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BLAME GAME
Jet2 boss blames airport chaos on ‘lazy Brits who live off benefits and sit on arses’
THE airports chaos has been blamed on “lazy Brits who live off benefits and sit on their arses”.
Jet2 boss Steve Heapy is rumoured to have made the explosive comment in talks this week — as BA and Easyjet demanded more powers to hire visa-free workers from Europe.
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The industry has struggled to replace staff lost in the pandemic.
Many unemployed cabin crew in Spain are seen as an alternative labour pool.
But Transport Secretary Grant Shapps rejected the call for European workers at Thursday’s talks.
It saw Mr Heapy slam Brits for not turning up to job interviews or taking the application process seriously.
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Jet2 said he had expressed his frustrations with the employment market but “other rumours being circulated are categorically not the views of him or our company”.
Meanwhile, ground staff firm Swissport revealed baggage handlers want more cash as demand is so high.
And Easyjet said it is struggling to fill key roles as they want more than the £17,000-£24,000 on offer. A source said: “Maybe pay them more f***ing money then, you tightwads”.
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Some airports said they had a spike in passengers who were disabled or needed assistance to get through queues, forcing them to fork out thousands for mobility vehicles.
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Yesterday the GMB union’s Andy Prendergast said passengers should consider travelling with only one carry-on bag and no check-in luggage to avoid delays and eliminate risk of possessions going missing.
EasyJet cancelled a further 36 flights from Gatwick, TUI axed six and BA slashed more than 120 short-haul flights to and from Heathrow.
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