Le Berlin's new airport once again hit the headlines in Germany last weekend. Europe's most talked-about airport found itself at the centre of yet another controversy last weekend.
October 12 marked the start of the autumn holidays in Germany, and some passengers had to wait until the end of the season to catch their flight. up to 4 hours to register. Missing their plane in the process. The local government deemed the situation unacceptable and called on the airport authority to remedy the situation.
This situation also occurred - to a lesser extent - at FrankfurtLufthansa's main hub. According to a Lufthansa spokesman, waiting times have certainly lengthened, but with no major consequences.
We can rejoice that air transport is finally getting some colour back after a dark year and a half. But it also faces a number of challenges. new challenges. There are several factors slowing down passenger check-in and their passage from the public area to the customs area," explains Isabelle Polders, Director of Communications for ADV, the German airport association. Passenger screening procedures are slowed down by the need to check Covid formalities.. In addition, the airports are in a difficult financial situation. They have had to close parts of their terminals. And the companies in charge of passenger services have put some of their staff on short-time working. And they're finding it hard to recruit again at the moment," she says.
According to ADV, the two stumbling blocks are passenger check-in and baggage delivery. " The problem is likely to continue for another two months" says Isabelle Polders.
Many people will wonder why digital technology does not come to the rescue of passengers. In particular, by speeding up the pre-flight screening process. "We do it when we can. But in many countries, unfortunately, forms and controls on an application are not accepted as such..." stresses Lufthansa.
So what options do passengers have? The simplest solution is, of course, to consult the airline's notices. In Berlin, which suffers most from under-capacity, Both Luthansa and the FBB airport authority recommend that travellers arrive two hours in advance..
Solutions in sight
Lufthansa has also promised to provide additional facilities for peak full stops such as the autumn holidays. For example, 18 additional check-in counters will open this weekend in Berlin. With more staff to serve passengers.
The FBB says that around forty staff - normally assigned to other tasks - will also be present throughout the terminal. " However, there are no plans to open Terminal 2 for the time being, as the airport's traffic levels do not justify it.. We can handle more than 70,000 passengers a day in Terminal 1″, explains Hannes Stefan Hönemann, FBB Communications Director.
In Munich, the airport has set up the following on its online site a waiting time calculator. On Friday 15 October, for example, it showed a time of between 0 and 15 minutes at the controls. " Airports working on solutions with German federal police to improve airport fluidity" says Isabelle Polders in the sales department. At the same time, she points out that although traffic is up sharply, the volume is only just over 50% of what it was in 2019.
The autumn holidays are just an epiphenomenon, and the situation is likely to return to normal from November onwards. But the Christmas holidays are fast approaching and airlines are announcing that they will be reopening. Long-term solutions are therefore needed.
