SO UN-AIR
I’m a travel expert – UK airport chaos is driven by airlines racing to fill coffers after two years of Covid hell
THE disgraceful scenes at UK airports over the last few days are an utter travesty.
Brits heading off on longed-for breaks after two years of pandemic hell have been betrayed.
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Thousands have been caught up in mile-long queues for check in and security.
And many thousands more have found their flights — and dream trips — cancelled at the last minute, in some cases even after they had boarded planes.
What they don’t need is the aviation industry and the government engaging in a tit-for-tat blame game.
Airlines and airports have tried to fly before they can walk — reinstating pre-pandemic flying schedules to cash in on surging demand without any thought as to how their staff would cope.
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The mass redundancies made by both as they attempted to stem the billions of pounds of losses when lockdowns hit have come home to roost.
Many workers found employment outside the sector with probably better pay and less anti-social working hours.
Pleas for the government to speed up security vetting shows just how desperate they are to recruit.
And while the sector did face incredible difficulties restarting after two years of stop-start, endlessly confusing travel restrictions, it’s safe to say their rush to top up those empty coffers has seen only one victim — the poor British travelling public.
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And the gamble they took with our money has well and truly backfired.
The shocking scenes at airports up and down the country, the tales of destroyed dream breaks and farcical airport delays will destroy the industry’s reputation.
Those who were thinking of booking a cheeky sunshine break will think twice — put off by the chaos and worried they’ll lose money they can’t afford.
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There are just a few short weeks until the summer holidays start in earnest — it’s vital both the government and industry step up their game and resolve the problems.
Sun readers are giving precious pounds to these companies and deserve to get what they paid for.
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