Actually, the holiday begins with the departure. Everyday life gets smaller with every meter that the machine climbs. But these days, for many travelers, vacations end before they begin. Flights are canceled or departure times are postponed. The queues at check-in and security checks are so long that the waiting time can last for many hours. If you are unlucky, you will miss your flight. The reason for the frequently reported chaos is said to be a lack of personnel in aviation security. Airlines such as Lufthansa, Eurowings and Easyjet have therefore canceled thousands of flights for the coming weeks at short notice.
This is how Cologne/Bonn Airport assesses the situation
At airports, airlines and the federal police with their service providers – in Cologne/Bonn this is Securitas – the wave of travel is accelerating. They have to pass the test on the weekend with the start of vacation in NRW. Cologne Airport boss Thilo Schmid expects 150,000 passengers from Friday to Monday. Individual peak times in the morning or afternoon are problematic for operations. Especially then there are long waiting times at check-in and security control.
The airport is only partly responsible for the problems. For example, the Federal Police, which has commissioned a service provider, is responsible for security checks. According to the Verdi union, he has 100 employees too few. Sometimes the federal police have to help out.
However, the airport does some of the loading and unloading of the aircraft itself. Especially at peak times, a late arrival can disrupt the process. If the staff then has to unload the next machine, delays build up. Baggage may also have to be unloaded because the owner did not make it through security on time.
The airport has increased its staff by 100 new employees. 80 others are still waiting for the result of the reliability check, without which nobody at the airport can work. It lasts eight to ten weeks.
This is what the airlines say about the failures
At the beginning of the year, Eurowings boss Jens Bischof spoke of tens of thousands of new bookings and announced that the number of flights would be increased to at least the pre-crisis level. At the beginning of June, Eurowings announced that “several hundred” flights would be canceled in July after the parent company Lufthansa had already announced that 1,000 flights would not be operated. Eurowings is now also canceling flights in the current month. The industry-wide challenges meant that airlines across Europe had to remove further flights from the system at short notice in the coming days, including Eurowings.
“In the past few days, our crews have reported sick at short notice, including corona diseases,” the company says. “The surprising cancellations exceeded our reserves for a short time, which is why we were unfortunately unable to operate some flights.” Numerous airlines throughout Europe are being forced to adjust their programs due to the overload of the air traffic infrastructure, Eurowings continues. After the worst aviation crisis in the world, the infrastructure has not yet been fully restored. The aviation industry has lost 150,000 employees across Europe since Corona. Accordingly, there are currently still bottlenecks.
On request, Ryanair announced that none of the airline’s flights to or from Germany had been canceled in May due to personnel problems. Ryanair also expects to be able to operate all flights for the current month if there are no problems with security checks or with loading and unloading the aircraft.
This is how the tour operators react
The German tour operators are apparently very upset about flight cancellations, delays and rebookings. You are facing a situation “that we have not seen before,” says Dirk Inger, Managing Director of the German Travel Association (DRV) to the business magazine Capital. The industry complains that any flight cancellation causes stress and more work on all sides – for travelers but also for tour operators and travel agencies. According to Capital, Ralph Schiller, head of the third largest German tour operator FTI, insists that the “flights made available for sale are also served and processed”. Airport operators and airlines would “do everything to solve the problems for those arriving and departing as quickly as possible.” Cancellations are sometimes made at short notice and come as a surprise to passengers. According to Capital, negotiations between tour operators and airlines are in full swing to clarify which connections will remain in place, which customers will be rebooked on which aircraft, and who will be responsible for the additional costs and compensation.
Travelers have these rights if they miss their flight
Here it depends on the individual case. A claim against the airline, the tour operator or the airport operator only exists if the passenger has arrived at the airport in good time before departure. A prerequisite for liability on the part of the airline or operator is also an organizational error in the run-up to check-in or the control, for example the use of too few staff, the opening of too few counters or locks or an overall poor organization of the processes. If you are at the airport in time and still risk missing the flight because of long queues, it is important to document the passage of time, travel lawyer Paul Degott told the editorial network Germany (RND). This is how you should take photos – for example of the timely arrival at the airport, the queue in the terminal, the number of open counters.
If flights are cancelled, travelers are entitled to a refund and, if applicable, compensation, depending on the point in time. The EU Air Passenger Rights Regulation applies to all flights departing from within Europe.
This is how those affected find help to claim their rights
Rummaging through the passenger rights regulation yourself and then contacting the airlines – many people shy away from this effort. The Flugärger app from the NRW consumer advice center can be helpful here, for example. With the free application, travelers can check their claims and write an email to the airline. There is also a compensation calculator at the ADAC motorists’ club. This allows you to check your rights free of charge and then decide whether and how you want to take action, according to the ADAC.
This is the situation at Cologne/Bonn Airport
Whether it is a calm before or after the storm cannot be said on Tuesday morning. In any case, it’s quiet at Cologne Bonn Airport. The check-in lines at Terminal 1 are long, but not longer than on other days. A young family with a child wants to fly to Mallorca. “We’ll wait an hour now,” says the mother. “But everything is calm and relaxed.” Did you arrive earlier because of the reports about the rush? “No,” says the father. “We followed the recommendation to come two and a half hours earlier and that seems to be working well.”
Others were more cautious. Two men who want to fly to Cyprus in the afternoon are at the airport four hours before departure. “We read the reports and that’s why we arrived earlier,” says one. “But that was completely unnecessary,” says the other. “There’s nothing going on here at all.” That will probably change at the weekend, when the school holidays begin, he says. Getting there was a bigger problem. The regional train was late.
How travelers can prepare
Travelers should create the conditions for a smooth flight before they even get to the airport. If you are arriving by train, you should allow for transfer times, and drivers should allow time to look for a parking space. If you want to be on the safe side: passengers should be at the airport two and a half hours before departure. In order to speed up the processes here, the federal police, airlines and airport point out that passengers can reduce waiting times on the day of departure by checking in online and checking in the evening before.
If you live near the airport, you can check in the night before and drop off your bags at the same time. Some airlines offer this. This can save holidaymakers the queue at check-in. It is recommended that you go to security as soon as you have checked in. If you have already checked in in advance, go there immediately after arriving at the airport.
Of course, the passengers should have all the necessary papers ready. Mobile phones, tablets and laptops should be ready at the security checkpoint. Taking off your jacket or coat before the check also saves time. Passengers should only take one piece of hand luggage into the cabin. After all, every piece of luggage has to be checked – including children’s toys. The airport also reminds you of the rules for taking liquids and sharp objects with you. Knives are not allowed in hand luggage, a lighter is allowed. (raz/dpa)
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