Travel chaos continues in New South Wales with long, winding lines filmed at the passport office and at Sydney Airport at the start of the long weekend.
There are serious delays in passport applications, with waiting times now exceeding 12 weeks.
9News reporter Sarah Stewart estimated that 300 people were queuing at the Haymarket facility around 7:30 a.m. this morning. The office opens at 8:30 p.m.
The long, winding lines are becoming an accessory outside the Haymarket passport office in Sydney. (9News) Some travelers are considering desperate measures to avoid queues.
“Some are here to ask why they don’t have their passports, others are here to pick them up, but some people are paying people with Airtasker up to $ 150 to wait in line,” he said. Stewart.
“Some people are waiting up to eight hours in line. Some have been here since 4:30 this morning; everyone has a story.”
A woman in line said she has waited 14 weeks to get a passport for her daughter and is nowhere near the answers after calling the office 165 times.
Queues began to form this morning long before the passport office opened at 8:30 p.m. (9News) Julia’s daughter goes to London to visit her father. She will travel alone, but her passport has not yet been issued. (Today)
Another, named Julia, said she was surprised to see the length of the queue at six in the morning.
“I couldn’t believe my eyes when I got here at six and there were already 70 people in front of me,” Julia said.
“They must have been able to anticipate this.
“Of course everyone wants to travel now. People have friends, family, a long-awaited vacation.”
In response to the demand, the passport office said they will incorporate more staff, but they must first go through training.
Massive queues at Sydney Airport for the long weekend of the Queen’s birthday. (9 News)
Mass exodus before the long weekend
Early morning crowds are also flooding Sydney Airport ahead of the Queen’s long birthday weekend.
Only at 6 a.m. was the scene reminiscent of the mess of Easter trips, when people were forced to wait hours to check in.
About 80,000 people are expected to travel through the national terminal today, with 380 flights departing and 380 arriving.
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