Airline bosses hire more security for Easter rush

March 30, 2023

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The air travel industry is confident Easter will be disruption-free after recent months of staff shortages and strikes.

Hundreds of thousands of Brits will be heading abroad for the Easter holidays via airports such as Manchester, Gatwick and Heathrow.

Some airlines have been short of key personnel and Border Force and security workers went on strike leading to delays and cancellations.

But, according to the BBC, wages have risen, as businesses try to attract and retain new recruits.

However, travellers face the prospect of delays as strikes in France are likely to cause issues.

EasyJet’s chief operating officer, David Morgan, said: “When they close an airport because of strikes you are going to see disruption. But the vast majority of flights, even during a disrupted period, will run smoothly.”

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The BBC said EasyJet started recruitment six months early, while Manchester Airport said it already had enough security staff for the summer peak.

Some airlines have struggled to get enough workers post-pandemic, having let go staff when aircraft were grounded and all travel suspended during COVID-19 restrictions.

Last spring, Manchester Airport faced particular criticism for long queues caused by shortages of security staff.

Now bosses are promising a “great” experience.

A spokesman added: “I can absolutely reassure passengers they won’t see the security queues they saw in summer 2022. We’re aiming to deliver at least 95% of our passengers in fifteen minutes”.

The airport now has 350 more security officers than the same time in 2022 as well as a new 100 person-strong ‘resilience team’, trained to help in any area where pressure builds up.

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