Monday 1 August 2022 09:03 AM Manchester Airport passengers crawl through baggage conveyor belts trends now
Desperate passengers resorted to crawling through hatches in the baggage reclaim area at one of Britain's busiest airports after they lost patience with hours of delays and 'chaos'.
In a graphic illustration of the problems gripping air travel since thousands of staff were sacked during the Covid pandemic, an undercover reporter working at Manchester Airport was told that fed-up travellers trying to get air-side to retrieve their bags 'happens all the time'.
The investigation by Channel 4 Dispatches – broadcast tonight – also exposes how a whistle-blower claimed pilots with one budget airline feel pressured to fly longer hours while suffering fatigue.
While a UK Border Force insider warns that on current staffing levels, lengthy queues at passport control will exceed three hours if passenger numbers reach pre-pandemic levels.
The alarming revelations come after months of disruption which has seen a staggering 1.7million people flying out of or into the UK impacted by cancellations within 48 hours of their flight.
Desperate passengers resorted to crawling through hatches in the baggage reclaim area at Manchester Airport
Video footage shows a passenger having crawled through the hatch after losing patience with hours of delays and 'chaos'
The reporter working as a baggage handler for Swissport was told passengers resorting to trying to get airside and retrieve their luggage 'happens all the time', causing 'fights'.
They branded the situation 'f*****g chaos', saying the cause was that they had 'literally no staff'.
Physically demanding work that would typically be covered by two or more people was performed by individual handlers, according to the programme, with conditions at shifts starting at 3am described as 'absolutely brutal'.
Meanwhile a Wizz Air pilot whistle-blower told the programme about what they feel is pressure to fly longer hours.
Speaking anonymously, the pilot said: 'There is a shortage of crew and to avoid cancelling flights they encourage staff to work harder.
'There is pressure for us to help out by flying on our days off. You can report sick if you are fatigued but you will lose financially if you do.'
Last month the Daily Mail revealed how Wizz Air's chief executive Jozsef Varadi came under fire for encouraging airline staff to work through fatigue.
At the time he said: 'We are all fatigued but sometimes it is required to take the extra mile.'
An undercover reporter was told that fed-up travellers trying to get air-side to retrieve their bags 'happens all the time'
Wizz Air racked up losses of £550million for the 12 months to the end of March – although revenue more than doubled to £1.4billion.
Martin Chalk, general secretary of the British
