TRAVEL MELTDOWN
Brits should arrive at airports a DAY EARLY to drop luggage amid Easter travel chaos, airport bosses say
HOLIDAYMAKERS are being advised to arrive at airports a day early to drop off their luggage in a bid to dodge queues.
Staff shortages have brought chaos to airports amid and soaring demand for Easter getaways, with airlines cancelling hundreds of flights.
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Stansted, Britain’s fourth largest airport, said travellers should arrive as soon as check-in opens, between three and two hours before departure.
Because some airlines open their bag drop services the night before departure, passengers could also consider checking in their luggage a day early, if possible, to avoid queues before early morning flights.
A spokesman said: “Passengers should check with their airlines as some open bag drop the day before early morning flights.”
Between them, British Airways and EasyJet have cancelled a further 80 flights that were due to depart on Thursday.
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A total of 1,236 flights in the UK were cancelled by airlines between March 28 and April 12, according to data company Cirium – a 428 per cent increase on the same period in 2019.
Holidaymakers are also being warned that journeys will take longer on what is expected to be the busiest weekend on record for the roads.
The AA said that drivers should ensure they carry food as they could be stuck in their cars in warm weather.
Temperatures of more than 20 degrees Celsius are expected across parts of southern England.
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'A MESS OUT THERE'
The AA has advised motorists to avoid travelling on Good Friday if possible, saying motorists would be better off leaving early on Saturday morning if they have not done so already.
Howard Cox, who runs the FairFuelUK campaign, agreed.
He told the : “It’s a mess out there already. It’s a bit of a lottery for filling up with fuel, especially if you’ve got a diesel car.
“We’re getting about 1 in 10 fuel pumps being empty in East Anglia across to Wales. There’s no need to panic buy or go mad, but you might find that some islands in forecourts will be empty.
“I’d say allow plenty of time to get back and ring ahead to garages to see if they’re short of fuel. I’d leave half a day early.”
John Keefe, from Getlink Group, says Eurotunnel's travel numbers are reaching what they were pre-Covid.
He said: “We’re seeing the highest numbers of successive weekends that we’ve seen for three years.
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"Easter 2019 was the previous time we saw this traffic level.”
South East Coast Ambulance Service is expecting a surge of more than 10,000 calls over the Easter weekend and says people should use NHS 111 if they can.
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