Stansted Airport: UK airport issues warning ahead of busy Christmas period - after passengers experience major queues and travel chaos

London Stansted issued an alert on its X platform over the weekend, in anticipation of what's expected to be a hectic Christmas travel season. Passengers departing from Stansted, along with numerous other airports, are being encouraged to "fly responsibly" or risk "paying the price" through a Government-backed programme.

The One Too Many campaign is cautioning travellers that excessive drinking at airports can lead to severe consequences. Alert notices state: "One too many is all it takes to ruin a holiday, cause a delay, land YOU in jail, cancel a flight, [and/or] divert a plane", with one recently shared by Stansted's X profile.

The notice continues: "Did you know that if you are deemed unfit to fly, you may be denied boarding and you could face up to two years in jail for disrupting a flight? Travel responsibly this Christmas." Travellers who create disturbances on aircraft could also discover themselves facing a permanent airline prohibition, or penalties reaching £80,000 should their behaviour compel an aircraft to alter its route mid-flight.

The One Too Many scheme operates at over 20 UK airports including London Gatwick, London Heathrow, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle International and Bristol, reports the Mirror. The warning expressed by Stansted comes after there has been travel chaos at the airport.

Stansted has been hit with major queues and travel chaos over the weekend in the run up to Christmas. Travellers have been told to arrive for their flight three hours early.

Stansted blamed the delays on a 'minor IT issue' over the weekend affecting security lanes, combined with ongoing upgrades to the security entrance. Videos posted online showed scenes of chaos, with lengthy queues through departures and some people missing their flight despite arriving on time.

One passenger shared a video of the queue for departures on Saturday, branding the waiting time 'pure madness'. A Stansted Airport spokesperson said: “We experienced a minor IT issue over the weekend that affected a small number of security lanes.

“Combined with ongoing upgrade work at the security entrance, this led to slightly longer waiting times during peak periods, and we apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused. Our teams acted quickly to resolve the issue and worked hard to keep passengers moving as smoothly as possible.”