Thursday 2 June 2022 10:10 PM Airport bosses order in wheelchairs amid claims passengers are faking ... trends now
Passengers are pretending to be disabled to avoid horrific queues at airports caused by a shortage of staff.
Bosses at Birmingham airport said there was a 20 per cent rise in people asking for assistance and it has had to buy more wheelchairs and take on extra staff to push them.
An insider at a meeting of industry leaders on Wednesday with Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, said: 'If people are pretending it's potentially stopping genuinely disabled people from getting a place, and that's pretty grim.'
The source added: 'You can't just say to people "no, you're lying".'
Another industry boss said: 'There should be a special place reserved in hell for people who pretend to be disabled.'
Disabled passengers can skip queues at security and, for a small fee, use fast track lanes and get help through immigration, customs and baggage reclaim.
UK airports have faced criticism due to reported 10-hour delays faced by passengers. It comes as the industry finds itself in the middle of a recruitment crisis due to a spike in demand since covid restrictions were lifted (Pictured - Birmingham airport)
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said pressure in the jobs market 'does not excuse poor planning and overbooking flights that they cannot service' (Pictured - Bristol airport)
Hundreds of flights have been delayed or cancelled in recent weeks and passengers have faced waits of several hours in arrivals and departures.
Steve Heapy, the boss of Jet2, said that airports were struggling to recruit staff because people would rather 'live off benefits and sit on their a****es'.
The industry wants post-Brexit rules relaxed
