Today’s Easter Holidays saw long queues at Heathrow and Manchester Airports. Traffic jams continued to plague the Port of Dover.
Airport blamed disruptions on Covid checks that are required for destination countries as well as ‘high passenger volume’.
There were reports that there was staff shortages at e-gate passport checkspoints. Travellers took to social media as a way to vent their frustrations.
Some claimed they waited for hours before checking in to fly because congestion was evident at the airport.
Others claimed that several automated e-gates, which are operated by Border Force and used to process passengers were not properly operating. We have reached out to the Home Office for comments.
A passenger claimed that he waited for 2 hours on the plane to take off. He said it was because of staff shortages. Travel chaos is common at Easter, when holidaymakers are expected to increase their numbers.
Delays are often caused by staff shortages. Some travellers were forced to wait up to one hour to board planes in order to get off the ground.
Ali shared this tweet: Manchester Airport not ideal due to it being so busy. It’s well-organized and the staff is smiling through abuses and announcements.
Manchester Airport apologized today for the delays caused by staff shortages.
Manchester Airport saw large queues this morning, as April’s first weekend was a rocky start.
Amanda Abbington, actress tweeted that there wasn’t anyone to handle her luggage claim at Manchester Airport
A Manchester Airport spokesperson admitted the service was short-staffed and said: ‘We apologise to passengers whose experience at Manchester Airport has fallen short of the standards they expected.
“As our industry recovers from the effects of the coronavirus epidemic, we are facing staff shortages as well as recruitment challenges.
“As such, we advise customers to expect longer security lines and encourage them arrive as soon as possible.
“Due the security screenings and training that are required for these positions, it can take time before people become able to work in our organization.
One passenger complained that it took her over three hours to get through security at Manchester Airport yesterday.
Although the situation at Manchester Airport was chaotic, staff were appreciated for being professional in dealing with many complaints
Manchester Airport stated that as we are rehabilitating from the effects of the coronavirus epidemic, the entire industry faces staff shortages, and challenges in recruiting.
“That’s why we’re exploring short-term solutions to ensure we provide the highest quality service possible. We can use agency staff or find other ways that our existing colleagues can help us.
“We know that airlines face similar problems as third parties such as baggage handlers, who operate on our site. We are all working together to provide the best service possible in these circumstances and resolve these problems as soon as possible.
A traveller claimed that Terminal Two Heathrow had been at capacity with just three hours to go before the flight.
However, it’s understood that the terminal was reopened this morning following some restrictions due to the increase in passengers during the Easter holiday.
Heathrow spokeswoman said that Terminal 2 has seen congestion due to the high volume of passengers and Covid documentation checks required by many destinations.
“Our airlines partners are working with our teams to ensure that passengers get on their flight as soon as possible. Our apologies for any inconvenience.
Nick Gale, a teacher from Kent, described six mile traffic queues at the Port of Dover caused by disruption to cross-Channel ferries and bad weather.
According to the British Ports Association boss, although the situation has slightly improved at Dover port, delays will likely continue past the weekend.
This area is now in chaos due to gridlock on roads close to the port and disruptions caused by cross-Channel Ferries and bad weather.
On Sunday’s BBC Breakfast, Richard Ballantyne stated that it was a little better today. “Yesterday, we had nine-hour waits at the port. The traffic measures… work quite well, and allows other residents, businesses and people in east Kent to freely move about.
‘But (it is) not a good position if you’re stuck in a vehicle for six to eight hours.’ The suspension of P&O services, with three of the company’s vessels at berth in Dover, has been partly blamed for long queues in the area.
The jams are also caused by adverse weather conditions in Channel and congestion from tourists visiting Kent to celebrate Easter.
After measures to stop HGVs from moving in the region, drivers were forced to queue up for hours before being allowed to board ferry boats. Operation Brock permits lorries going to Dover to use the M20 on one side, and all traffic else is limited to the contraflow system.
Heathrow’s Terminal Two was reported to have reached its full capacity. Passenger could not enter the airport until about three hours before departure.
A Dover Seaways ferry from DFDS, which was crossing the channel, crashed into a berth on Thursday in strong winds. DFDS stated that the vessel was being inspected before repairs are made and will be back in service Monday or Tuesday.
Even though there has been a slight improvement in the situation, Ballantyne stated that authorities expect delays to continue into the work week.
“East Kent, the Kent police and operations team at Port of Dover predict this will continue for another few days. But it is something that we don’t quite know how much longer it will go on.”
Nick Gale (a Kent teacher) said that he and his family had been stuck in Calais on Saturday for over two hours, missing the scheduled ferry.
He stated that there had been no communication with port staff. Policeman said it was basically the perfect storm, less ferries… plus bad weather and (the) P&O issue.’
Gale criticized the “awful” communication surrounding Dover and said that non-freight travelers were not informed about the best way to proceed. “I feel that around Dover there’s an awful lack of communication regarding what nonfreight customers should do.
He said, “We are locals to this area and knew some ways to beat huge lines but it is literally not moving.”
“We have no food, and an eight year old in the back moaning.”
Suspended P&O Ferry services are said to have contributed to long delays at the Port of Dover throughout the weekend, along with two DFDS ferries out of action
“This was caused by many factors including extreme weather conditions in the Channel.
Although there were overnight delays, the waiting time from Dover to Calais is reported to have fallen to six hours from yesterday’s 14-hour mark.
A rescue helicopter was launched in England to assist two passengers on board a crashed plane that had taken off from the UK.
Piper PA-28 was part of a flight group that was headed to Le Touquet, northern France on Saturday morning.
According to a spokesperson from the French emergency services, “It collided into British waters because of an unknown cause,” he said.
“British Coastguard” launched an operation with French boats, aircraft and boats to support it. This was chartered by French Navy.