More travellers are facing flight cancellations and disruptions due to airport staff shortages caused by rising Covid cases.
Easyjet and British Airways have grounded more than 80 services between them from their main bases, London Heathrow and London Gatwick.
The cancellations have caused widespread disruption as many families planned to travel over the Easter holidays.
Over 1,000 flights have also been delayed in the past few days at other UK airports. Passengers flying from Manchester Airport have reportedly faced a 90-minute wait for security and long queues reaching the terminal’s car park.
Charlie Cornish, chief executive of Manchester Airports Group, said: “The simple fact is that we don’t currently have the number of staff we need to provide the level of service that our passengers deserve.
“Practically, staff shortages mean that we cannot open all the security lanes we need and, at times, this results in longer queues than we want to see.”
Separately, there are disruptions on the road and rail networks, which will impact those travelling to airports or hoping to enjoy a UK staycation. RAC has warned that this weekend’s Easter getaway will be the busiest on the UK’s roads in at least eight years.
What is happening at airports?
Airports are facing staff shortages, but there’s also delays in processing security checks for new airline crew, which are increasing the number of flights being cancelled, according to the boss of easyJet.
Chief executive Johan Lundgren said the airline is waiting for the Department for Transport (DfT) to give permission for nearly 100 new members of staff to start work.
“There’s this delay of the clearance from the DfT (Department for Transport) for people to get their IDs. There’s a backlog there and we’re waiting currently for about 100 cabin crew to get their IDs,” Lundgren said. “There’s a three-week delay on that. That has had an impact. If that would have been on time, we would have seen less cancellations.”
This demonstrates that the rise in coronavirus infections has “impacted basically the whole of the UK”, Lundgren added.
How can I check if my flight has been cancelled?
Your airline should contact you about cancellations, but you can also double check the current status of your flight via the airline’s flight tracker.
EasyJet’s flight checker can be found here while BA’s tracker is here. Other airlines are also likely to be impacted by disruptions, so check with your carrier.
What’s happening with trains and traffic?
Rail passengers are being warned of delays as Network Rail carries out 530 engineering projects costing a total of £83 million.
The West Coast Main Line will be closed between London Euston and Milton Keynes between Good Friday and Easter Monday due to upgrades of the existing line and HS2 work.
And after two pandemic Easters, an estimated 21.5 million leisure trips are expected to be made by car between Good Friday and Easter Monday, the RAC has said. This will inevitably cause traffic jams.
What do you need to know if you’re travelling over Easter?
EasyJet cancelled at least 23 flights to or from Gatwick on Tuesday, which affected routes between the airport and locations such as Berlin, Milan, Valencia and Venice.
Cancellations are being made “in advance to give customers the ability to rebook on to alternative flights”, the airline said.
You’ll need to leave extra time if you’re heading to the airport to account for security checks and potential delays on the train/road.
Motorists hoping to enjoy a UK break are urged to set off before 9am or delay their journeys until after 7.30pm to avoid as much congestion as possible.
What are your rights if your flight in cancelled?
“In the event of cancellations at short notice, airlines must uphold affected passengers’ legal rights to at least £220 in compensation and a refund or rerouting options, and provide refreshments and accommodation as required,” Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel says.
“We’ve seen numerous examples of carriers failing to inform their customers of these rights, which highlights why the Civil Aviation Authority must be given stronger powers to act when airlines consistently break the rules.”
If your flight is cancelled due to staff sickness you are entitled to new flights if the cancellation was announced less than two weeks in advance.
If your flight was 1,500km – you are entitled to compensation of £220 per passenger. If your flight was 1,500 to 3,500km you’ll be entitled to £350 and for a long-haul destination more than 3,500 km away it is £520.