Sydney airport: Massive delays and queues, staff shortages
Passengers flying out of Sydney airport are in despair over staggeringly long queues stretching out of the terminal.
Sydney airport has once again descended into chaos as staff shortages continue to create massive queues due to closed security gates.
Both international and domestic terminals are impacted by the delays forcing thousands of passengers to wait in queues.
Many have taken to social media to vent their frustration at the travel chaos as the airport enters its third month since international borders reopened and increased the number flights moving in and out of the major airport.
One Twitter user said she had “never seen anything like this”, describing queues to security check as “kilometres long”.
A number of other travellers linked the delays to closed security lines, claiming only six out of 17 stations were open for screening by 10.15am.
“Like the domestic terminal during school holidays,” the Twitter user wrote, comparing to the massive delays experienced as far back as early April.
Vision posted by another user around 8.30am shows queues stretching the length of the foyer and out the door.
A forty minute wait for the check in desk was reported by one Twitter user waiting in line around the same time.
While hundreds of travellers queued to have their passports checked, hundreds of others were stuck in the security queue, with some reporting wait times of up to two and a half hours.
Another Twitter user said they saw a first class passenger removed from a priority queue to make way for other passengers close to missing their flights as a result of unforeseen delays.
“First class passenger just booted out of priority queue for passengers who will miss flights without early access,” they wrote.
Others called the situation an “absolute embarrassment” and a “stain on the city”.
Airport staff have advised passengers to arrive at least two hours before domestic flights and three hours before international journeys.
Spokespeople for the airport repeatedly explained that they are working to rebuild its workforce in a tight job market and dealing with Covid staff shortages.
There were similar scenes in April when airline industry was told to lift its game or face similar chaos over Christmas.
Over the Easter break 82,000 people were expected to pass through Sydney’s domestic terminal in just one day.
Customers were forced to wait hours to pass through check-in desks and security.
More to come
Read More: Sydney airport: Massive delays and queues, staff shortages