve, just as the HGV, or lorry driving sector, has done.’
Mr. Shapps also dismissed calls for the army to be sent in.
‘The Army isn’t a quick fix for every problem. Second, they’re being used in ever-increasing numbers.
‘It can’t be acceptable that it is so complicated sometimes to get a flight rearranged or to get your money back,’ Mr Shapps said. ‘I want it to be more like Delay Repay works on trains, where it is an automated process.’
Among those calling for visa rules to be relaxed was London Mayor Sadiq Khan.
He told the BBC: ‘What you can do very easily is make sure those who were in those jobs before, who have gone back to their country of origin, from the EU, are encouraged to come back.
‘Because what we don’t want is a spring misery turned into a summer misery. Many families who have saved, who have paid for a holiday and are looking forward to a holiday are going to be let down.’
His demand came as easyJet said it had cancelled 80 flights yesterday ‘due to the ongoing challenging operating environment’.
Gatwick was badly hit with more than 40 incoming flights cancelled from BA and Wizz Air as well as easyJet.
And thousands of passengers due to head home to Luton were left stranded overseas or diverted after a power cut early in the morning.
A spokesman for Luton Airport said: ‘Following a power failure in the area this morning, a temporary loss of navigational aids at the airport resulted in some disruption to flights.’
Eurostar services were interrupted for much of the day due to a similar problem with the overhead power supply near Paris, with the cross-Channel rail operator’strongly encouraging’ travellers to postpone their journeys as early trains were delayed and later trains were cancelled.
Travelers delayed in France shared stories on social media of being left waiting for up to eight hours at the Gare du Nord in Paris.
While some passengers were eventually allowed to board delayed trains, others who had their trains cancelled were advised that alternative services would not be available until tomorrow.
Meanwhile, commuters in London will face’severe disruption’ today as unions hold a one-day Tube strike.
Transport for London is encouraging users to avoid using the network because several stations are either closed or under construction.