Everyone can do that themselves against the flight chaos
Canceled flights, missing employees, hours of waiting: At the moment, flying is not only a nightmare in Germany. How can travelers prepare for this? Seven tips.
Cause of flight chaos – “Massive staff shortage and desire to travel”
After two years of the pandemic, many people are packing their bags to go on vacation again. But that requires strong nerves. At the counter it says: wait. The reasons for this are “a massive lack of staff and a desire to travel,” says Laurin Meyer, WELT editor for business and finance.
Dhe restart of air traffic leads to chaotic conditions at the airports. Many employees of airlines and airports have long since looked for other jobs during the pandemic, and now there are far too few staff. A number of airlines are even canceling flights completely to relieve the system. Travelers are surprised by the long waiting times at the airports and the difficulties with the check-in. “Unfortunately, this causes delays all the more,” says Marija Linnhoff, head of a travel agency association. What can the guest do for a relaxed start to the holiday?
When booking a flight
Better to be safe than sorry right now. This means: allow for long distances when changing from the train to the plane, avoid short transfer connections and connections that are particularly late at the end of the day. It is better to take a more expensive non-stop flight than a cheaper connecting flight. Leave your cell phone number with the airline and travel agency; in the case of package tours, this also applies to the tour operator. If possible, you should book fixed seats in advance, even if it costs extra. And it’s best to book the flight and round trip or hotel or cruise together as a package, because then the organizer can only cancel the whole trip in the event of canceled flights and you don’t get stuck on an expensive study trip that you can’t get to.
A few days before the flight
In the week before departure, it doesn’t hurt to check the status of the flight on the airline’s website. Marija Linnhoff recommends checking the entry requirements, compulsory corona test and vaccination status in good time, especially since the rules can change at short notice depending on the country. Especially for long-distance travel, there are still numerous pandemic regulations that airlines have to check before departure. A risk has recently been added to the vaccination status of people who have been vaccinated twice: Their status is only valid for 270 days across the EU. In the case of those who have been boosted, however, the vaccination status is unlimited.
The day before
Experts advise using online check-in. This usually works from the day before, with some airlines even 48 hours before departure. Some airlines also offer check-in the night before, with which luggage can be handed in at the airport one day before departure, for example with Lufthansa from 23 hours before departure. At Condor there is currently a free check-in the evening before at the weekend in Frankfurt and Düsseldorf. It also helps if the airline offers a priority package for faster check-in, priority lane and boarding (such as Condor from 14.99 euros).
Pictures from Dusseldorf Airport. The holidays have already begun in North Rhine-Westphalia
Quelle: picture alliance/dpa/Thomas Banneyer
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Marija Linnhoff suggests marking the suitcase – for example with a colored gift ribbon or a clearly visible sticker. In addition, you should take as little hand luggage as possible and transport bags with liquids and cosmetics as well as electrical devices in checked luggage. With the current chaos, you should definitely find out in advance about the right counter on the airport and airline websites so that you don’t waste time searching in the terminal. It is also important to store your passport or identity card together with the printed travel documents and boarding passes in a central location so that everything is quickly available when you check in at the counter.
Beim Check-in
In general, travelers should get to the airport earlier than usual, at least two and a half to three hours before departure, recommends Melanie Gebhardt, Head of Security and Crisis Management at DER-Touristik. Airport websites provide information on how many hours in advance passengers should be there. If check-in machines are offered, it is essential to use them. Passengers with frequent flyer status should definitely check if they are entitled to check-in at dedicated counters and fast lanes at security.
After the Check-in
Important: After checking in and dropping off your luggage, you should immediately queue at the security check. Because that’s where the biggest delays are currently occurring. You can speed up the security check by emptying your trouser pockets before the check and putting your keys, wallet and small change in your jacket or handbag. Jackets and belts are taken off before the check.
After the security check
Even if the duty-free shops lure you to the left and right: it is currently better to go straight to the check-in gate. However, it is essential to check the monitors (which display the gates) again to ensure that the departure gate is still correct. The check-in gate can currently change again between check-in and boarding. At the gate, you pay attention to the announcements made by the handling staff about who can board first – and stick to them.