Travel is now back in fashion but can airports cope?

[ASEAN NOW News]

After nearly three years of closed borders to cope with, the pandemic at last we are being able to travel and millions around the world are flying off.

 

Here in the Philippines like many globally are desperate to see family members while others are keen to just have a holiday or a weekend break.

 

This has basically caught the travel industry on the hop, as many airlines, airports, hotels and immigration departments were short-staffed due to Covid, and they are trying to catch up.

 

This has already led to delays in obtaining visas and renewing passports, and once in the air the trouble is just starting.

 

Heathrow is a disaster zone

 

Queues at Heathrow

 

Passengers have reported queues up to two hours long at London’s Heathrow as Border Force officers struggled to cope with an influx of arrivals. 

 

Other passengers echoed the complaint, after arriving at Terminal 2 saying they have been in the queue for immigration for almost an hour.

 

Heathrow Airport's official Twitter account replied to say: "We are aware of longer Immigration queues at this time. Border Force is working hard to efficiently process passengers and please be assured that our teams in the terminals are on hand to offer support as we aim to reduce delays. Thank you for your patience."

 

Incoming passengers have also been hit hard, as the airport also suffered from staff shortages due to Covid and this particularly hit the baggage handlers with some people waiting up to 5 hours to collect their suitcases.

 

Delays for visas as agencies are swamped

 

Now borders are opening, and there are more options for travel many are keen to get on a plane or train.

 

However, because of this urge to travel, it has put enormous pressure on the visa and passport offices globally.

 

In addition, many of these offices especially across Europe were trying to tackle some of the four million Ukraine refugees fleeing their country.

 

All need visas.

 

One Dutch traveller wants to take his Filipino wife to Holland but cannot book a flight, as the visa agency he must use has already taken six weeks and still no visa approval.

 

Meanwhile, the original flights reserved had to be released and booking later is likely to cost them a lot more.

 

However, due to the ongoing impact of Covid and global travel restrictions, UK Visas & Immigration are experiencing unpredictable demand across all visa routes.

 

Delays are likely

 

Getting a visa or passport to travel out of the Philippines could still be realistic, but as more and more people decide to travel especially during school holidays these agencies will need to take on more staff to cope with demand.

 

In Singapore, the number of passport applications there has surged.

 

They are now receiving more than 7,000 applications a day, three times more than the 2,000 seen before Covid-19 and climbed to as high as 14,000.

 

This prompted the authorities there to deploy more resources to deal with the crowds queuing around the ICA Building.

 

Fare rises

 

Flights are getting more expensive due to fuel rises and the added cost of avoiding Russian airspace when flying to Europe.

 

Of course, if you are still waiting for a visa, it would be unwise to confirm a seat with an airline, even though booing later will mean some hefty fares to pay.

 

It is going to be a tricky time for all companies and embassies overseeing visa and passport enquires so we should expect it to take longer than usual.

 

If you have any up-to-date information on obtaining visas or passports, please do share your information here. It would be helpful for all our viewers for sure.

 

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