When will the UK’s travel misery end?

The UK media has been full of reports about the travel misery the country has and is experiencing, with many asking the question why?

For some, the belief is that the media is being unduly harsh in their description of the situation saying that the country is not the only one experiencing travel problems. Whilst that is correct it would seem that the situation is worse in the UK prompting local media to use strong words like “chaos”, “misery” and “rage” in their headlines.

Certainly, the UK is not unique in experiencing issues with Malaga, Dublin and Schiphol airports all making the news in recent days. In both cases the problem revolves around the lack of security staff needed to cope with the volume of passengers, however, both appear to be short-lived problems or specific to certain times and periods.

The problem in the UK is much more widespread and is not restricted to air travel, with trains, roads and ferries all affected.

Air travel

For weeks now the media have covered what have become almost daily occurrences across most of the UK, with flight cancellations and airport queues common. So why as travel returns to normal are the airlines and the airports unable to cope?

• The pandemic

Restrictions brought on by the coronavirus pandemic resulted in airlines losing most of their income with few or no flights taking place. Many have simply lost millions and millions and therefore have had to cut costs to survive, and that lack of resources is making it difficult for these companies to fund a return to normal services.  

• Staffing

Allied to the issues around the pandemic, most airlines either put their staff on permanent furlough or laid them off in an effort to cut costs. Now that the airlines need those staff back they are finding that many are unwilling to return either because they have accepted work elsewhere, found better jobs or simply have decided to take a break from working.

According to industry sources, the problem is also one of wages. Many of the staff are still on reduced salaries, whilst others who are being asked to return are being asked to do on lower money than before the pandemic.

Other airlines have opted to try and encourage new faces into the industry, people who are happy to work on the lower packages that are on offer but that by all counts is not going well either.  

• Clearance and training

That then leads to the issue of training and security clearance. With the number of newcomers to the industry, authorities are struggling to deal with the high volume of security clearance applications. That means it is taking far longer to ready a person to work airside.

Some like British Airways have resorted to basing staff in Spain to overcome the issue, whilst others like EasyJet have reduced the number of seats on their planes which in return has reduced the number of staff required on each plane by one.

• Passenger volumes

Many of the problems have also arisen as a result of a sharp increase in passenger volumes, which does appear to have caught the industry off-guard.

Not only does it seem to have caught the airlines off-guard, it has also caught the authorities out both in the UK and elsewhere. Many of the problems being experienced are a result of security staff shortages, that is insufficient people to do the security check as well as passport control

• Passengers

It is always easy to blame the authorities and the airlines and whilst they must take the blame for many of the problems, passengers are according to many online posts guilty of holding up queues. Much of that problem appears to be that passengers either haven’t completed the required documentation or don’t have it ready when checking in. Flights to Spain for example have required completion of a health form as well as wearing masks on board, but many seem unaware that this is the case despite notifications from airlines.  

Ferries

The main issue with ferries arose after the sacking of all on-board staff by P & O, a miscalculated move that was designed to reduce overheads but which resulted in all their ferries being withdrawn while they underwent seaworthiness checks.

That reduced the number of ferries operating from Dover by a third, and at a time when passenger volumes were higher than usual.

Add to that the additional checks that now have to be in place as a result of Brexit, which has and will continue to slow down the movement of people and goods through the ports.

Trains

The issue on the trains and underground is the age-old argument around jobs, staffing and safety as well as wages.

• London Underground

London Underground who was bailed by the government during the lockdown has been told to find savings, and one of the areas in which they have chosen to do this is staffing. Although no jobs are at risk, there is a freeze on recruitment with those that leave not being replaced.

As a result, the Railway and Maritime Workers Union (RMT) balloted staff who agreed to go on a 24-hour strike. They have also threatened further strikes if those issues are not dealt with and if pay increases are not in line with inflation. That has however attracted the wrath of commuters, with London Underground staff paid significantly more than those who work in other industries.

• Trains

The RMT is currently balloting train workers with a view to holding an extended strike over the summer. The grievances are much the same as those of the London Underground, although pay and working conditions on the privately-run train services are known not to be as good.

Buses

Arriva staff in Yorkshire are the first in the industry to go on strike over pay and working conditions. Staff in the sector are paid significantly less than those who work on the trains, with the union saying many are struggling to survive.

Arriva has offered a 4.1 per cent increase whereas the union and the workers are looking for a pay rise that reflects the current inflation rate of over 10 per cent.

Comment

So who gets to take the blame?

On the one hand, the government is blaming the travel industry with Transport Minister Grant Shapps saying that it needs to get its house in order.

On the other hand, the industry is bemoaning the shortage of staff, rising operating costs and the lack of support from the government as well as their failure to staff security checkpoints appropriately.

Passengers are the ones who are suffering not only as they are inconvenienced by the delays and cancellations, but also by the lack of customer service from the industry. Many complain of difficulties getting hold of customer services or of not receiving any assistance when services are delayed or cancelled.

They also believe that many of the airlines are taking bookings knowing they cannot provide the service, whilst others are failing to compensate passengers as they are required to do by law.

It is clear that whoever is to blame, all concerned need to sit down and take a long hard look at the state of the industry and agree on a plan that will bring about an end to the situation.

The UK needs an efficient and fully functioning travel network if it is to build its economy, as it does if it wants to portray itself as a world leader. Perhaps if the political distractions get sorted, then attention can be focused on fixing those things that need fixing. The general public wants an end to the travel misery, and they want it before the summer and before it gets any worse.

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