THE BATTLE FOR A TIMELY BREAK

TIs it worth the effort… course it is! hey say travel broadens the mind (and the backside in my case) but what they don’t mention is that it also makes your head explode. After two years of most of us gagging for some sun, sea and sangria while having to pretend to enjoy two weeks of soggy Skeggy staycation (sorry, Skeggy), we can finally all leave on a jet plane. Or can we? After an Easter of travel hell – no matter how you tried to travel – we are now facing a summer of chaos.

Yay! Just what we all need. I mean, it’s not like anyone has had time on their hands to think this one through and plan for when life returned to ‘normal’ is it?

If you or I had run our lives with such a lack of planning and forward thinking, we’d never get out of our pyjamas and slippers – although given how long you’ll have to spend at airports these days, taking something cosy to kip in might be a good idea.

The word ‘cancelled’ crops up on airline departure boards so much at the moment that anyone would think it was a hot new destination. The boss of Heathrow (used by more than 4.1 million people in March) admitted ‘resources were stretched’ because of the sudden increase in travel post-pandemic.

Well, who could have possibly seen that one coming? Only everyone, ever.

Three-hour queues at security aren’t unusual, while your passport will probably expire before you get a chance to see an immigration officer on your return. One of the reasons – according to the travel industry – is a shortage of staff. Not just the COVID-19 thing but the fact that the security screening for everyone from baggage operators to cabin crew is so bogged down in red tape that it takes six months for a new employee to be cleared to start work.

Incredibly, in the days of digital communications, old-school letters still have to be written to previous employees for references.

Across the sector, there are understood to be tens of thousands of potential staff waiting for security clearance, with a backlog of 12,000 potential employees at Heathrow alone.

The other problem – with so many industries desperate for staff – is that those waiting to be cleared get so fed up

‘WE’RE FACING A SUMMER OF TRAVEL CHAOS’