With delays and nightmares at airports and not only, thousands of tourists from the “civilized world” – from Great Britain to Australia, began their “way to rest”. The reason is a sharp increase in demand due to the start of the Easter holidays, multiplied by a shortage of staff due to the effects of covid. In the local media, tourists complain about the nightmare they had to endure, and fear that chaos will catch up with them at the airports of the continent on their return.
Long delays at UK airports began as early as 3am on Friday. “Huge lines of tourists flying to beach resorts snaked around the check-in counters,” British media paint. Four-hour queues awaited tourists at Gatwig Airport, “chaos” in Manchester, tourists were also encouraged to arrive three hours before departure, otherwise they risk being late for the flight, since the airport does not have the required number of employees.
“The problems are caused by a lack of staff and problems with his new recruitment. In the coming weeks, there is a risk that security wait times will be up to 90 minutes,” said Alex Nash, a spokesman for Manchester Airport, which is why tourists are asked to arrive at the airport three hours before departure and double-check that their be aware of the security rules, as any additional screening of bags will increase the waiting time.”
Tourists also paint “hellish lines” in Manchester, after which some of the elderly became ill, and small children “had to urinate in bags where liquids are usually put.” This episode is told by a couple of tourists – 32-year-old Jack Makin and his 32-year-old wife Laura Story-Makin, who arrived at the airport three and a half hours before their flight to Malta. It took them five strenuous hours to get to the boarding gate. The fact is that one security zone with a minimum of employees worked for two terminals. “Everyone went through the same security zone. It was chaos. About five people served it all and handed out luggage trays. In the family before us was a child who became ill due to dehydration and heat stroke. The children had to pee in plastic bags, which are usually filled with liquids. It was terrible,” they say. The tourists themselves, having arrived at the airport at 16:30, were still standing in line to go through security at 20:15, and their flight was supposed to depart at 20:05. Fortunately, after the “hellish ordeal”, their flight left three hours late at 11:15 pm. Not everyone survived the test – a couple of elderly tourists, already on board, lost consciousness due to stress and pressure problems.
Problems were also recorded at Heathrow and Birmingham, as tens of thousands of Britons tried to fly south. On top of that, British Airways and easyJet have canceled 110 flights, making things worse.
It was not easier on the ground either: in Dover, where the Eurotunnel begins, tourists faced terrible traffic jams. “The situation is the worst since Christmas 2020, when France closed its borders,” travel experts say, adding that “anyone hoping to travel to France by car this weekend should arrive early and bring food and drinks with them.” .
There are also problems with ferries: chaos in the P&O ferry service after a mass layoff of personnel, storms at sea, snow and technical problems all united against tourists. And at least 40 thousand of them are expected over the weekend. And in general – over 21 million.
Not only in the UK, tourists have to suffer – in Australia, in Sydney, tourists who rushed to rest after covid complain of massive delays. The chief of the Sydney airport said that “inexperienced” travelers contributed to the “perfect storm” that caused serious delays. Tourists describe the situation as “hell,” footage from the airport showed snaking lines stretching through and out of the terminals, and many flights had to be delayed again. The problem is the same: lack of staff. “When only two people manage all the cattle … of course there will be problems,” Australians say not without humor on social networks. Officials also cite staffing issues due to Covid-19 close contact rules. “Traffic is on the rise, travelers are inexperienced after two years without travel, and close contact rules make it difficult to fill shifts and airport staff,” they assure.
At the same time, storms are also expected when the British return from resorts – for example, airports in Spain do not report delay levels, but already warn tourists about the time they need before departure at the airport. Madrid Barajas Airport states, for example, that it is at least two to three hours before departure “to check in luggage and go through security.” “Keep in mind that there can be a lot of people on holidays or special days. You should always keep an eye on the monitors or information boards for the check-in counters and boarding gates appropriate for your flight, as last-minute changes may occur in exceptional cases,” tourists are warned.
In Barcelona, the message is as follows: “The passenger must be at the check-in counter at least 3 hours before scheduled departure for non-Schengen flights, and for Schengen and domestic flights: 2 hours before scheduled departure. Please note that there may be a lot of people during peak travel periods or on special event days.” At least two hours in advance, tourists are also advised to arrive at the airports of Palma de Mallorca, Malaga and Alicante.
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