The “national voice” of UK airports last night defended its members following a stinging rebuke from the boss of a leading holiday company.
It comes amid ongoing chaos at many of Britain’s terminals, with hundreds of flights cancelled daily and thousands of passengers left helpless trying to leave or return to the UK.
The travel disruption is being blamed on aviation industry staff shortages – both on the ground and in the air – as well as huge numbers of people wanting to travel following the easing of Covid restrictions.
But it could all so easily have been avoided, according to Philip Meeson, the executive chairman of holiday company Jet2.
Announcing annual results for the business yesterday, Mr Meeson pulled no punches.
He said: “Most of our 10 UK base airports have been woefully ill-prepared and poorly resourced for the volume of customers they could reasonably expect, as have other suppliers, such as onboard caterers and providers of Airport PRM (passengers with reduced mobility services.”
This is “inexcusable, bearing in mind flights have been on sale for many months and aircraft load factors are normal, Mr Meeson said.
And in a further swipe at airports, Mr Meeson added: “Theirs and the ground handling suppliers’ often atrocious customer service, long queues for security search, lack of staff and congestion in baggage handling areas, and the consequent airport congestion, together with the frequent lack of onboard catering supplies, have each contributed to a very much poorer experience at the start and finish of our customers’ holidays than they were entitled to expect.
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“Inevitably, these customer-facing challenges have put extra pressure on our colleagues, both in the UK, onboard our aircraft and in our holiday destinations.
“This difficult return to normal operations has occurred simply because of the lack of planning, preparedness and unwillingness to invest by many airports and associated suppliers.”
Jet2 does not fly from any north and north-east airports but people from all over Scotland travel to Edinburgh, Glasgow and further afield to catch its holiday flights.
A spokesperson for the Airport Operators Association, representing gateways including Aberdeen International Airport (AIA), said: “Airports have been preparing for this summer since the end of last year, but it was not until March that all travel restrictions fell away and many people felt able to return to aviation, both for travel and employment.
“Recruitment campaigns for security staff are ongoing and progressing well, with more staff being deployed as they finish their training and security vetting.
We aim to deliver the service that passengers have rightly come to expect.”
Airport Operators Association.
“Airports are also working closely with airlines, the companies managing check-in and baggage on behalf of airlines as well as the government to alleviate any delays where they do occur and to support others in the industry who are coping with staff shortages.
“By working closely together in this way, we aim to deliver the service that passengers have rightly come to expect.”
A spokesman for AGS Airports, which operates AIA and also the terminals in Glasgow and Southampton, said: “Our airports have been coping well and are not experiencing the levels of disruption witnessed elsewhere.”
Mike Tibbert, president of the Scottish Passenger Agents’ Association, the professional body for travel agents and the travel sector in Scotland, said: “We’ve all seen the scenes from airports south of the border, however, our Scottish airports have been managing the return to the skies more efficiently than in some other parts of the UK.
“That’s not to say that everything is running 100% smoothly, but passengers can do their bit to ease their journey too, by downloading their tour operator or airline app and checking their flight status before travelling to the airport.
“Arriving there too early can cause problems for airports as they are designed around their operating capacity. So, check the recommended time for your particular flight, and where possible check in online and print out your boarding card at home.”
BA dispute at Heathrow suspended
Meanwhile, the dispute affecting British Airways’ check-in staff at London Heathrow Airport has been suspended after the airline made an improved pay offer, unions said.
Extensive negotiations were held on Wednesday and an agreement was reached.
Unite said it will now ballot members involved in the dispute on the proposed offer.
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