A co-pilot has been hailed as a “hero” after loading his luggage on a delayed flight so he can finally take off. Passenger Jenny Cook said she was applauded by passengers after she was filmed boarding a plane to Crete from Manchester Airport.
It occurs when more than 30,000 TUI passengers cancel their flights at Manchester Airport to deal with staff shortages.
Ms Cook called for the pilot, named Simon, to receive “an award for excellence” after he lifted his bags on the conveyor belt under the plane on Monday. She told the BBC: “The next thing we knew we were recording on the track.
READ MOREMore than 30,000 TUI passengers will have their flights canceled at Manchester Airport “later today”
“We were all cheering. Simon had gone further.”
Passenger Katherine Cox of Warrington said: “The crew and the pilot of the flight were amazing. Simon was the hero of our holiday. We would have lost our air traffic control space.”
The images showed the TUI pilot wearing a high-visibility vest while helping to load his luggage onto the plane.
TUI said the co-pilot’s efforts show the “incredible dedication” of its staff who are doing “everything they can” to get customers on the air and during their holidays. They added that “they could not thank him enough” for his “quick and decisive actions”.
A spokesman said: “We are aware of the videos shared on social media showing one of our fantastic TUI pilots supporting our operation by carrying bags on one of our planes bound for Crete from Manchester on May 30, 2022. .
“While it’s not something our pilots would normally do, this video is an example of the incredible dedication of TUI colleagues who are doing their best to keep customers away from their vacations. We can’t thank them enough for their We would like to thank all our teams who continue to show their effort and commitment to TUI and its customers.
“We understand that we have disappointed some customers with the recent outage, but we would like to assure them that we are doing everything we can to keep them away from their holiday.”
Manchester Airport Group (MAG) has said that TUI and Swissport’s designated ground manager had experienced “significant challenges” in recent days, before adding that it was clear they were “experiencing temporary staffing problems”.
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A spokesman for Manchester Airport said: “Over the last few days, TUI and its designated ground manager, Swissport, have experienced major challenges with their baggage check-in and baggage recovery operations at Manchester Airport. From the extensive talks with the TUI and Swissport management teams, it is clear that they are experiencing a shortage of temporary staff, in common with other airlines and travel.
“Given these challenges, we understand TUI’s difficult decision to cancel a number of services over the next month, although we are obviously disappointed to see that passenger plans are being disrupted in this way. We will continue to work with TUI, Swissport and other partners to provide passengers with the best possible service as the travel industry regains its strength after the pandemic.
“In the meantime, we continue to advise passengers to arrive three hours before the flight and to be as prepared as possible for their journey through the airport.”
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