HOL LOTTA STRESS
Easter airport chaos sees hundreds of flights cancelled – and summer could be even WORSE
TRAVELLERS suffering Easter airport chaos as flights are cut owing to staff shortages have been warned that summer could be even worse.
Dozens of flights have been cancelled recently while airlines struggle to cope as staff call in sick with Covid.
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And experts have warned so many employees were laid off during the pandemic that airports and airlines are struggling to train new recruits in time for the great summer getaway.
It comes as airlines are reporting more bookings for the summer season than before the pandemic — as lockdown-weary travellers spread their wings at last.
The firms are also suffering from a “crippling delay” in government identity checks for new staff.
EasyJet boss Johan Lundgren said there would have been fewer recent cancellations if the system had been sorted out earlier.
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He said: “There’s this delay of the clearance from the Department for Transport for people to get IDs.”
But ministers have vowed not to cut corners and accused airlines of laying off too many staff in the pandemic.
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More flights are set to be axed this weekend as a million sunseekers jet off for the biggest Easter getaway since the pandemic.
Research by Travelodge found around 47 per cent of Brits are estimated to take a holiday this Easter.
Last night, union bosses warned airports face a “very difficult summer”.
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Lucy Moreton, from the Immigration Services Union, said Border Force was “catastrophically under-staffed” and it would take up to a year to train new officers.
She said: “Border Force isn’t attracting enough candidates to fill the vacancies.”
A Cabinet Office spokesperson said: “There are absolutely no delays to security vetting of applicants. It is wrong to suggest otherwise and we are prioritising vetting applications from the aviation industry.
"It is for the aviation industry to manage resourcing at airports and staff absences, especially at busy times of the year."
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