Airport water queue worse than for security

Delayed passengers vent fury at ‘ridiculous’ wait for food and drink amid staff shortages at terminals

HOLIDAYMAKERS are struggling to get water at airports amid long queues for food and drink.

Passengers complained that queues for water were longer than those for security at Stansted as they criticised the Essex airport for not having enough refill stations. Others were faced with empty shelves at food and drink outlets that were swamped with customers.

Airline insiders said that travellers should avoid queuing for food if they could help it and buy their meals on the plane instead.

It came as some holidaymakers were left waiting for up to six hours inside airports because of a string of flight delays and cancellations.

Easyjet cancelled another 36 flights to and from Gatwick yesterday, while British Airways pressed ahead with 120 pre-planned cancellations.

Tui is also cancelling six flights a day from Manchester airport.

Airlines are having to reduce their flight schedules because of a shortage of staff. Most of the challenges relate to baggage-handling contractors, many of whom left the industry after being laid off during the pandemic. Employers are struggling to lure them back into a job that unions described as “low paid and with poor conditions”.

Travellers at Stansted said that passing security was a “breeze” compared with the queues for food and drink, with many outlets closing earlier in the evening than usual.

The airport said that with the return to travel “the food and beverage opening times are subject to change”.

Nusa Urbancic, who was travelling from Stansted, wrote online: “Completely ridiculous queue for water refill. Don’t you think it’s time to put (in) more refill stations?” Others described the “legendary queues”, with one saying: “The queue for water is still longer than the queue for security… please add more refill stations!”

Stansted responded that people may have to queue “if there are a number of passengers trying to use the water fountain or filling up multiple bottles”.

They added that “all our retailers will provide water but passengers will need to queue with other passengers waiting in line and not queue jump”.

However, the airport was forced to apologise to customers complaining that food outlets, including Pret a Manger, were denying passengers water refills and sending them back to the bathroom.

At Gatwick, three restaurants in the south terminal have yet to reopen since the start of the pandemic, causing congestion at the remaining food outlets.

In Manchester, Stefanie Hopkins tweeted a picture of empty shelves, calling the airport “terrible” and saying there was “no food”.

“Outlets either closed or empty shelves. Sweets is all that is left.”

Dean Evans, 36, was forced to wait for six hours in the airport after his flight to Alicante was delayed.

He said only one bar was open of all the food and drink outlets and that it was swamped with customers. Officials at Manchester airport were unaware of any issues with their food and drink outlets.

Consumer groups said passengers were being “penalised for the incompetence” of airports, with many having to pay “rip-off ” prices for food and drink while stuck in airport terminals.

Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel, said: “If you’re worried about being able to purchase food before your flight, you can take solid food through security with you.

“With passengers stuck for hours on end, it’s important they are not penalised further for the incompetence of the airport by long queues and rip-off prices for food and drink.”