Many queued for hours only to be told holiday flights had been cancelled at the last minute.
Freya Powell, six, was stranded abroad, desperately trying to get home after her family's second flight in 24 hours was cancelled.
Her mother Glenda, 40, said: "Absolute joke. This is the face of a six-year-old who is exhausted from travelling to an airport at 10pm and just wants to go home."
Travel firms could now be forced to pay millions in compensation.
Consumer groups called on the Government to take a tough stance with airlines and airports.
The nightmare has seen many passengers stuck for more than 10 hours and people forced to sleep on airport floors.
Many have complained of heaps of luggage going missing, empty shelves in airport shops and low supplies of food in restaurants.
Thousands of holidays were plunged into disarray after callous holiday firms axed flights just an hour before take-off.
This week was set to be the busiest for air travel since 2019, with many families set to take their first holiday since March 2020. But ghastly scenes outside terminals have showed winding queues and passengers in despair. Travellers have branded Manchester Airport a "complete nightmare" while others compared Bristol to a "zoo".
Apologised
Denne historien er fra May 31, 2022-utgaven av Daily Express.
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Denne historien er fra May 31, 2022-utgaven av Daily Express.
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