More weekend chaos expected as shortages, cancellations and IT issues rampage through
UK travellers are bracing for more weekend chaos as the industry continues to be hit by a fatal combination of staff shortages, cancellations and IT issues.
Brits remain stuck in hour-long queues at major hubs such as Gatwick and Manchester as British Airways and EasyJet slashed another 100 planes as a result of widespread Covid among staff.
“Airlines say ‘Expect a month of delays, so if you’re going away in May you better start heading for the airport now,” joked one Twitter user while another complained they don’t want to “to arrive at the airport at 4am to be turned away.”
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), who has been monitoring the situation with growing apprehension, called on both airlines and airports to work together and find a rapid solution.
“We appreciate that it is not always possible to anticipate all the challenges that may arise on any particular day, but where capacity constraints can be predicted in advance, we would expect co-operation between all parties to determine the best outcomes for consumers,” said CAA’s boss Richard Moriarty.
“Instances of late notice cancellations and excessive delays at airports are not just distressing for affected consumers but have the potential to impact confidence levels across the industry.”
Chaos is not only hitting the aviation sector as disruption is making its way through the country’s railways, ferries and roads.
ITV journalist Chris Choi posted today a photo picturing hundreds of people queuing for Eurostar services from London St Pancras, while operators such have apologised to customers for delays and cancellations.
Drivers continue to be stuck in hour-long bottlenecks when trying to cross the Channel due to a combination of scarcity of ferry services following the suspension of P&O services, Morning Wire reported.
According to haulage industry sources, bottlenecks were worsened by outages on one of the government’s post-Brexit trade portals, the “goods vehicle movement service” (GVMS).
After initially experiencing some glitches on 30 March, the GVMS was unavailable for use since the following day and it’s expected not to work until midday on Monday, the Guardian reported.
Despite the disruption, the HMRC has put forward contingency plans that allow traders to register goods going in and out of the country.
“Our IT systems are stable: we have put in place contingency processes to ensure businesses can keep goods and freight moving while we return to full service,” an HRMC spokesperson told the outlet.