Ryanair boss urges travelers to get to Manchester airport earlier due to travel chaos
The chaos at Manchester Airport is set to continue for the next few months, with airline bosses warning people of a “difficult” summer. Staff shortages and long queues at airport security have caused significant problems for travelers in recent weeks and even resulted in holidaymakers missing their flights.
As Manchester Airport recently issued an update saying it was “on the road to recovery”, Ryanair bosses warned people to arrive on time. Chief executive Michael O’Leary said crossing airports would be ‘difficult’ this summer and there were ‘pinch points’ at airports such as Heathrow and Manchester airports, where he said “too many people” had been made redundant.
“We hope to see these pinch points eliminated by the end of June in time for the peak summer period,” he said. “But there is no doubt that getting through airports this summer will be difficult and we encourage all of our customers to show up earlier to have more time to clear airport security, particularly in Manchester.
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At this time, passengers are still being asked to arrive three hours before their flight at Manchester Airport and are reminded to familiarize themselves with hand luggage security rules to speed up the process. However, the airport has also urged customers not to arrive too early as this could lead to additional queues and worsen the situation.
More than 8,000 people are believed to have applied for jobs at Manchester Airport and more than 1,000 new recruits have already been hired. Bosses also reassured travelers about improved security wait times and fully reopened Terminal 3 to help cope with demand. Staff are also being offered extra payments for overtime and a ‘Take Time, Take Care, Take Flight’ campaign has been launched to help passengers navigate the terminals.
There are still vacancies at the airport and several recruitment events are planned, including an open day at the on-site Airport Academy on May 17. Airport staff will also attend job fairs held in Stoke on Trent and Bolton. .