Rishi Sunak today reminded Britain’s creaking airlines and airports that they collected billions from taxpayers during the epidemic and that reducing half-term disruption must be their priority, as experts told MailOnline that the problem will only worsen over the weekend and culminate on Monday.
MPs have urged the aviation sector to ‘get a grip now,’ as airlines face a probe into charges that they sold flights and vacations during the half-term week without having enough air crew or check-in workers to deal with the tens of thousands of people who were stranded.
Mr Sunak has insisted the Government is working with the airlines and airports to reduce disruption and delays – amid a furious blame game between ministers and industry leaders as holidaymakers complained about being left ‘abandoned’ with some flights cancelled minutes before their expected departure.
‘We put in place billions of pounds of support for the travel industry in particular during the pandemic,’ the Chancellor said, adding: ‘Right now there are conversations happening between the industry and ministers to make sure disruption can be eased. That is where the focus is right now’.
With 6,000 flights to and from Britain scheduled over the weekend, peaking at just under 7,000 on Monday, the problems are predicted to be even more dire – coupled with a two-day Tube strike on June 6 and June 7 that will cripple London’s Underground network as people return home and to work.
Paul Charles, chief executive of travel consultancy The PC Agency, told MailOnline: ‘It’s for travel firms themselves to get themselves in order. Sadly, I think it will get worse because were reaching its peak in a few days. Monday is scheduled to be the busiest day since 2019, with 2,864 departures from the UK, and the same number of inbound flights – it will be the busiest day since before the pandemic.’
This afternoon TUI took the decision to cut 43 flights a week – 186 in total through June carrying 37,000 passengers from Manchester – just hours after an extraordinary video emerged revealing two police officers were drafted in to tell their irate customers their holiday to Kos was now cancelled as they queued to board the plane.
The airline, which decided to cut 8,000 jobs during the pandemic and furloughed 11,000 of its staff, said in a statement: ‘We would like to apologise to our customers who have experienced flight disruption in recent days and understand that they have been looking forward to these holidays for a long time.
‘The May half-term holidays are always an incredibly busy period with many customers looking to get away, and this year is no different. Unfortunately, due to ongoing challenges in our operation, we have had to announce a small number of planned cancellations between now and 30 June from Manchester Airport only.
‘We are directly contacting all impacted customers in departure date order and they will automatically receive a full refund’.
For the past four days millions of Britons have suffered long queues at airport check-in and some even brought pillows and duvets knowing they would be forced to sleep on terminal floors. Others passed out on baggage carousels while waiting hours for their suitcases, some of which never arrived and are still missing more than 100 hours later due to a lack of ground staff.
Those caught up in the carnage have described shops selling out of food and water and people being too frightened to go to the toilet in case they lose their place in the queues snaking around terminals at Manchester, Stansted, Birmingham, Bristol, Gatwick and Heathrow in conditions described as ‘hell’.
And many arrived at the airport or even at the gate to learn their flight had been delayed for hours or cancelled completely. Some dumped their suitcases in lockers at check-in and ran for security with hand luggage to avoid missing their flights.
The delays also spread to Eurostar at London St Pancras today where queues for check-in and security stretched for close to half a mile.
Tens of thousands of Britons fear their plans to jet abroad for the long weekend could now be in jeopardy after hundreds of flights were delayed or cancelled, in some cases just as they were about to board.
And a furious blame game has erupted as ministers blamed airlines and airports for the mayhem – while unions and aviation chiefs insisted the Government ‘hasn’t prepared’ for the rise in demand for travel and has failed to clear a backlog of security checks for new workers, which insiders claim could be approaching 20,000 applications.
Julian Knight, chairman of the Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport committee, told the Evening Standard: ‘They [the aviation industry] need to get a grip and now. They risk harming their industry’s reputation for years to come as well as destroying the holiday plans of thousands of Britons.’ He also called for an investigation into claims airlines are selling more tickets than they can service.
Transport minister Andrew Stephenson said today: ‘It is for the airports to plan and recruit enough people in order to deal with the significant increases in people flying which we have been expecting for some time’.
But Labour MP Rupa Haq, vice chairwoman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on General Aviation, said: ‘They [ministers] need to get a grip and face up to the fact that their botched Brexit has caused unprecedented vacancies in the aviation sector’.
There has been chaos, confusion and cancellations at the majority of the UK’s airports over the past four days as families try to get away for half term and the jubilee, with 6,000-plus flights to and from Britain due each day peaking next Monday. There have also been long delays at Dover for drivers heading to France and delays at St Pancras for Eurostar services to the continent.
Couple spend four days without baggage
Legal reviewer Paris Nedderman and James Palmer were left waiting for their luggage for four days after it got ‘stuck’ at Manchester Airport – but never received any communication from carrier Ryanair to tell them what had happened.
Ms Nedderman, 23, and her 28-year-old boyfriend left for Bologna in southern Italy on the morning of May 28.
She described Manchester Airport as an ‘absolute shambles with minimal staff, huge queues, broken conveyor belts and a lack of organisation’.
After arriving at Bologna Airport, the couple and around 60 other passengers spent three hours waiting to be told what had happened to their luggage.
‘The lady at the lost baggage desk informed us that ”the conveyor belt broke” in Manchester so they still had our luggage,’ she told MailOnline.
‘Kids were crying and parents were anxious as they knew they would have to bear the expense of having to buy lots of new clothes, suncream and whatever else was in their case.
‘During our time in Bologna we spent over 200 euros on clothing for the week because we did not know when we would get our bags back due to the lack of communication.
‘We are now on day 4, and have only just received a call from Bologna Airport to say that the case has been received and they will get it on the next flight to us. Still no call from Manchester Airport or Ryanair, we are disgusted.’
MailOnline has contacted Manchester Airport and Ryanair for comment.
As travel chaos wrecked travel plans for the jubilee and half term, it emerged today:
- Thousands have their breaks delayed, disrupted or destroyed due to staff shortages at airports and airlines;
- MPs have accused carriers of selling tickets they cannot honour and plan to launch investigation into the chaos;
- Airlines blame a lack of crew and ground staff caused by a delay in the Government completing security checks of new staff;
Student Isabelle Gray, 27, told the Evening Standard that checking in at Gatwick today was ‘hell on wheels’.
She said: ‘I arrived here just after 5am and queued for almost 2 hours to check my bag in, the queue was about 500 deep and there was one person at the check in desk. Some people next to me were thinking of putting their suitcase in a locker and running to the gate with just hand luggage.’
Airlines and airports have been blamed for the carnage having slashed staff during the pandemic while hoovering up furlough payments and state aid. Now they do not have enough workers to cope – and cannot find people to fill often low-paid vacancies – as the numbers booking foreign holidays over the Platinum Jubilee week and through the summer months hit pre-pandemic levels.
Jayesh Patel, whose half term break to Kos had been two years in the planning, said there was anger and tears as two policemen arrived to read a statement from TUI, moments after they began receiving texts telling them their flight and package breaks would not go ahead.
He told the BBC today: ‘The airport was understaffed, a lot of the outlets had ran out of food or closed at 6pm. We got called to the gate for the 7pm take off – four hours late. There was no staff.
‘People were very upset – some were going on their honeymoon. And then we all started getting texts that the flight was now cancelled and because it was a package booking the whole holiday was cancelled’.
He added: ‘The worst part that there was no Tui staff to help. And then two police officers arrived and read a statement telling us how we would exit the airport. Because the airplane hadn’t arrived from anywhere, our flight wasn’t listed at any of the baggage carousels so we didn’t know where to wait – people were visibly upset and children were crying. We then had to wait another couple of hours and at this point, we’d spent the whole day at the airport and just wanted to leave. ‘
Steven Hession, 45, was also supposed to be flying to Kos on Saturday with his wife, Kerrie, and their two children for a fortnight and an upcoming family wedding.
But after hours of delays and chaos, the family got to the departure gate only to get a text message from airline TUI informing them that their flight and holiday had been cancelled due to ‘significant operational disruption’ – believed to be a missing pilot.
He said: ‘After many hours of delays, we were at the boarding gate just after 7pm and there was no staff one there, but then we saw the cabin crew walking through to the plane, which made us feel reassured. But then we heard people crying… and everyone got this text at the same time saying unfortunately, your holiday has been cancelled, click this link to get a refund within 14 days.’
