Melbourne and Sydney airports are completely cooked this morning because tens of thousands of holidayers are attempting to flee the cold ahead of the long weekend.
Travellers posted photos on Twitter on Friday showing queues for baggage check-in running outside and down the footpath and hugely dense crowds of people trying to get through security. Queues started backing up around 5am and got worse throughout the morning.
Another holiday and another meltdown at Sydney’s privatised airport. Massive queue for bag drop then another one for security. They knew in advance how many people were coming because they sold tickets. Less staff = more privatised profit 😡 pic.twitter.com/8DMe0aiSyf
— David Shoebridge (@ShoebridgeMLC) June 9, 2022
Allow some extra time if you’re heading to the Sydney airport this morning. Long check-in lines as thousands are expected to travel for the long weekend. #SydneyAirport pic.twitter.com/OHmDpAMWdO
— Monish Nand (@MonishNand) June 9, 2022
Reports said around 80,000 people were expected to move through Sydney airport today and almost 100,000 through Melbourne airport.
Hope they all arrived the recommended three-hours ahead of boarding time.
This is the scene at Virgin check-in. People now pushed into overflow. 80,000 travellers are expected to come through @SydneyAirport today @sunriseon7 @7NewsSydney pic.twitter.com/Nr3JoIga8o
— Liam Tapper (@liamtapper) June 9, 2022
This is Melbourne airport this morning ahead of the long weekend. 97 thousand people are expected to travel today – the largest number since the pandemic @7NewsMelbourne pic.twitter.com/Q6RsbGpo2j
— Cassie Zervos (@cassiezervos) June 9, 2022
It’s expected to be Melbourne airport’s busiest day since COVID-19 boarder restrictions lifted.
Latest @abcnews – large queues are already forming at Sydney and Melbourne airports this morning ahead of the Queen’s Birthday long weekend.
Sydney Airport queues are snaking outside the terminals.
Melbourne Airport expects its busiest day since pandemic restrictions lifted.
— Sam Wilkinson (@WilkoSam) June 9, 2022
But this isn’t the first time airports have been bedlam this year. It also happened around the last school holidays in April.
Thousands of people queued for hours across two days of chaos, which Qantas CEO Alan Joyce later blamed on the passengers. Apparently everyone forgot to take their aerosols out of their carry on which fucked the entire airport system.
Reports have said staff shortages could also be to blame. Also funny because didn’t airlines fire aa bunch of people in 2020 and 2021? Huh.
It’s pretty weird hearing confounded reporters describing a staff shortage at Sydney airport as though Qantas didn’t illegally sack 2000 workers 🤔
— Joshua Lyons (@Joshlyfry) June 9, 2022
This also comes after massive delays and queues at passport renewal offices in Sydney and Melbourne. It seems we simply cannot leave this godforsaken place.
If you’re flying tonight or even tomorrow maybe you should head over and line up now. Good luck.
