LIVERPOOL John Lennon Airport is urging people to arrive earlier for flights after dozens of passengers missed their flights at the weekend.

Airport officials have said that although passengers can now check-in online, they are still recommending they turn up at least two hours before flights because of heightened security checks.

Last month, the UK terror threat level was raised from “substantial” to “severe” by Home Secretary Alan Johnson.

The new alert level means a terrorist attack is considered “highly likely”. It had stood at substantial since last July.

Mark Smith was due to fly to Krakow in Poland with Easyjet but by the time he got through security, the flight had already left.

“I was taking my wife for a Valentine’s treat for three days. We checked-in online and got to the airport for about 6am – our flight was leaving at 7.05am.

“We got to security and the queue was horrendous. They just couldn’t cope with the volume of passengers going through.

“Then they called our flight and we got brought to the front of the queue, but it was too late. They closed the gate. Then we had to reclaim our luggage and try to book another flight, but there weren’t any spaces on the next one.

“There were about 15 people that missed our flight and I could hear other people complaining about missing their flights.”

Mr Smith, a compensation and benefits director from Chorley, said that when he went to enquire about being reimbursed he was just given some forms to fill in.

“I’m £500 out of pocket – that’s not just the flights but the accommodation, too.

“We expected to just to arrive, go straight through security and on to the plane.”