This has caused major disruption for people travelling on holidays, or commuting to and from work. At one point in Dublin airport recently over 1,000 people missed their flight due to extensive queuing, reaching well beyond the security gates.
I asked people in Derry in for their views on this situation.
Amy Bunting said: “The cancellations would put me off flying because I would need to get back for work. I have a honeymoon booked in September for Portugal, but if it continues like this, I don’t know if I can go.”
David Parry said: “I think it is something people should’ve seen coming, and planned ahead for. It is affecting several airlines. I think it was all avoidable, and it comes from the top. The management and the executives who are paid a great deal of money, well they aren’t very good at their jobs.”
Liz Doherty said: “I’m a home bird, I don’t fly that much. My brother is over from Australia at the minute, and he is a wee bit concerned about going back through Dublin airport. People are so determined to get away, they were deprived of their holidays and other things. Since Covid, it’s just escalated into doom and gloom.”
John ‘the rocker’ Leitch said: “It wouldn’t put me off flying at the moment. I believe we have to move with the times and learn from the past. It’s time to get involved with the airports to make life more enjoyable.”
George Saunders said: “It wouldn’t put me off going away. My sister is going away soon, and wants to get away after being stuck for two years at home. The cancellations are because the airlines paid off people. It is the same with the taxiing, a lot of people left to find different work.”
Maria Burns said: “I just came back, I went from Gatwick to Belfast. I was on the plane for 50 minutes before it took off because it couldn’t find any airspace in Gatwick. When we did get there, we had to circle around for 25 minutes before the plane could even land.”
