Friday’s headlines are dominated by the likely disruption to Christmas travel plans from the eight-day strike by Border Force staff over the festive period.
Soldiers are being drafted in to check passports at some of the affected airports, while home secretary Suella Braverman has warned travellers to “think carefully” about their plans due to the likely disruption.
Elsewhere, a new report has revealed how “hundreds of thousands” of travellers were affected by delays in processing new passports in 2022, amid warnings that there must not be a repeat of the problems next year.
Here are the headlines the travel industry woke up to on Friday (9 December).
British soldiers cover for striking Border Force staff
Soldiers have been told their Christmas leave is cancelled for the second year in a row after they were drafted in to replace striking Border Force staff. Around 100 troops are being sent to Heathrow and Gatwick to check passports during the eight days of industrial action. (The Times)
Home secretary urges people to ‘think carefully’ about Xmas travel
Suella Braverman has told travellers to “think carefully” about their festive plans because of “serious disruption” to services caused by the Border Force strike. The home secretary said that families travelling abroad over Christmas would find their plans “impacted” by the strike. (Various)
Watchdog warns against repeat of 2022’s passport delays
The Passport Office has been told to “learn the lessons” from this year’s high level of processing delays for new passports, which affected hundreds of thousands of travellers, so there is no repeat of the situation in 2023. The warning came in a report by the National Audit Office (NAO), which found that the Passport Office struggled to keep up with “unprecedented demand” in 2022. (BBC News)
New anti-strike laws could make transport strikes worse, admits govt
Government plans to introduce new “strike-busting” legislation could increase the levels of industrial action by transport workers and make staff shortages in the sector worse, according to an internal assessment of the proposals by the Department for Transport. (The i)
Airport issues warning after dog accidentally sent through X-ray machine
A dog was spotted in a backpack going through an X-ray machine at an airport in the US, prompting a reminder from security officials for passengers to check luggage for small pets. The incident happened at an airport in Wisconsin - the dog was unharmed apart from being “a little skittish" after going through the scanning machine. (Sky News)
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