Furious Gatwick customers vent fury after pilot lost temper over tannoy after

Chaos at Gatwick Airport is continuing as furious passengers slam staff shortages at check in desks and border control – hours after a WizzAir pilot lost his temper over ‘seven-hour’ runway delay.

The lengthy delay came as passengers were today stuck in ‘apocalyptic queues’ across the UK as British Airways cancelled 114 flights at Heathrow, EasyJet grounded nine planes at Gatwick and holidaymakers had to wait 20 hours to board a TUI flight at Exeter.

Holidaymakers were also met with queues stretching into the car park at Manchester Airport, where passengers are being advised to arrive three hours before their scheduled departures.

But scenes at Gatwick were today described as a ‘total shambles’ and ’embarrassment’ as pictures emerged showing crowded departure halls today.

It comes after one family was forced to sleep on the floor on Monday night when at least 23 flights to and from the airport were cancelled at the last minute.

Frustrated holidaymakers also waited more than 40 hours to board a TUI flight from Cardiff Airport to the Greek island of Zakynthos.

Passengers said there were angry scenes caused by a lack of information and claims that people, including children and the elderly, had been left with little or no food.

The flight was due to leave Cardiff at 2pm on Tuesday, but passengers were still waiting to fly out on Thursday morning. 

Britons are already facing fears of a summer of cancelled holidays with Passport Office staff battling a backlog of half a million applications and airports struggling to cope with crippling staff shortages.

Airports laid off thousands of staff as demand for travel and revenue plummeted during the pandemic.

But as Covid restrictions were lifted earlier this year, demand has surged and airports have been left frantically trying to recruit new staff.

Industry chiefs have warned that airlines ‘are simply unable to cope with that demand due to a lack of resources’ and warned that the ‘nightmare’ disruption – of the sort seen over Easter, where hundreds of flights were cancelled by airlines including British Airways and easyJet – could last all year.

But the frustration has not been limited to passengers. 

One holidaymaker caught the moment a frustrated WizzAir pilot ranted over the tannoy, while they were stationary on the runway of Gatwick Airport during a reported seven-hour-delay.

A passenger on a WizzAir flight to Cyprus recorded the moment the pilot lost his cool and started ranting over the tannoy during a ‘seven-hour-delay’ at Gatwick Airport

Passengers pictured in lengthy queues attempting to gain entry to Terminal 3 at Manchester Airport amid staffing shortages after it laid off 2,000 staff during the pandemic

A frustrated passenger naps across three seats at Cardiff Airport after holidaymakers travelling to the Greek island of Zakynthos waited more than 40 hours to board the TUI flight

Passengers at Cardiff Airport (pictured) say there have been angry scenes caused by a lack of information and claim that people, including children and the elderly, have been left with little or no food

Crowded scenes in a departure hall at Cardiff Airport today as holidaymakers were left waiting more than 40 hours for a TUI flight

Frustrated passengers at Exeter Airport had to wait nearly 20 hours to board a TUI flight to Crete yesterday due to ‘technical and operational issues’

Passengers at Manchester Airport today (pictured) also complained of huge queues and took to social media to vent their fury

Pictures from inside Manchester Airport today showed crowded departure halls as passengers waited for information on their flights

‘I don’t need this!’ He told the exhausted holidaymakers, who were stuck in their seats waiting to set off to their destination of Larnaca, Cyprus.

Passenger Hannah Mace filmed the moment in disbelief and uploaded the video to TikTok.

‘You know, I don’t need this, the crew doesn’t need this. We are doing what we can to get you out of here. It’s out of my control. Completely out of my control.

‘We’re doing everything we can. If you want to get off, I’ll let you off, no problem.’

On Tuesday morning travellers complained of up to four hour delays, with one Twitter user describing their experience as ‘horrible’ and ‘grim’.

A spokesman for Gatwick Airport tweeted in response: ‘Hi, we’re really sorry for any delay. We are operating a moving queue system and staff are working hard to process passengers as quickly as possible through Security Search.’

Airport delays have plagued holidaymakers since Covid restrictions were lifted earlier this year.

Passenger numbers dropped by as much as 75 per cent between 2019 and 2020, from 297million to just 74million in 2020.

This, along with Covid absences, has been behind long queues at check-in and security at airports across the UK – including Heathrow, Birmingham and Manchester

British Airways cancelled 118 short and medium-haul flights from Heathrow…