Travel hopefuls warned airline issues to last until next year

Australians hoping to travel in the next few months have been warned issues like flight delays and lost luggage are likely to continue as airlines battle extreme staff shortages.

Demand for travel is at a high but experts predict the industry won't be running smoothly until at least next year.

Among travellers stuck at their holiday destinations due to flight delays is Queenslander Ben O'Connor, who was stranded in Bali last week.

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O'Connor said he was supposed to fly home on Sunday night but was forced to wait two days for a new flight.

"I feel sorry for people who may have been travelling with children or didn't have roaming on their phone and turned up at the airport expecting to fly," he said.

"We were in a bit of a panic so we chose the first place we could get into."

Travel companies are warning people to book their Christmas holiday flights as soon as possible.

"You just accept that there are some issues and it's gradually getting better," Flight Centre CEO Graham Turner said.

"Christmas will be the turning point where things are pretty much up to normal for a really busy season and early next year will get back to a pretty good level of normality."

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Flight Centre is fighting to keep up with returned demand after losing $1.3 billion during the pandemic.

The company is opening 40 retail stores across Australia and seeking an extra 1500 staff.

"Next summer in Europe it'll be people touring, cruising, river cruising and that sort of thing," Turner said.

"The demand is enormous at the moment."

All sectors of the travel industry are in need of staff including airlines, airport retail stores and logistics.

Brisbane Airport currently has 2000 positions available with other airports across the country in a similar predicament.

"We need everything from professional services through to walk up and start on security queues, they're the types of jobs that are going now," Stephen Beckett from Brisbane Airport Corporation said.

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