In the post-Covid era, many industries are struggling to find a balance between demand and supply. For a lot of businesses, this is because of recovery periods that varied in length, with resurgences of the virus making demand even more inconsistent. And this is perhaps no more pronounced than in the travel industry, in which fluctuating passenger numbers have made getting the right number of Physical Security workers extremely difficult.
Delays at Manchester Airport
Last month, Manchester Airport had to apologise after three-hour long queues led to several passengers missing their flights. The airport cited high passenger numbers as the cause, as this put considerable strain on staff members and resulted in delays. Overall, hundreds of people were affected by these queues, as many flights had to wait for passengers coping with the frustrating situation.
Physical Security Issues
These scenes at Manchester Airport highlighted the continued importance of a Physical Security presence in the post-Covid era. Whilst the delays were attributed to high numbers of passengers, the reality is that the airport did not have enough people in their security teams to process such a high number of travellers efficiently.
Essentially, the lack of a physical security presence resulted in insufficient numbers of staff available to perform security checks. This meant excessive queues formed at Manchester Airport made up of passengers who had already checked-in bags for their flights. Supply Chain Issues such as this can create a disastrous situation for all, as security must be of a high standard at airports despite the frustration that a lack of staff can cause.
Moving Forwards
It was always inevitable that demand for flights was going to resurge after covid-related travel restrictions were eased. Many now hope that this miscalculation from Manchester Airport does not become a trend throughout the sector, especially considering how vital physical security is in such environments.
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