TUI passengers told to drop bags off the night before flight due to Easter chaos

TUI has offered passengers the option to use bag drop the night before their flights due to travel chaos at Birmingham and Manchester airport

TUI passengers heading on holidays this week are being offered the option to drop their bags off the night BEFORE their flight as Easter airport chaos continues.

There are a number of reasons behind the airport chaos in the peak season including staff shortages caused by Covid, with passengers at the likes of Manchester airport reporting hours-long queues.

In fact, UK holidaymakers have already been urged to arrive as early as their airline allows.

However, TUI has issued an update for families due to travel in the coming week for the Easter break.

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The airline has advised passengers to plan to arrive as normal – which for TUI flights is “two and a half hours before departure time for short and mid-haul flights, and at least three and a half hours before departure for long-haul flights.”

However for passengers with morning flights, the holiday giant is offering up an earlier bag drop option to help alleviate the pressure.

A statement issued from the brand reads: :If you’ve got a flight that departs before midday, you can check your bag in between 14.00 and 21.00 the day before you depart. You can then proceed straight to departures on your day of departure.”

The service is currently offered at the following airports, specifically for TUI flights. (Although it’s worth noting this won’t be available for USA holidays and flights).

• Gatwick – available from 18th April for flights departing before midday on 19th April from the North Terminal
• Manchester – available from 18th April for flights departing before midday on 19th April

The airline also offers self-service bag drop from Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Gatwick, Manchester and Newcastle Airports.

You can find out more on tui.co.uk.

TUI added that it will be “directly contacting all our customers travelling in the next two weeks to offer additional guidance on travelling throughout the busy holiday period.”

Of course before travelling, make sure to check your destination’s latest Covid travel rules, including Covid test and vaccine requirements – these can change quickly, so always look at the UK Foreign Office’s latest advice for a destination before booking or going on a trip.

The good news is that there are plenty of destinations where you’ll need to do minimal Covid-related admin – for example, 14 countries have axed Covid rules entirely including Mexico, Iceland and Costa Rica.

Throw in the fact that the UK’s own travel rules have ended, and that means no passenger locator forms or other entry requirements on your return home!

Have you been affected by the airport delays and chaos? Let us know in the comments below.