Holidaymakers’ anger over airport security queues due to lack of personnel

FURIOUS New Year holidaymakers reacted angrily yesterday after being confronted with queues taking up to an hour to pass through Glasgow Airport’s security channel.

People returning down south or Scots embarking on winter breaks claimed they nearly missed their flights due to a lack of personnel on duty.

Last night, Glasgow Airport said they had been taken by surprise by the sheer number of people hoping to fly out.

Among those furious at the shambles was former Labour MP and MSP Margaret Curran. She Tweeted: “Pretty shocking service at Glasgow

Airport. Huge queues with only one lane open!

“C’mon. Employ more staff. Lots of people really stressed about missed flights.

“Got police here but people remarkably patient.”

The airport used social media to reply to Ms Curran, a former shadow secretary of state for Scotland.

It said: “We’re extremely sorry about the queues at security this morning. Waiting time is between 45 and 50 minutes at present and all available staff are on duty and we are working hard to reduce the time that people are waiting.”

Yesterday was the first working day north of the Border following the official New Year holidays on

January 1 and 2.

Last summer, passengers faced similar tailbacks at the airport’s security desks but that was as a result of industrial action by members of the union, Unite.

Yesterday, attempts were made to ask the union, which had resolved its dispute with the airport’s owners, if staff had failed to turn up for work. There was no response.

Instead, an airport spokesman issued a statement, saying: “We experienced longer than usual queues at our security hall earlier today and would like to apologise to those passengers who were caught up in those queues.”

He said it was “wrong” to suggest that only one security lane was open.

Asked the reason for the hold-ups, the spokesman replied: “It was a case of there being more passengers than expected.”

Two Loganair flights, one to Barra and another to Dusseldorf in Germany, were one hour and two hours late, respectively, in taking off.

However, it was not known if the delays were due to the security queues.

History teacher Paul Hamilton was flying to Dublin in Ireland with four friends and almost missed the flight as a result of the situation in the airport.

He tweeted: “Almost never made the flight due to the queues at security at Glasgow Airport. Complete lack of organisation. Never saw it that bad before!”

London clothes-maker I.AM. Dinesh wrote: “F*** me. Glasgow Airport is a sh**hole. Nearly 1.5 hours queue to get through security.

“Two out of 12 lanes open. No direction, no organisation. It’s a f***ing embarrassment.”

In a reply to passenger Kyle Galloway, Glasgow Airport officials said: “Our operations team is looking into what happened.”