Transport secretary Grant Shapps is trying to ease the flight disruption this summer to prevent the chaos seen over the Easter and Jubilee holidays. Staff shortages to handle baggage and carry out security checks such as X-rays are fueling long queues and delays at UK airports. The government has instructed the screening center to prioritize checks for airports so recruits can help fill gaps faster. The Department for Transport (DfT) said counter-terrorism checks for aviation workers are now processed in less than 10 days on average – halfway through March. Accreditation reviews are also being expedited to be completed within five days on average, according to the department. But in the short term, staff shortages appear to be hitting Heathrow. Passenger Adam Kent, 59, said baggage claim “looked like a scene from a disaster movie” after arriving at Terminal 3 from Orlando, Florida. “[There was] lost luggage everywhere, stacked between luggage belts, everyone is going through it and no one is doing anything about it,” Kent, from Worcestershire, told PA news agency. “To be brutally honest, it looks like a serious health and safety issue. No one is visible on the ground to explain the carnage or solve the mess, it seems that a lot of luggage has not arrived with passengers and has just been thrown away.’ Kent said there was “terrible customer service” at the airport, adding: “Staff [were] nowhere, everyone was quite shocked. Left and abandoned luggage was left unsecured and could easily be stolen… No duty of care to passengers’ belongings.’ Shapps, who has devised a 22-point plan to help curb the upset, welcomed the latest statistics. “People have made huge sacrifices during the pandemic and deserve their flights to be on time, without complications and without last-minute cancellations,” he said. “While this is a difficult time for the industry, it is unacceptable that the current disruption continues as we head into the summer peak. “The public deserves to know now whether or not their flight will be operating in the summer, so I reiterate my call to the industry to commit to delivering its scheduled flights or canceling them well in advance so that people can to make other arrangements. “Building on our 22-point plan to help the industry minimize disruption, we will continue to do everything in our power to ensure this summer is a huge success for British audiences.” But Labor accused the government of a “lack of action”. Shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh said: “The part-time transport secretary has not held a single meeting to deal with the chaos between Easter and the Jubilee weekend and is now desperately trying to play catchup. “These re-announced half-measures will do little to clear up the massive backlogs in security checks and address chronically low pay that is holding back the industry.” However, the DfT said Shapps had organized an aviation roundtable to discuss the disruption with airports, airlines and groundhandling companies on June 1.
