LATEST NEWS: Flights out of Leeds-Bradford Airport delayed this morning with one over an hour late

"SNAKING QUEUES" at the security gates at Leeds Bradford airport have caused anger among a group of passengers who missed their flight to Dublin earlier this week.

Deborah Murphy, who lives in Dublin but regularly travels to Leeds to see her mum, was supposed to board the 6.40am Ryanair Flight from LBA to Dublin on Monday morning.

But, despite claiming she had adhered to guidelines, arrived at the airport on time, and even paid for fast-track security, she missed the flight after she was hit with 'snaking queues' at the security gates.

She said: " I was there on time. I had paid for fast track but other airlines were jumping/moving all their customers to the front of fast track queues to avoid them missing their flights so we couldn't get through.

"I've never experienced such bad communication or duty of care in that kind of setting. It was actually laughable."

She was then booked onto an evening flight at 5.40pm but was told to get there at 1pm to ensure she made it in time. 

Ben Davies also missed the flight despite arriving at the airport two hours early. He said: " I got to LBA at 4.30am for a 6.40am flight, I was told “2-3hrs before departure” by Ryanair but the queue for security was already out the door by then."

Leeds Bradford Airport told the T&A that 'the current challenges are an industry-wide problem, caused by the speed of withdrawal of travel restrictions and testing which has led to the rapid recovery of international travel. Airports across the country are being impacted by lead times to recruit and train additional staff.'

A spokesperson said they are currently experiencing longer queuing times during peak travel times between 04.00 and 08.00 in the morning and 1:00-4:00 p.m.

To streamline the process to get through security as quickly as possible, they advise passengers to arrive early, three hours prior to departure, prepare carry-on baggage, eg – remove all large electronic devices and carry liquids and gels less than 100ml in a one-litre ziplock bag in advance and empty your pockets before going through the x-ray units.

A spokesperson for LBA added: “We would like to apologise to passengers impacted by queues at LBA. We’re working hard to overcome these challenges, that are impacting airports across the country, through recruitment and training initiatives, while managing queues safely.”