Chaos at German airports: "Passengers are desperate and angry"
Created: 06/25/2022, 19:56
By: Magdalena Furthauer
The summer holidays are just starting in NRW and the rush at the airports is enormous.
In addition to hours of waiting, some are not even allowed to get their luggage.
Düsseldorf – North Rhine-Westphalia is the first federal state to start the summer holidays.
As feared, vacationers once again need a lot of time and strong nerves: on Saturday there were long queues at German airports.
Relaxation is probably only in sight after the weekend.
Airport chaos across Germany: "Passengers are desperate and angry"
There was an enormous rush, especially at Düsseldorf Airport, as a spokesman confirmed.
Travelers report to the dpa that they have been waiting there for five hours.
They had arrived extra early.
The reason for the delays is likely to have been a malfunction in the baggage transport system, which apparently already caused chaotic conditions on Friday.
"It cannot be ruled out that luggage will be left behind in Düsseldorf today," the spokesman continued.
The airlines would forward this as soon as possible.
There were long waiting times at Düsseldorf Airport on Saturday.
© IMAGO/Kirchner-Media/Christopher Neundorf
Flights canceled at short notice also caused frustration among travelers.
Several airlines have repeatedly canceled numerous flights in the past few days because of the significant staff shortages due to the corona virus.
Nine flights were canceled at Düsseldorf Airport by noon on Saturday - eight of them from Eurowings and Lufthansa.
In total, up to 200,000 passengers are expected in Düsseldorf this weekend.
Chaos at airports at the beginning of the holiday: the pilot apparently has to go onto the runway himself
Similar scenes also played out at Cologne/Bonn Airport.
The waiting times at the security checks would be between 60 and 90 minutes.
Here, too, the problem is the sickness-related loss of staff of more than one hundred employees.
“You can no longer compensate for that,” said the airport spokesman there.
Other airports also struggled this weekend.
A flight attendant from the
Rheinische Post
describes how canceled flights and seemingly endless queues led to chaos everywhere.
"Passengers are desperate and angry - and so are we," said the flight attendant.
German airports overloaded - roads still comparatively quiet
On the other hand, it was comparatively quiet on the streets on Saturday.
Since many people fly back on vacation after the forced break caused by the corona, the car is becoming less important for the journey compared to the past two corona years, according to the ADAC.
Friday afternoon was different.
In North Rhine-Westphalia alone, it accumulated up to 200 kilometers across the state.
The Deutsche Bahn, where at least the announcements can cause confusion to the fullest, is also reporting increased travel this weekend.
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After NRW, the coastal states of Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania will go on vacation next week, followed by Hamburg, Berlin and Brandenburg on the Wednesday (July 6th).
The last are the southern states of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria - at the end of July and August 1st respectively.
(mef/dpa)
