Airports at the limit: Travelers at airports need patience

The Easter holidays are beginning in many federal states. But when you start your holiday, long lines could form, and not only at Frankfurt Airport. In many areas there is a shortage of staff.

The unmistakable rattle of the scoreboard echoes through the departure hall. After two years of the corona pandemic, Frankfurt Airport is slowly returning to normal. At the beginning of the Easter travel wave, the airport operator Fraport expects around 170,000 travelers a day. 1100 airplanes are to take off and land per day.

But these numbers cause problems for Fraport. Because there is a lack of staff in many areas. Therefore, going on vacation could become a test of patience for many.

lack of staff on the ground

Due to the collapse in passenger numbers, Fraport put the brakes on costs during the Corona crisis. In recent months, the number of employees has shrunk significantly: almost 4,000 employees left the company. Many of them had received increased short-time work benefits during the crisis. However, due to the lack of shift and weekend allowances, salaries sometimes remained well below 2000 euros.

Now this staff is missing, for example, at check-in, at security checks and when loading and unloading the aircraft. Fraport plans to hire 1,000 new employees this year. So far only around 300 positions have been filled.

Problems in the late morning and early afternoon

Many vacationers – little staff. “This combination often leads to longer waiting times for both departing and arriving travelers,” says Alexander Laukenmann, Head of Aviation, adding: “Particularly late in the morning and early in the afternoon, extreme peaks in traffic will present us with a major operational challenge.”

Even before the big rush at the start of the holidays, Lufthansa had to cancel individual domestic flights due to the lack of staff at Fraport. According to a Lufthansa spokeswoman, the passengers could be rebooked on the train.

The airport operator is aware of the tense situation. “We are in constant contact with the airlines in order to be able to offer travelers an alternative as quickly as possible,” says Fraport.

With the “Jumbo” to Mallorca

Despite the problematic personnel situation on the ground, Easter business is booming among the airlines. “We have been noticing a gradual increase in booking numbers since mid-February. By the summer we are expecting a flight volume of 90 percent compared to the pre-pandemic level,” says Condor press spokeswoman Magdalena Hauser.

The holiday airline Condor flies several times a day around Easter from seven German airports to the Germans’ favorite island: Mallorca. Holiday classics such as Spain, Portugal and Greece are particularly popular again this year, as are the east and west coasts of the USA.

At Lufthansa, too, everything is ramped up at the start of the vacation. The airline has now reactivated almost all machines and responded to the great demand. There will therefore be a special XXL flight on April 9th. More than 350 passengers will take off for Mallorca on a Boeing 747-8, the machine with the characteristic hump. However, this is a one-time action.

Plan enough time

In order to make the start of their vacation as stress-free as possible, travelers should prepare meticulously this year and be at the airport at least two and a half hours before departure. “Passengers should definitely use online check-in and reduce their hand luggage to what is absolutely necessary, ideally to one piece per person,” appealed Laukenmann. In addition, travelers should keep all travel documents, ID documents and proof of vaccinations, tests and recovery at hand at all times.

In order to avoid time-consuming follow-up checks, you should make sure that there are no prohibited items in your hand luggage. If you want to be on the safe side, Lufthansa gives you the opportunity to carry out a digital document check from 72 hours before departure. Despite the relaxation of the corona measures, holidaymakers should think of one thing above all: their mask. Because the mask requirement still applies on board.