The queues in front of the counters at Munich Airport got longer and longer this Saturday morning – which was to be expected on the first day of the Bavarian Whitsun holidays, when many people set off on vacation. The airport operators had expected a thousand flights and 140,000 passengers that day. In any case, the disruptive action by climate activists of the so-called “last generation” was not the only reason why travelers piled up.
The activists had tried to paralyze airport operations early in the morning by sticking half a dozen of them onto runways so that no planes could take off or land. Ultimately, only 60 flights had to be canceled – the reactions of those affected were surprisingly moderate.
Raphael Latzel from Munich is waiting in line in front of the Lufthansa service counter in Terminal 2 for his rebooking. The 38-year-old wanted to fly to Brindisi, Italy, with his girlfriend for a week on Saturday; Now they probably won’t take off until Sunday, “that means a day of vacation will be lost,” he says and assures: “I’m not mad at the people. I have great understanding for the protests, even if it’s annoying for those affected.”
He actually feels guilty about flying, he says. But the journey to the southern tip of Italy takes too long or is too complicated by car or train. Hence the supposedly time-saving flight. He understands the climate activists’ concerns, “it looks like we need to do more to keep the earth habitable in the long term,” he says. He doesn’t think the form of protest is right, “but I also understand the frustration of the activists,” he says: “They demonstrated normally for years and went unnoticed. Then they’re now resorting to more drastic measures.”
Claudia Herdrich from Penzberg, who wanted to fly to Costa Rica with her husband and daughter, had almost the same opinion. “I think it’s backfiring and people are primarily upset,” she says. “I think that’s a shame.” Because basically she shares the activists’ concerns about the climate. “I fly very rarely because I don’t think it’s right,” she says. She last flew five years ago, but the family was still looking forward to the long-distance trip to Costa Rica. “I am a nature lover,” says Herdrich, explaining her motivation.
There is also a business traveler in line, a grizzled man from the financial industry who only gives his first name: Marco. He came from New York and his connecting flight to his home country of Luxembourg was canceled. He says he’s been waiting for two and a half hours for something to happen: no rebooking was possible via the app, it just sent him to the service counter.
There, Marco from Luxembourg is more annoyed by the airline’s service than by the climate stickers. “An accident could have happened and then we would be standing here too,” he says, criticizing Lufthansa: “You can’t keep hundreds or thousands of people waiting like that.”
He also understands the issue of climate adhesives: “I understand that people are worried, it’s an issue that affects everyone.” He just doesn’t think the way they express their protest is “so good.” Despite everything, he hopes “that people can still enjoy their weekend.” And by that he actually meant everyone, the prevented travelers as well as the stuck activists.