Avoiding airport chaos: five travel tips for a relaxed holiday
Created: 07/12/2022 05:34
By: Stella Henrich
With the beginning of the summer holidays, many people go on vacation.
But Corona has left its mark on the travel industry.
What travelers need to know to avoid chaos at airports.
Munich – Flights have been cancelled, planes are delayed, long queues at the terminals and breakdowns during check-in at the airport.
The bad news literally rolls over.
Everyone was so happy to finally be able to travel again - after almost two years of the corona pandemic.
That should spoil the mood for many before the start of the trip.
Because a quick improvement in the travel chaos is not in sight.
At German airports there is already a lot of crunching at the start of the main travel season.
There is not only a lack of ground staff to cope with the rush of passengers in the coming weeks.
Because of the pandemic, many pilots were also unable to start their training flights.
This also leads to another bottleneck at German airports.
There are also illness-related absences due to Corona.
At the start of the summer holidays, more than 10 percent of employees in North Rhine-Westphalia alone called in sick.
So much for the bad news in a nutshell.
Airport chaos: Travelers should prepare well
Because if you are well prepared for the upcoming travel chaos, you can avoid stressful situations.
"Make your preparations at home," advises the Vice President of the Federal Police Headquarters in Hanover, Michael Schuol, at
Merkur.de
. To avoid airport chaos.
This includes packing liquids in bags, paying attention to the appropriate quantities, and not packing any files, harpoons or weapons in your hand luggage.
It is also "not helpful" to take several pieces of hand luggage with you because of high baggage fees, then everything takes even longer.
A check-in station at Berlin-Brandenburg Airport.
(Iconic image) © Anita Bugge/imago
In order to cope with the rush of passengers, check-in for the first flights can begin as early as 3:30 a.m., reports Hamburg Airport.
Check-in counters and the self-bag-drop machines are ready for this.
Passengers should therefore inquire about the check-in times at their airports so as not to have to wait long.
Hamburg airport boss Michael Eggenschwiler recommends being at the airport two and a half hours before departure, or "a bit earlier", especially for flights at peak times around midday and between 4 and 6 p.m.
Holiday tips for air travelers: | |
1st tip | travel with little hand luggage |
2nd tip | Issue hand luggage earlier |
3rd tip | Travelers should inquire whether they can claim their luggage a day before departure |
4th tip | do not travel on public holidays to avoid long queues |
5th tip | take out travel insurance before the start of your holiday. Helps when, for example, a flight is cancelled |
Travel chaos: European airports are well prepared for vacationers
For those who go on vacation in other European countries, traveling should be so much more relaxed.
Because, as a dpa survey showed, the airports in Turkey and Greece with the beautiful islands of Rhodes, Kos and Crete have coordinated everything well and have operations under control.
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Airport operations in Rome and Milan are also relatively trouble-free for the Italians.
Thanks to the government's Corona aid packages, the airports hardly had to lay off staff.
The airport bosses of Milan and Rome categorically ruled out chaotic scenes at check-in, security checks and passenger handling.
There is also good news from the smaller airports of popular holiday destinations.
Cyprus, Gran Canaria, Madeira and Croatia give holidaymakers the green light.
Everything is largely under control there too.
Likewise in Sicily and Sardinia.
You should urgently avoid these mistakes in travel cancellation insurance
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If flights are canceled nonetheless, the affected passenger can assert rights against the airline or the tour operator.
Even if the suitcase is lost, a nightmare for vacationers, correct action at the airport is important.
Many airlines even provide passengers with an "emergency kit".
Travelers should also think about a booster vaccination in good time.
The EU health authority recommends a corona booster vaccination as soon as possible, especially for people over 60 years of age.
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