However, prices for holidaying within the UK have also been rising, mostly because of the inflationary environment and, of course, the sky-high demand. 'Some are put off by airport issues, other consumers don't want to pay for flights. Paul Charles, of travel consultancy The PC Agency, warned UK staycation prices are soaring amid fears firms were 'price gouging'. He told MailOnline: 'Staycations have become more popular during the pandemic and will continue to be sought after this year. 'We saw the baggage get driven away and I thought, that's it. We were at the gate for two-and-a-half hours and we could see the baggage next to the plane, no one was loading it. 'The next day we got to the airport at 1pm and went through the whole thing again with delays, no one knew what was going on. There was a woman there trying to deal with us all and said there would be a flight tomorrow. 'We got through passport control and baggage and waited at the baggage area for an hour-and-a-half. Kelly, 42, told the Manchester Evening News: 'It was just absolutely ridiculous - (ground crew) loaded half the bags on and disappeared. The family then paid for a taxi home to Stretford at 2am before returning to the airport the following day - only for the nightmare to repeat again. Passengers were eventually told their flight had been cancelled and that there would be another available the following day. The pair were met with yet more delays as they waited in the baggage claim area for over an hour. Eventually, armed police were forced to board the aircraft and escort all passengers off the plane, she says. They were then held in 'boiling hot' conditions onboard for another three hours - with one little boy even vomiting from stress, Kelly claims. The family eventually boarded their flight three hours after its original departure time. Kelly Clarke and her nine-year-old son Toby were set to fly to Costa Adeje at around 5.50pm on May 30.ĭespite arriving early, the pair were met with 'carnage' inside the terminal, with long queues for restaurants and nowhere to sit down. He gave an example of a family of four who become stuck in the Canary Islands with no available seats on flights for days and could therefore face a £4,000 bill to get home to the UK via ferry, rail and possibly more flights.Ī mother has lost out on a £1.5k holiday to Tenerife following a two-day TUI delay nightmare at Manchester Airport. It comes as those heading abroad endured long queues at Manchester Airport today with warnings strike action across Europe threatens to wreak more havoc on summer getaways amid fears the situation could worsen.Īviation expert Julian Bray told MailOnline that those who have only paid a deposit of about 10 per cent should consider cancelling now 'because you have no guarantee of an outward flight or a return flight'. Industry experts have advised staycationers to book sooner rather than later with prices expected to soar with no end in sight for the chaos that has gripped Britain's airports in recent weeks. The town of Blackpool is currently the most-searched hotspot of all the UK's staycation destinations, while bookings have spiked for firms such as Sykes Holiday Cottages, Finest Retreats and Feather Down Farms. Tourism chiefs have reported a surge in reservations in recent weeks as travellers turn to the beaches of Dorset, Welsh valleys or the Cornish coast in a bid to swerve Britain's beleaguered airports.
Holidaymakers look set to revive the 'Great British Staycation' with a recent boom in summer bookings as chaotic scenes continue to plague the country's airline industry.