Thousands of UK families are preparing to start the half-term with a getaway, but there are concerns about delays at some of the UK's busiest airports. This week some holidaymakers were delayed by more than 40 hours with TUI as they tried to fly out of Cardiff Airport. Passengers coming back to Wales from Zante were also delayed. You can read about the delays here.

There are no reports of any delays on Friday, and TUI have issued a statement saying they are doing "everything they can" to limit flight delays. A spokeswoman said: "As the UK’s biggest holiday company we will never cancel flights as we know how much our customers look forward to their holiday with us. We are doing everything we can to limit any flight delays, which can happen from time to time for various operational reasons. On the rare occasion flight delays do take place we will do everything we can to support our customers."

Passengers with easyJet were also faced with long delays after a "major technical glitch" hit the company on Thursday afternoon. Thousands were affected and there has been a knock on effect on Friday, particularly at Gatwick Airport.

Travel expert Simon Calder said: "There are passengers who have woken up this morning with early flights to Milan and Majorca have seen cancellations from Gatwick airport. That is on top of the 200-plus flights cancelled on Thursday because of the IT glitch. It means a total of 30,000 easyJet passengers waking up this morning, not where they wanted to be at all. There is lots of pressure on finding seats and ways of getting people where they need to be. The airline has to find an alternative flight, or people will have to book themselves on other airlines."

The advice from easyJet is: "We advise customers due to travel with us to continue to check Flight Tracker for the status of their flight before making their way to the airport. We apologise for the inconvenience caused and customers can apply for compensation in line with regulations."

British Airways say: "Our airport check-in opens three hours before long haul flights and two hours before short-haul flights. We have a dedicated 'Ready to Fly' page on our website to help customers get ready for their trips."

Passengers travelling from Bristol Airport have been asked not to turn up too early after queues snaking out of the building over recent weeks. You can read what they had to say here.TUI say customers should remember that standard check-in opens at least two and a half hours before departure time for short and mid-haul flights, and at least three and a half hours before departure for long-haul flights. A spokeswoman adds: ""Customers are reminded that arriving at the airport too far in advance of their flight can contribute to airport queueing delays."

Jet2 state that if you're "travelling with hand baggage only and if you are in possession of your boarding card, you may proceed straight to security (unless your boarding card indicates otherwise). We advise that you arrive at least 90 minutes prior to your flight to allow enough time."

A Ryanair spokesman said: "Ryanair advises all passengersto arrive at least two hours prior to their scheduled departure time."

There were reports of long queues at Gatwick's South Terminal on Friday morning (May 27). Reports on social media suggest people are facing delays at check-in and one person claims people are missing their flights as a result of some of the issues with check-in taking two hours for some. There are also reports of three-hour queues at Dover as Liverpool football fans head to Paris for Saturday's Champions' League final with Real Madrid.

There is also high demand for sailings from families embarking on trips to the continent for half-term. The port advised passengers to "pack adequate supplies including food and water" as it is expecting "a very busy week ahead". Ferry firm Irish Ferries warned customers to "expect delays of up to three hours at port security and check-in". P&O Ferries said there is "heavy traffic at border control".

Have your flights from Cardiff Airport been cancelled?

Get in touch with us to share you experiences. Email us on newsdesk@mediawales.co.uk.

Cancellations at Cardiff Airport last night

"This is not a way to treat customers."

Still challenges for people trying to get out on their holidays

Shortages of staff appear to be causing the delays:

This is a brutal story

A woman has described the hellish two days she spent after easyJet cancelled two of her flights from two different airports which left her sobbing on the floor in Gatwick.

You can read the full story here.

TUI cancels holiday flights as UK airports gripped by half-term travel chaos

Travel company TUI has confirmed it has cancelled a number of its flights as UK airports are gripped by disruption. Chaotic scenes have been seen at many airports over the past few weeks due to staff shortages and the situation is expected to get worse over this weekend as children break up for the school half-term holidays.

You can read more about this here.

EasyJet is to cancel more than 200 flights over the next 10 day

The airline ha sconfirmed that about 24 flights a day from London's Gatwick airport would be cancelled between 28 May and 6 June.

It is understood that the cancellations are due to an issue with an IT system.

The Department for Transport (DfT) urged people to check the latest advice before travelling to the port of Dover.

No delays at Heathrow

No delays were reported at Heathrow in the early hours of Saturday, according to the airport's departure board.

But there are five cancellations for British Airways flights to Lyon (7.50am), Tirana (8.15am), Dublin (1.30pm), Madrid (3.15pm) and Barcelona (5.20pm).

easyJet cancellations include Spain, Portugal and Italy

Cancellations for departures from Gatwick Airport between May 28 and June 6 include Spain, Portugal, and Italy. You can read the full story here.

EasyJet set to cancel 240 flights from Gatwick over half term

EasyJet is set to cut over 240 flights from Gatwick between May 28 and June 6. A spokesperson from the airline said today: "Over the next week we will be operating around 1,700 flights per day, with around a quarter of these operating to and from Gatwick.

“We have taken the decision to make advance cancellations of around 24 Gatwick flights per day starting from tomorrow 28 May until 6 June.

“We are very sorry for the late notice of some of these cancellations and inconvenience caused for customers booked on these flights however we believe this is necessary to provide reliable services over this busy period.

“Customers are being informed from today and provided with the option to rebook their flight or receive a refund and can apply for compensation in line with regulations.”

Busiest day at Birmingham Airport in three years

Birmingham Airport has recorded its busiest day since 2019, with over 21,000 holidaymakers jetting off from the airport. Birmingham Live reported that it was the busiest day for the airport for nearly three years and that 147,000 holidaymakers are booked to fly in and out of Birmingham over the four day Platinum Jubilee weekend.

Bristol Airport says Platinum Jubilee weekend expected to be 'busiest since 2019'

Bristol Airport has said that 300,000 customers are expected to travel through the airport over the Platinum Jubilee holiday period. In a statement, as reported by Bristol Live, the airport said: "The Platinum Jubilee holiday is expected to be the busiest period for Bristol Airport since 2019 with customers going on a well-deserved holiday, city break or to meet up with friends and family.

"Over 300,000 customers are expected to travel through the Airport over the holiday period, with up to 30,000 customers flying on some days. With the rapid increase in customers and the huge pent-up demand for travel Bristol Airport and its Business Partners have been working hard to meet the post Covid challenges."

Airport to host 'major recruitment drive'

Bristol Airport is hosting a "major recruitment drive" next month to try and cope with an influx of holidaymakers expected over the summer break. It comes after staffing shortages were partly blamed for large queues at the departures terminal in the past few week, reports Bristol Live.

The event will be held in Lulsgate House at the airport on Thursday, June 9 between 11am and 2pm with more than 50 employers offering job opportunities in areas such as customer service, hospitality, retail, airline handling and security. The jobs fair will also provide an insight into seasonal roles, which are ideal for students or those who just want a taster of working at the airport.

Debbie Hartshorn, people director at Bristol Airport, said that the aviation industry, like many others, "is facing a challenging recruitment market". She added: "We are experiencing a fantastic recovery for the Airport having already seen a large increase in passenger numbers over the Easter period and the summer season is predicted to be even busier."

Update from easyJet on technical issues

There have been a number of easyJet flights cancelled at Gatwich after an issue with the airline's IT system on Thursday.

The budget airline said engineers had fixed the problem that left holidaymakers stranded at the likes of Gatwick, Stanstead and Manchester airports.

A spokesperson for easyJet said today: "Yesterday we operated almost 1500 flights network wide. Around 200 were impacted by an IT systems issue which was rectified within a couple of hours.

"Today we plan to operate around 1,700 flights but unfortunately a small number have been impacted this morning. Customers have been notified and provided with options to rebook or receive a refund. We are very sorry for any inconvenience caused."