Half-term airport chaos continues after easyJet and TUI axed hundreds of flights

The half-term getaway for families continues to be dogged by cancelled flights, with one couple’s wedding plans thrown into jeopardy, planned trips to Monaco Grand Prix plans left unfulfilled and other passengers stuck for hours on the runway.

‘Hundreds’ of TUI passengers were left outraged at Manchester Airport yesterday after they received a text from the holiday giant that their trips were cancelled following an eight-hour wait.

Police were called to the airport to quell a disturbance that broke out after the cancellation, the Manchester Evening News reports. 

Meanwhile, a British Airways flight from the Italian city of Cagliari to Gatwick planned for 11:30am has been delayed until at least 7pm, leaving mothers and young children stranded in a small airport with no explanation given for the delay and no access to baby milk or sanitary products.

Bristol Airport also  urged passengers not to arrive too early to avoid congestion, but passengers described severe waiting times this morning with few staff on the ground.

A TUI flight from Bristol to Paphos, Cyprus, was also delayed by eight hours yesterday and then cancelled in the evening.  Among the passengers were 34 wedding guests including the bride and groom.

Seren Rounds, a primary school teacher, and her fiancé, electrician Adam Howells, are on the verge of postponing their wedding after their flight to Cyprus was scrapped.

Ms Rounds, 27, and Mr Howells, 29, of Caerleon, South Wales, have been planning their big day since 2020, but might be forced to postpone it after Tui cancelled their flight to Paphos.

Couple Seren Rounds, 27, and Adam Howells, 29, of Caerleon, south Wales, are on the verge of postponing their wedding after their flight to Cyprus was scrapped

Police called as ‘hundreds’ of TUI passengers told by TEXT their holiday is cancelled after ‘eight-hour’ waits at Manchester Airport

34 guests were due to fly from Bristol on Saturday, with 11 guests already in Cyprus, but their 1.30pm outbound flight was first delayed and then cancelled.

The wedding is booked for Thursday June 2 but they have an appointment at a town hall on Monday.

Miss Rounds’ mother Lisa Trenchard said there is now ‘no way’ they can find flights for all 34 guests, so the wedding is ‘ruined’.

Ms Trenchard, 55, a health visiting manager from Caerleon, said: ‘We have families with babies and a devastated bride and groom to be.’

She added: ‘Absolutely I blame Tui, not necessarily for the initial problem, but their lack of visibility and compassion, and how they have taken the easy option to cancel.’

Yesterday in Manchester Airport, the troubled flight to Kos, out of Terminal 2, was supposed to take off at 3.45pm but angry ticketholders say they would have missed the flight anyway due to queues ‘out of the building’ to check-in. 

After an eight four-hour delay, passengers say they were informed by a text from TUI that their trip, including flights and an all-inclusive hotel, were cancelled. 

Helen, from Sale, Cheshire, was travelling to Kos with her husband and teenage daughter. They have been left appalled by the treatment, they say. ‘It’s utter, utter chaos,’ she said. 

‘There has been hardly any staff here. Everyone got a text from TUI saying their holidays have been cancelled and to go home. 

‘The check-in girls knew nothing, we found out before they did. And they were left to deal with hundreds of passengers complaining, a full flight’s worth. 

‘The police had to come in and make an announcement, a holidaymaker was arrested and was in handcuffs. 

‘We have had to go back through security, show our passports, even though we’d never left the airport.’

‘All the passengers are really angry, there’s children crying. We’ve taken the week off work, my daughter is off school – she’d been looking forward to this holiday, bought new clothes and everything. We expected it to be bad at Manchester Airport but everyone is in shock at how bad it actually is. The police had to unload people’s suitcases because there were no staff to do it.’ 

George Sharp said his daughter had travelled from Bradford for their holiday to Kos – on the same flight as Helen – and had been queuing since 12pm. They were at the gate ready to board the flight when they received a text from TUI saying their £4,500 trip was cancelled. 

‘It was like circumstances I’ve never ever heard of before,’ George said. ‘They went to board and then they cancelled not just the flight but the entire holiday. TUI staff refused to face up to anyone and the police arrived to tell them to go back through security to collect their bags and go home. 

The half-term has got off to an awkward start for holidaymakers with hundreds of cancelled flights

‘She just got married two years ago so all they’ve known is Covid since they got married in March 2020 and this was supposed to be a big reset for them and to help them get back to normality. They were with a five-year-old little girl and it’s just horrendous….