Gridlock with drivers stuck in two-hour queues at Dover and car crashes down ... trends now
Thousands of British families have been caught up in hours of delays on the country's motorways, airports and ferry links today on the busiest day of travel since Covid.
Road traffic has been exacerbated by a horror crash on the M6 between J14 and J15 which has closed two lanes and caused 5 miles of congestion and over 30 minutes of delays added on to people's already bloated journeys.
Throughout the day the Port of Dover has been swamped with activity and many families have reported missing their ferries entirely as a surge of holidaymakers make a break for the continent over the Bank Holiday weekend.
Travellers are also facing long delays and heavy congestion on the country's motorways with the Dartford Crossing particularly affected whilst those looking to travel on the Eurostar at London St Pancras have also encountered long waits at security.
Meanwhile at Heathrow, passengers have been forced to queue for hours to get information on their luggage and replacement travel plans after the airport was forced to cancel 175 flights due to the knock on effects of yesterday's IT glitch.
M25: Traffic builds up both ways on the M25 motorway just north of the M3 junction
LONDON: Passengers at King's Cross station in central London as bank holiday getaway begin
DOVER: Traffic queues for ferries at the Port of Dover in Kent as the getaway for half term and the bank holiday weekend begins
DARTFORD: Huge snaking tailbacks have developed on approach to the crossing
HEATHROW: People queue to check in at Heathrow Airport on May 26, 2023
DOVER: Port bosses are anxious to avoid a repeat of Easter where some travellers waited as long as 17 hours
DARTFORD: Heavy clockwise traffic on the A282 Queen Elizabeth II bridge at the Dartford river crossing in Kent
LONDON: Eurostar passengers have joined long lines just to get through security
BRISTOL: Passengers faced some lengthy queues at the check-in desks this morning
HEATHROW: Passengers at Heathrow have reported chaos as they waited for hours to find their luggage
Half-term holiday plans for thousands of families were thrown into disarray after British Airways' flight cancellations due to an IT failure reached 175.
Most of the affected flights were on short-haul routes to and from Heathrow Airport.
British Airways said the 'technical issue' was resolved on Thursday night, but disruption continued into Friday because of aircraft and crew being out of position.
Friday was expected to see the most departures from UK airports since December 20 2019, with more than 3,000 flights planned.
This is due to the combination of many families heading overseas ahead of the half-term school holiday in England and Wales, and Monday being a bank holiday.
Aviation analytics company Cirium said 83 British Airways flights due to operate on Friday were cancelled, in addition to 92 flights on Thursday.
That means more than 20,000 passengers' journeys were axed.
Those that have made it to the airport have reported that they are being made to wait in hour long lines just to establish whether or not their luggage is missing.
In a message on its website, British Airways told customers: 'We're aware of a technical issue, which we have been working hard to fix.'
It advised passengers to check the status of their flight before going to the airport, adding that it is receiving 'high call volumes'.
Heathrow said the problem was not related to a strike by security officers at Terminal 5 who are currently locked in a dispute over pay.
Reacting to the carnage, Rory Boland, editor of consumer magazine Which? Travel, said: 'The busy holiday season is only just beginning but already BA is breaking its promises to its customers that it would avoid a repeat of last year's travel chaos, with thousands of passengers now finding themselves in holiday hell as a result of yet another IT disaster.
'Occurrences like this are becoming all too familiar. 'BA has a legal responsibility to refund or reroute any passenger caught up in the chaos, and travellers shouldn't be shy about enforcing their rights.'
Members of Unite have already held 15 days of industrial action, including over the busy Easter period.
Heathrow said it has contingency plans in place to keep the airport open and operating as usual, adding that passengers can expect to have a 'smooth' half-term getaway.
LONDON: Passengers waiting at Euston station with their luggage on a bumper day of travel
KENT: Lorries queue during Operation Brock on the M20 near Ashford
HEATHROW: Huge queues have formed at the airport as British Airways passengers wait to find out what will happen to their cancelled flights
DOVER: At intervals in the enormous line vehicles are completely static
DARTFORD: Motorists have been warned to expect very busy roads this May bank holiday weekend as '19 million trips are to take place'
DARTFORD: Anti-clockwise traffic on the A282 slows to a crawl this morning as it approaches the Dartford Crossing
DOVER: Tensions are fraying at the port after long delays to pass security
Up to 5,500 cars and 350 coaches are predicted to travel through Dover today and the Port has been under pressure to put measures in place to stop traffic getting snarled up after declaring a critical incident this Easter.
