Manchester Airport has released a statement acknowledging its current “challenges” today as hundreds of travellers are stuck in long queues once again.
It comes after what has been weeks of travel bedlam at the UK’s third largest airport yet again, with many experiencing cancellations by individual airlines, including easyJet and TUI, and streams of other passengers left queueing for hours at check-in desks and baggage drop-off points.
In some of the most unfortunate reported cases in recent weeks, delays have been so severe that passengers have missed their flights altogether.
And now, with it being the start of half term in Greater Manchester and the week of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, social media has been flooded with pictures of queues once again this morning – which has forced the Manchester Airport to issue an update for anyone planning on travelling in the coming weeks.
In its statement released this morning, Manchester Airport has stressed that it is “aware of challenges being faced by a number of airlines and handling agents”.
ADVERTISEMENT
The statement continued: “Airlines and their ground handlers are responsible for their own check-in and baggage handling services [and] passengers are advised to direct any questions or concerns about these issues, or anything relating to their flight, to their airline, who will be best placed to respond – however, this is not the experience we want passengers to have at Manchester Airport.”
“We are sorry to hear customers have faced disruption,” airport bosses added.
Manchester Airport insisted in its latest statement that it is in contact with the senior management teams and ground handlers of the affected airlines to “understand the cause of these issues”, and said it will be supporting their efforts to “resolve them as quickly as possible”.
— سيّد محمد حسنات ترمذی (@SyedMHasanaat) May 29, 2022
So after spending 8 hours at @manairport yesterday, hours queuing at T2 bag drop, then security, to then find our flight delayed (with no information), @TUIUK cancelled our entire holiday to Kos (booked in 2020) by TEXT message (!) as we sat waiting at the departure gate 1/3 pic.twitter.com/poyHBLbkp8
The statement continued: “Our colleagues are on hand in the terminal to provide assistance to customers.
“We are working hard to ensure security waiting times are as quick as possible.”
Following on from the last time it issued and reiterated travel advice, the Airport rounded out its statement today saying that it “remains our advice that passengers should arrive three hours before their flight and to be as prepared as they can be for their journey through the airport.”
Featured Image – MAG
News
Government launches £442m drive to get rough sleepers off streets before Christmas
Emily Sergeant
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has launched a £442m drive to get rough sleepers off the streets before Christmas.
Learning from ‘innovative’ approaches put into place during the pandemic, the Government has announced that new accommodation will be rolled out across England this winter, as well as offering practical help with housing, health, and other needs to support people to build a more stable life for themselves in the future.
The new commitment to offer everyone a route off the streets this Christmas, along with boosted funding, reflect the Andy Burnham‘s national drive to make ‘real change’ and get everyone playing their part in ending rough sleeping.
Not only will these plans change the lives of rough sleepers, but it’s also said they will have huge benefits for the country as a whole.
Research from homelessness charity Crisis suggests that by preventing 40,000 people from becoming homeless for a year, taxpayers could save around £370 million.
The Government has launched a £442m drive to get rough sleepers off the streets before Christmas / Credit: Number 10 Press Office | Jon Tyson (via Unsplash)
As well provisions to get people off the streets, and the intensive ‘wraparound’ support, the newly allocated funding will also help local areas deliver more than 1,000 ‘settled’ homes over the next three years, it has been confirmed.
Areas facing the greatest pressures will receive the largest share of support.
Working alongside councils, Mayors will play a leading role in driving local action to end rough sleeping, and will be tasked with making decisions that are right for their communities to deliver help where it’s needed most.
The Prime Minister says he ‘won’t accept’ rough sleeping any longer. He commented: “No one should have to bed down in a doorway or outside a station, but we’ve seen it for so long that it feels like Westminster has started to accept it.
“That’s why my first instruction as Prime Minister was to end rough sleeping, and it’s why today we’re getting started with a national drive to get everyone in for Christmas. We did it in the pandemic, we can do it again. But it needs all of us.
“Government will put the money in, but I’m asking leaders in communities and sectors across society to play their part locally too.
“Let’s get people out the cold, and let’s bring back hope.”
Featured Image – Gary Knight (via Flickr)
News
Trainline and Virgin Atlantic among companies being investigated for ‘misleading’ pricing
Emily Sergeant
A number of companies are currently under investigation for ‘misleading’ pricing practices.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has launched three new consumer protection investigations into Trainline, Virgin Atlantic, and RED Driving School over concerns that customers were not shown the total price upfront when buying things like train and coach tickets, holidays, or even driving lessons.
The investigations are part of a wider CMA clampdown on misleading pricing practices – in this instance, where mandatory charges are separated from the headline price, or added later in the buying process, which is known as drip pricing.
These practices leave consumers facing ‘unexpected’ costs or having to calculate the so-called true cost themselves.
Such practices can also impact competition between businesses, as a firm using drip pricing may falsely appear to be cheaper than a competitor pricing correctly, and therefore attract more customers.
Trainline and Virgin Atlantic are among the companies being investigated for ‘misleading’ pricing / Credit: Northern | Aric Cheng (via Unsplash)
Trainline is being investigated over whether all mandatory fees have been included in the upfront prices displayed to consumers buying tickets in advance on its app and website, while Virgin Atlantic’s investigation will focus on whether mandatory resort fees and local taxes have been included in the upfront prices shown to customers buying package holidays.
RED Driving School is being investigated over how a mandatory booking fee and ‘digital’ fee have been displayed to people booking driving lessons – specifically whether these fees have been included in the total upfront price.
“At a time when many households are watching every pound they spend, it is important that people are not surprised by extra fees,” commented Emma Cochrane, who is the Executive Director for Consumer Protection at the CMA.
“Clear pricing helps people compare offers confidently and choose the option that works best for them.
“Unexpected mandatory charges make this much harder, which is why the CMA initially put these firms on notice over concerns about their pricing practices and is now opening formal investigations.”
The CMA says it’s at the beginning of its investigations and has reached no conclusions about whether these firms have broken the law.
If it finds there has been an infringement of the law, the CMA can order businesses to pay compensation to affected customers or be charged up to 10% of global turnover.
Emily Sergeant -
30th May 2022 
