What is causing travel chaos at some UK airports and what are your rights?

theguardian.com:

Holidaymakers have seized the opportunity of school half-term holidays and the Queen’s platinum jubilee bank holidays to take long-awaited trips abroad, but many have met with long queues at airports and cancelled flights. So what is going on, and what can those who’ve had their plans disrupted do?

The half-term holidays are traditionally the launchpad for the summer tourist season. However, this year many passengers are heading abroad for the first time in two years due to the Covid pandemic. This week marks the first school holidays in England and Wales since the lifting of all UK Covid travel restrictions and the easing of coronavirus test requirements for many EU countries. Many consumers saved money when they were unable to holiday during lockdown, resulting in pent-up demand for foreign trips.

The great getaway has also led to congestion on the roads. Large queues built up over the weekend at the port of Dover for travellers waiting to cross the Channel. The port has warned passengers this will be a “very busy week”.

Airports say many passengers are using vouchers or credit notes from trips cancelled during Covid, fuelling demand.

Many of the recent problems can be traced to staff shortages, amid a lack of available workers and record job vacancies across the British economy.

The surge comes as the aviation industry is still ramping up staff levels, after many workers were made redundant or changed jobs during the pandemic.

Thousands of passengers at Manchester airport missed flights earlier in the spring after waiting hours to pass through security. At the weekend there were delays at check-in and baggage reclaim. The airport operator said more than 500 people were going through background checks and security training,