UK holidaymakers face cancelled flights and ferry delays in Easter travel chaos

theguardian.com:

Holidaymakers looking to get away for Easter are facing major disruption to travel, as airlines cancel more than 100 flights a day because of staff shortages and ferry operators struggle to meet demand following the suspension of P&O Ferries services.

The rise in passenger numbers over the spring break has coincided with high rates of staff absences due to the latest wave of Covid infections.

Manchester airport said travellers would continue to face waits of 60-90 minutes to get through security over the next two weeks, while Heathrow, Gatwick and Birmingham airports face similar disruption. Airport bosses are encouraging passengers to arrive at least three hours before their flight to make it through to the departure lounge on time.

On Saturday, British Airways and EasyJet grounded more than 100 flights between them, affecting around 15,000 passengers.

The ferry company DFDS reported delays of two hours on its service from Dover to Calais on Friday, with similar delays expected throughout the weekend. Thousands of lorries trying to reach the port of Dover were still being held on Saturday as a 23-mile (37km) stretch of road into Dover, the M20 southbound, remained closed.

“Alongside the beginning of the Easter holidays and smaller-scale incidents throughout the transport network, it has created a queue … in excess of 20 miles and around 2,000 lorries,” the Road Haulage Association told Sky News.

The Spanish haulage body Fenadismer said its drivers outside the port remained trapped inside trucks “without being able to access adequate resting places or minimum hygienic and sanitary conditions”. The company urged the European Commission to put pressure on Britain to resolve the delays.

Meanwhile, people travelling to France via