Transportinfo.org.uk - today's transport news in the uk, hand picked for you each morning

Tuesday, 05 April 2022

BBC News

• Manchester Airport: Police could help tackle 'chaos', mayor saysMayor Andy Burnham is meeting Manchester Airport bosses to discuss the
• Staff shortages lead to lengthy airport queues at BirminghamThe airport apologises as travellers face long waits when both departing and arriving.
• Rail travel times between Shrewsbury and Birmingham to be cutTrack upgrades and possible electrification of the rail line could help cut commutes by 11 minutes.
• Snowdonia: Llanberis parking solution criticisedResidents want to see alternatives to a car park at the former Dinorwig power station visitor site.
• Prince Charles visits sustainable aviation laboratoryPrince Charles meets staff from the Whittle Laboratory to learn about sustainable aviation.
• Scots face Easter travel disruption at airports and portsAbout 100 EasyJet flights have been cancelled and there are ongoing problems on the ferry network.
• Stena Line: Fishguard route suspended as ship plugs P&O gapStena Line suspends route from Fishguard as its ship is sent to help out in Northern Ireland.
• Thirty-one areas given cash to boost bus servicesLiverpool and Cornwall will get cash, but Labour says swathes of the country will miss out.
• Manchester Airport: Passengers swapping flights to avoid delaysPeople say they have
• London's expanded ULEZ raised less revenue than expected, says TfLLondon's widened ultra low emission zone (ULEZ) made less in its first month than expected.
• Heathrow Airport baggage handler strike suspended after pay offerBaggage handlers at the airport had planned to walk out at the weekend in a dispute over pay.
• XR protests enter fourth day as oil facility near Heathrow blockedClimate change campaigners have staged a protest near Heathrow Airport in west London.
• London Underground: Tube noise complaints on the riseNoise complaints have been increasing, with the Northern and Victoria lines identified as hotspots.
• Easter flight cancellations to continue for daysAt least 60 easyJet flights are to be scrapped on Tuesday due to a high level of staff absence.

Financial Times

• Ryanair narrows guidance on expected lossesEurope's largest low-cost airline says figure will be at lower end of previous forecast
• Harbour operator waives fees from Abramovich-linked yacht amid sanctions concerns London-listed Global Ports Holding says it is not breaching UK law by providing Turkish berth for vessel
• UK holidaymakers face travel chaos as Covid forces flight cancellationsAirlines and airports are struggling to rehire staff laid off during pandemic as demand surges

The Guardian

• What is behind the disruption at UK airports?Long check-in queues and flight cancellations come as travellers try to get away for EasterEasyJet expects to cancel hundreds more flights this weekWith the Easter break now under way, passengers at UK airports have been facing severe disruption to their plans, with long delays and hundreds of flights cancelled. Why has this been happening and what can be done? Continue reading...
• EasyJet expects to cancel hundreds more flights this week amid Covid staff sicknessThe airline cancelled 222 flights over the weekend and pulled another 62 of those scheduled for MondayCoronavirus - latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageEasyJet expects to cancel hundreds more flights this week due to high levels of Covid-19 among its crew, amid wider disruption at airports and Channel ports at the start of the Easter holidays.The airline cancelled 222 flights over the weekend and pulled another 62 of those scheduled for Monday because of coronavirus absences. It said it had made efforts to offset staff shortages by rostering additional standby crew on the weekend but...

The Independent

• Roads and railways likely to be disrupted by snow as weather warning issuedThe Met Office issued a warning from 6am to 10pm on Tuesday.

The Telegraph

• Easter travel chaos as delays and cancellations hit BA, EasyJet, Eurostar and Dover

Times Online

• We’re paying millions more for new ferries than Norway, say Scottish islanders [Subscription]Islanders have criticised ferry procurement after claiming that new vessels being built overseas but destined for Scotland are costing about 50 per cent more than similar sized electric vessels ordered by Norway.
• Driverless cars key to Northern Ireland sea link, says Alister Jack [Subscription]A bridge or tunnel to link Scotland and Northern Ireland is still feasible but not until “the distant future”, Alister Jack, the Scottish secretary, has claimed.
• Cost of living crisis hits new car sales [Subscription]New car sales fell sharply in March, a crucial month for the automotive industry, as the cost of living crisis engulfs motorists, registration figures show.
• Ryanair flies more passengers but takes hit from cheap flights and higher costs [Subscription]Ryanair is flying more passengers than before the pandemic but its losses have come in a little worse than hoped due to cheap flights to get people in the air and increased operational costs as the industry gears up for the summer.

City AM

• Travel bloodbath at Heathrow continues this morning after British Airways cancels 115 flights in one day aloneBritish Airways cancelled 115 flights to or from Heathrow Airport yesterday, although City A.M. understands that only five were last-minute cancellations caused by coronavirus-related staff shortages. Large queues were already seen around 6am this morning with many frustrated travellers taking to social media to vent their anger and dismay. The total cancelled flights includes some [...] The post Travel bloodbath at Heathrow continues this morning after British Airways cancels 115 flights in one day alone appeared first on CityAM.

Daily Express

• Airlines turn on Government amid Easter travel chaos - ‘We warned ministers’MINISTERS have been blasted by airlines for the widespread Easter travel disruption as cancelled flights and massive queues at airport security due to a shortage of staff have left many Britons forced to alter their travels.
• Sturgeon to face fresh challenge from ferry fiasco amid Derek Mackay inquiry, expert warnsNicola Sturgeon has been warned against denying or falsifying the part she played in the disastrous CalMac ferry contract, which is reported to have been awarded by the Scottish government

Daily Record

• Scots Easyjet passengers left stranded for hours in airports after flights scrapped at last minuteStaff shortages led to cancelled flights and hours-long delays over the weekend and the carnage continued on Monday.

Mail Online

• Easter getaway chaos at Manchester airport after staff shortages at Heathrow and GatwickFootage posted to social media captured travellers lining up outside Manchester Airport's entrance this morning, on the fourth day in a row that it has experienced delays.
• MPs turn on airport bosses as passengers face huge queues, and flight cancellationsBlackley and Broughton MP Graham Stringer challenged the management at Manchester Airport to 'get a grip or get out' after airline passengers faced huge queues on Monday.

The Mirror

• Manchester Airport chaos so bad police and ARMY could be drafted in to helpGreater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham said he is working to control the chaos as passengers have faced agonisingly long delays over the weekend
• Boris Johnson 'shafts' bus passengers as just 34 of 79 areas get new fund - full listMinisters trumpeted £1.2billion for bus services across England last night - but it's short of the £3bn originally promised and fewer than half the eligible areas will get cash. See the full list of funding - or not - for your area here

This is Money

• Car tax costs 2022: Drivers to be stung with an extra £10-30 riseVehicle Excise Duty - or car tax - has from April 2022 been increased in line inflation. It translates to annual increases for the majority of drivers of petrol and diesel cars.

Sky News

• Drug-drivers will be forced to go on rehab courses to get bans liftedPeople who are convicted of drug-driving will need to go on a rehabilitation course before being allowed to drive again under new plans.

Birmingham Post

• Ryanair set for loss of at least £294m - but says passenger numbers are recoveringBudget airline said number of fliers was still down a third on pre-Covid figures
• Cardiff Airport boss Spencer Birns on a new base for Wizz Air and passenger number recoveryWhile hopeful that Qatar Airways will resume its Cardiff to Doha route the chief executive said it might not happen until 2024
• Airbus workers offered 8.6% pay deal in bid to avert strike actionThe deal over two years is an improvement on an offer rejected by Unite members
• Toyota says no decisions “imminent” about UK factories after Times says it could leave over green vehicle quotas‘We are focused on achieving a long-term and sustainable future including for our UK plants’

Bolton News

• More than £1bn given to Greater Manchester to boost transport networkGREATER Manchester has been awarded more than £1bn to boost its bus, trams and wider transport network, the government announced yesterday, Monday.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Toyota responds to claims it may end production at Deeside plantReports suggested the company was using the threat to influence the UK government's electric vehicle strategy
• Reaction as Snowdonia hamlet blighted by abuse, human waste and parking chaosSome suggested towing cars away or banning access to certain roads while others were more sympathetic towards tourists
• Manchester Airport worker quits after 18 years and warns 'passenger safety is being endangered'Ray Ellis has worked at Manchester Airport since 1994 but says he resigned over 'the chaotic way the airport is operating'

Wales Online

• Parking chaos, gridlock, human waste on verges and abusive behaviour blighting Wales' most famous beauty spotNant Gwynant in Snowdonia has been suffering from problems amid large numbers of visitors

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Drivers left frantically searching for diesel across the Black Country amid shortagesDrivers across the Black Country are struggling to find diesel amid protests at oil terminals and refineries across the UK.

North Wales Live

• British Airways flight prices surge amid covid staff shortage worriesIt is believed these 'deterrent fares' may be to reduce the number of people who may be affected by cancellations

Other Regional Press

• Network Rail plans to replace Bradford on Avon bridgeResidents in Bradford on Avon are to be told in May about plans to close the road in St Margaret's Street for essential work to replace the road over rail bridge.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Traveline Cymru signs deal with Transport for WalesThe Welsh Government’s not-for-profit transport delivery partner, Traveline Cymru, is one step closer to a one-stop-shop customer services powerhouse after signing a deal with Transport for Wales (TfW).   Building on the success of the popular Traveline Cymru service, the company that owns it, PTI Cymru has joined the TfW in a deal agreed by the Welsh Government to create an integrated public transport information centre fit for the future. The move has been welcomed by both TfW and PTI Cymru, as it pools the existing customer experience talent and resource together under one...

Other News Sources

• Corendon Airlines opens first UK route from Gatwick AirportAN AIRLINE has celebrated the launch of its first UK route from Gatwick Airport.

EIN News Subscription

• Airlines blame ministers for Easter travel chaos … passengers during the Easter period. "The requirement for counter terrorist … continues to process these security clearances in a timely … industry figures - most airlines and airports have run up … high Covid infections across Europe have led to unusually high …
• MPs turn on airport bosses as passengers face huge queues, and flight cancellations … European destinations costing as much as £1,000. Away from airports … for return flights to European destinations this Easter. One … Fuming holidaymakers branded the transport hub 'the worst … venues and on public transport. And infected people are still …