Several passengers flying from Manchester Airport's Terminal 3 on Tuesday, October 27 missed their evening flights due to long waits at airport security. Tony Cooke and his wife Keeley said they were stuck in security for around two hours, causing them to miss their 9pm Ryanair flight to Alicante.
Passengers describe 'horrendous' queues
The couple, who are from Manchester but live in Alicante, arrived at security at 6.50pm ahead of their flight to Spain. Despite arriving in plenty of time, they found themselves caught up in lengthy queues at Terminal 3 Security.
“The queue at security was just horrendous. We were held back at the barriers where you have your ticket scanned, and then once we were through it was just nose to tail,” Mr Cooke said. He added that it looked like only one out of six security lanes was working, which he thought was a rostering issue, and that staff had been sent to Terminal 2 due to an ‘incident’.
Staff redeployed to Terminal 2
The Manchester Evening News understands that some staff from Terminal 3 had been moved across to Terminal 2 earlier in the evening due to a surge in passenger numbers. The airport said there wouldn’t be a situation where only one security lane was working and that staff later returned to Terminal 3 when a similar surge happened there.
Mr Cooke explained that although they had arrived on time for their flight, other passengers who had arrived later for earlier flights were able to skip the queue, making the wait even longer. He said: “While we were in the queue, staff came along and asked passengers if they were departing for earlier flights and they were called forward, this was frustrating as they had arrived late for their flights.”
Missed flight and rebooking
The couple were stuck in the queue until 8.50pm with not enough time to get to their gate. When they eventually arrived at their gate, they were told they would have to re-enter the UK at gate 50 and head to the Ryanair ticket desk in Terminal 1. At the Ryanair desk, they were told that around 100 passengers had missed their flight. Mr Cooke said: “I know it’s not Ryanair’s fault at all but they could have held the flights if they knew that so many people were being held back.”
The Manchester Evening News understands that only a small number of passengers missed their flight, not 100. At its peak the wait at security reached around 40 minutes but was quickly brought back down again.
Mr Cooke explained that they were offered alternative flights which were available for a set fee of £100 that same day, although they found cheaper flights online. The couple purchased tickets with easyJet departing on Wednesday October 28 and were told that they could claim expenses for new flights and overnight accommodation from Manchester Airports Group. He added: "It was just a shocking experience. So many people missed their flight, it's not just about us but all the passengers who were impacted."
Airport and Ryanair responses
A Manchester Airport spokesperson said: "Due to a combination of factors including staff absence and unexpected passenger arrival patterns - including passengers arriving less than two hours before their flights - we experienced longer-than-normal queues at security in Terminal 3 yesterday evening and are aware that a small number of passengers missed their flights as a result. We apologise for any inconvenience and are in touch with affected passengers."
Ryanair said the security delays were caused by airport staff shortages and were outside of the airport’s control. It added that a ‘small number’ of passengers did not reach the boarding gate in time for the FR9073 from Manchester to Alicante as a result of these delays and that reports that "around 100 passengers" missed Ryanair flights are incorrect. Ryanair explained that a flight cannot be held for passengers who have not reached the boarding gate on time, and that when boarding is closed, a legal report of the manifest is signed and sent to the captain, so boarding cannot be re-opened.
