Summer holiday travel chaos to continue into September

Friday 31 August will be the busiest day of the summer for many transport enterprises

Summer travel crowding and disruption will continue to the end of August and beyond, research by The Independent shows.

Three of the UK’s biggest airports – Gatwick, Manchester and Stansted – anticipate bumper passenger numbers this weekend.

On Friday, 77,000 travellers are expected to fly out of Gatwick Airport. Overall numbers, though, will reach a peak on Sunday 2 September, with 162,000 passengers in total predicted to depart and arrive – of which 88,000 will be flying in at the end of their holidays. That is an average rate of one passenger per second.

David Swain, terminal operations manager for the Sussex airport, said: “While this weekend is expected to be one of the busiest of the summer at Gatwick, we’re committed to ensuring that all of our passengers still have a smooth and enjoyable experience as they travel through the airport.”

Gatwick’s biggest airline, easyJet, predicts its busiest day will be Sunday 2 September, when it will be flying 298,454 seats – the vast majority of them filled.

Stansted expects Friday to be its busiest day overall, with 97,500 passengers expected. The peak in arrivals will be Monday 3 September, with just under 54,000 arriving.

A spokesperson for the airport said: “We advise passengers to arrive in plenty of time for their flight, ideally at the time their check-in opens, and to make sure they are aware of the hand luggage rules.”

At Manchester Airport, 56,000 passengers are expected to depart on Friday – more than the capacity at Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium. The same number are due to arrive on Monday, the busiest day for inbound travellers.

Last week both Manchester and Stansted – part of the same group – were slammed by readers of Which? magazine in a survey of airport satisfaction, with particular criticism of the queues at security.

A spokesperson for Manchester Airport said that two-thirds of passengers in August “haven’t queued for security at all”. Of those who have queued, the average wait has been under four minutes.

“The airport wants to work with passengers to ensure these standards are maintained this week,” the spokesperson added. “Passengers can play their part by having all their liquids, gels and pastes in a clear plastic bag. In addition, coats and belts should be removed and large electricals taken out of hand luggage ready for the security tray.”

London Euston railway station, hub for the West Coast main line, will be closed for the third weekend running.

No Virgin Trains or London Northwestern Railway services will run on Saturday or Sunday due to engineering works on the line through North Wembley. Normally an average of 100,000 passengers per day would be expected to use Euston at the weekend.

As a result of the closure, more people than usual are expected to travel to and from Euston on Friday 31 August. Virgin Trains has announced that its normal afternoon exclusion for off-peak tickets from London, between 3pm and 6.45pm, will be lifted.

Off-peak tickets from London to Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow and other destinations will be valid for any train on Friday from 9.30am onwards.

This “Flexible Friday” promotion will continue through September and October, and could presage a permanent removal of off-peak restrictions on Friday by the operator. During the summer it has led to higher overall passenger numbers but has also reduced overcrowding – particularly on trains that leave immediately after 6.45pm.

Many Virgin Trains passengers are expected to switch to the East Coast main line, but London North Eastern Railway (LNER) has “temporarily removed” or curtailed some trains in a bid to improve resilience. The publicly owned train operator is cancelling 26 London-Leeds trains each week, and is also removing the segment from Edinburgh to Stirling.

LNER said: “The cancellations and amendments are due to operational changes which will help to improve overall reliability along LNER’s east coast route in the event of further network-led disruption.”

Travellers in the troubled Northern Rail area face another day of disruption on Saturday 1 September. Members of the RMT union are striking once again as part of a dispute over the role of guards.

Northern is telling passengers: “We will operate a reduced timetable with very few trains running before 9am and after 6pm. All customers are advised to check before travelling and, where necessary, may want to seek alternative modes of transport.”

The RMT has confirmed that the planned three-day strike on South Western Railway, also about the role of guards, will go ahead on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The union’s general secretary, Mick Cash, said: “RMT is angry and frustrated that the company’s cavalier and contemptuous approach to talks leaves us no option but to continue our programme of industrial action. We thank the public for their support and understanding throughout this dispute over rail safety and access and the union remains ready for genuine and serious talks.”

The train operator said a reduced service will run on most of the network, but some routes will have neither a train service nor a replacement bus service.

South Western Railway said: “We have held a number of productive meetings with our local union representatives to discuss the best method of operation of these trains to deliver the most passenger benefits in terms of performance and customer benefits.

”We have also offered repeated reassurances that we are guaranteeing jobs, salaries and terms and conditions of guards.”

On Eurostar services linking London with Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam, the busiest day of the weekend is Friday 31 August.

Motorists returning through the Channel Tunnel from Calais to Folkestone at the weekend have been warned not to turn up at the French terminal ahead of time on what is the busiest return weekend.

A spokesperson for Eurotunnel said: “We will be running a full service throughout the weekend and will have additional staff and facilities on the terminal to welcome everyone home. To ensure the smoothest possible traffic flow, customers are advised not to arrive too early, but to turn up on time for their booked departure.”

Earlier in the summer, problems with air conditioning caused delays of up to five hours for holidaymakers seeking to escape from Folkestone.