Travellers face delays at UK airports and London train passengers warned of severe disruptions
- Passengers reported cancelled flights and long queues at airports including Heathrow, Manchester and Birmingham
- Transport for London (rail) said journeys will be affected by proposed union action and short-notice railway station closures are possible in June
Airline passengers faced cancelled flights and long queues at Britain’s airports on Monday as millions of people embarked on half-term getaways or trips to coincide with the Platinum Jubilee weekend.
Airports are struggling to cope with the demand for travel amid staff shortages. Meanwhile budget airlines easyJet and Tui have cancelled a number of flights this week in an attempt to boost reliability. Manchester Airport has been one of the worst affected, with passengers reporting four-hour queues on Monday.
Chris Price, a battlefield guide, was travelling with his family to the Dominican Republic. “Tui’s lack of communication with passengers is shocking. Nobody (was) there to assist or help if needed, and now (the) flight (is) delayed.
“It spoils an exciting time, especially for children … my son is pulling his hair out. (The) sad part is it’s entirely avoidable if Tui communicated.”
Tui told passengers on social media it is “doing everything to minimise disruption to our flying schedule,” adding that “most our flights are operating with minimal disruption.”
Manchester Airport said in a statement that airlines and their ground handlers are experiencing “challenges” which is “leading to delays at check-in and baggage reclaim for some passengers.”
It added: “This is not the experience we want passengers to have at Manchester Airport and we are sorry to hear customers have faced disruption.”
Passengers departing on flights from Bristol Airport were forced to wait outside in a long line which reached a car park.
Road transport firm MET Executive Travel, which posted a video of the queue on social media, wrote: “Here are the queues of passengers trying to get into the airport this morning stretching out as far as the drop off zone, worst we’ve ever seen.”
In a statement, Bristol Airport said: “We appreciate the frustration experienced by customers early this morning and apologise for the queues at security, which reached 90 minutes for a short period.
“Over 80 per cent of our customers experience less than a 20-minute security queue; only during peak times we extend beyond this.” Passengers also reported long queues at Heathrow and Birmingham airports.
The situation could worsen in the coming days with people jetting off once the four-day bank holiday period begins on Thursday. More than 10,000 flights are expected to depart between Thursday and Sunday, according to aviation data firm Cirium.
That is a three-fold increase on the same period last year, when Britain’s coronavirus travel restrictions remained in place.
Train travellers in London have been warned of severe disruption to Tube services following the Jubilee weekend because of a strike by thousands of workers in a dispute over jobs, pay and conditions.
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union will walk out for 24 hours on Monday June 6, as well as taking action short of strike from Friday June 3 to Sunday July 10, meaning station staff might not work overtime or rest days.
Transport for London (TfL) said journeys may be affected by this and short-notice station closures are possible. It said it expects to run a service during the June 3 to July 10 action, including the Platinum Jubilee weekend, and plans to keep all stations open, but advised customers to check before they travel.
TfL warned of severe disruption across the network from the start of service on Monday June 6 to 7am on Tuesday June 7, with many stations – especially those in the centre of the capital – closed.
Those stations that can be opened may only do so for limited periods and the situation is likely to change throughout the day depending on whether TfL has enough staff to safely keep stations open.
People are advised to avoid travelling on the Tube on Monday June 6 unless necessary.
TfL chief operating officer Andy Lord said: “We are doing our utmost to make the Platinum Jubilee weekend one to remember and I can assure our customers we are working hard to minimise the impact of the RMT’s frustrating strike action.”
He advised Londoners and visitors to check before they make their journeys in case of any short-notice closures.
“On Monday June 6 we advise anyone who needs to use the Tube to consider whether they are able to work from home and only travel if necessary on this day. We are expecting severe disruption, which will continue into the morning of Tuesday June 7 too,” Lord said.
He apologise to travellers and said he understood they would be frustrated by the strike action but urged them “not to take it out on those who are trying to help”.
“We know our customers deserve better than this and that is why we’re urging the RMT to call off this action and work with us to find a resolution to this dispute, which is threatening London’s recovery from the pandemic.”
