'I just hope we get there': The view from Manchester Airport as staff gear up for busy weekend

With huge delays and chaotic scenes in recent weeks, Manchester Airport passengers had been warned to arrive early. Staff shortages have been blamed for the huge queues that have recently blighted the airport, once the jewel in the region's crown and still crucial to its economy.

Airport bosses are warning that business as usual won't return until the summer at least, as a huge recruitment drive takes place. But ahead of a busy weekend which marks the beginning of the Easter holidays for many, things were calm at Manchester Airport this morning (April 8).

Passengers heard the call from mayor Andy Burnham to arrive three hours early and they did - with many turning up four or even five hours before departure. It meant queues at both terminals one and two were focused in the check-in area.

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Customers sat with suitcases waiting for their airline's desks to open up, before jostling for position in the line. Throughout the morning and early afternoon, the queues were occasionally busy but moving, and far from the chaos seen previously.

"I envisaged queues going down the tunnel coming from the railway station," said Matt Sykes, who was travelling to Perth in Australia via Doha in Qatar alongside wife Jan. They had been in a queue for check-in at terminal two for 40 minutes and were not halfway along the line, but the situation was far better than they feared.

The couple, from Elland in West Yorkshire, were off to see their daughter and grandson - who they had not seen since before the pandemic. "We've not seen him since he was four months old," Jan said. "He's nearly three now so we are really excited."

Manchester Airport