'Absolute chaos' at Bristol Airport as flights delayed amid half-term getaway
Video shows hundreds queue at Bristol Airport this morning (10 October)
Passengers at Bristol Airport have branded the situation as 'absolute chaos' this morning as people travel for half-term.
At least ten flights have been delayed, with many reporting being scared as people became angry in the queues.
The airport has apologised to passengers.
One person told ITV News West Country: "I’ve honestly never seen anything like it getting through security.
"Absolute chaos. People pushing down barriers, hundreds pushing in, one teenager having a panic attack. It was actually quite frightening.
"It took us two hours to get through and loads of flights will have to be delayed. Mine was supposed to take off at 7am and is still here (thankfully) - otherwise I would have missed it.
"Only four security belts were open. Terrible organisation. Security staff just looked completely overwhelmed."
Others have taken to social media to complain. One user wrote: "Really scary. Complete madness. Ridiculous. Tempers are fraying too. Honestly wouldn’t take much to make it a riot."
Another said: "Bristol Airport is utter chaos, staff rude, unhelpful and disorganised, only half of security desks open."
Michelle Ekin: "People were just pushing the barriers down to try and cut in. The staff are doing nothing, it feels dangerous! Airlines are aware though and trying to wait for passengers as long as they can."
What has Bristol Airport said?
Bristol Airport declined an interview for ITV News but a spokesperson said: “The queues for security in the early morning were unacceptable and we apologise to all customers who were impacted.
"Far fewer security staff were working than planned. We’re urgently discussing the issue with our security business partner so passengers receive the service levels they rightly expect.
“The queues at security have now returned to normal. Our advice for passengers flying later today is unchanged - we recommend you arrive at least two hours ahead of your scheduled time of departure.”