Gran “angry” after having to climb “sky-high stairs” at airport when escalator was turned off

Leeds Bradford Airport said the escalator was not broken but had been turned off because of long queues and to free up space in queues

A granny was left “angry” after being forced to climb “sky high” stairs when escalators were shut down at Leeds Bradford Airport.

Karen, 60, from Leeds, was on holiday in Bodrum, Turkey, but when she landed at Leeds Bradford Airport at 3.30pm she encountered huge queues.

She says she was even more shocked when she realized the escalators weren’t working and everyone had to take the full stairs.

Leeds Bradford Airport apologized and shared live in yorkshire The escalator wasn’t broken, it was turned off because of the long queues and to free up space in the aisles.

Karen said: “We landed four planes at once and our buses were in line. That’s when I knew we might have a problem.”

She continued: “Look, I’m quite fit for my age and there have been people worse off than me who are much older who have been forced to take the stairs.

“There was absolutely no one who could help, or at least see if those arriving needed help accessing it. They don’t care about old people at all.”

Karen then had to wait 90 minutes but was relieved when she got to the border checkpoint, where she was outraged again after officers told her long waits were a new norm.

Karen said, “When I got to the pass front I said thank God. I’ve had conversations with the officials who then said this happens all the time now.

“I just can’t understand what the queues are for now. It was never like this before the pandemic. It wasn’t like that in Bodrum either and there were a lot of flights.”

A spokesman for Leeds Bradford Airport told Yorkshire Live the escalator was not broken but had been shut down to allow more space in the queues because of the long queues.

In a statement, the airport apologized for the long waiting times.

Vincent Hodder, CEO of Leeds Bradford Airport, said: “I apologize to all passengers who have recently been impacted by queues at the LBA and would like to reassure those who wish to travel with us that we are working hard to overcome these challenges . Staff shortages continue to be an issue for us and other airports across the UK but we are doing everything we can to place staff in positions that can alleviate the current pressure.”

A Leeds Bradford Airport spokesman also referred questions about long waits to Border Force, which he says is responsible for moving people from arrival to the border.

The Interior Ministry, which is responsible for the Border Force, acknowledged problems with waiting times but said their priority was not speed but maintaining a secure border.

A Home Office spokesman said: “As international travel continues to reopen and passenger numbers rise, we realized that wait times may be longer as we ensure all passengers comply with the security and immigration measures put in place for our safety.” .

“Border Force’s top priority is maintaining a secure border and we will not compromise on security. We are working closely with Stansted Airport to ensure passengers have the smoothest possible journey and we will continue to deploy our staff as flexibly as possible.”