Rush of holidaymakers in Cologne/Bonn and Düsseldorf: In the midst of the travel madness, the Aydin family takes the chaos with fatalistic humor
This weekend, too, there was hopeless chaos at the airports. At the airports in Düsseldorf and Cologne/Bonn, there were not only hours of waiting at the baggage counter and at the security checkpoints. The luggage system also failed, so that many holidaymakers arrived at their holiday destination without suitcases. The situation has only eased somewhat since Sunday.
The long queues in Terminal 2 of Cologne/Bonn Airport stretch all the way to the exit. In front of the counters of the Turkish airline “Corendan”, some holidaymakers have already been waiting for more than two hours on Sunday morning. Many take it with fatalistic humor. Ahmed Aydin, 43, arrived at the counter at nine o’clock in the morning with his wife Carola and their daughter Leyla.
The plane to the Turkish seaside resort of Antalya is not scheduled to take off until 1:50 p.m. “But after the many reports about the chaotic conditions at the airports in North Rhine-Westphalia, we decided to come to Cologne earlier,” says the cutting machine operator from Lünen in Westphalia.
Long queues in front of the counter: the normal madness before the start of your holiday
However, the Aydin family found on site that their foresight was not fully rewarded. “The counters didn’t open until eleven o’clock,” reports his wife Carola. Daughter Leyla is a little “boring”. Still, she looks happy. The anticipation of the beach and the sea on the Turkish Riviera prevails. Even her father takes it easy. Unlike many of the other travelers behind them, the Aydins are far ahead of the line. “That’s just the normal madness at the beginning of the holiday.”
Chaos at the airports in Düsseldorf and Cologne/Bonn due to a lack of staff
For days, the increased rush of holidaymakers at the beginning of the summer holidays has been causing considerable problems at the major airports in Düsseldorf and Cologne/Bonn, and at times even causing great chaos on Friday and Saturday. After two years of corona restrictions, people are increasingly being drawn abroad again.
For example, holidaymakers at Cologne/Bonn Airport had to expect waiting times at the security checkpoints of up to 90 minutes. A spokesman for the federal police attributed this to a high rate of sick leave. In addition, the airport companies and their security companies saved on staff, especially during the two-year pandemic. This is now taking its revenge.
Eurowings: Underage schoolgirls were not allowed to be accommodated in the hotel
Especially with the airline “Eurowings”. The Lufthansa subsidiary, which was highly subsidized by the state during the Corona period, has canceled a number of flights in recent days due to a lack of employees in Düsseldorf and Cologne. The Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger reported on a number of those affected whose travel dreams were shattered.
A 16-year-old schoolgirl who wanted to fly back from London to Cologne/Bonn experienced a true odyssey. When Eurowings canceled their flight, all adult customers were accommodated in a hotel by bus at the airline’s expense in order to board a plane the next day. Only the student was not allowed to go to the hotel because she was not yet of legal age. Without a legal guardian, she couldn’t get a hotel room, it said. Only when her parents booked on their own did the teenager get a room.
Eurowings also canceled further flights in Cologne and Düsseldorf on Sunday afternoon. The Lufthansa subsidiary promised to compensate the affected customers accordingly, but that is currently not helping holidaymakers much.
Consumer Protection Minister calls on airlines to inform travelers about their rights
The problems in German air traffic have meanwhile also called Federal Consumer Protection Minister Steffi Lemke onto the scene. The Greens politician called the chaos at German airports a “severe nuisance”. At the same time, the minister warned the airlines to treat their customers fairly.
“I expect the airlines to meet their legal obligations and meet the legitimate claims of passengers quickly and unbureaucratically,” Lemke told the “Bild am Sonntag”. The airlines are also obliged to inform travelers about their rights. In the event of short-term cancellations and delays, passengers have a right to compensation, she concludes.
Handling problems with the luggage – vacationers without suitcases at the destination
The handling problems in Düsseldorf and Cologne lasted until late on Saturday evening. Many customers had to queue for hours at the night counters to check in their luggage in advance. The Rheinische Post reported that the airline condornow majority-owned by a large financial investor, only kept two counters open to cope with the large influx.
Last but not least, the baggage system in Düsseldorf also failed temporarily in the past few days, so that a number of passengers reached their destination without clothing or other utensils.
Airports expect passenger numbers that are almost at pre-crisis levels
Although experts predicted that holiday tourism would pick up again this summer, parts of the aviation industry seem to have been surprised by the trend. According to its own statements, Cologne/Bonn Airport alone expects 1.75 million passengers during the holiday season. This corresponds to 86 percent of the pre-crisis level, a press spokesman told FOCUS Online on request. Accordingly, 23 airlines fly from Cologne/Bonn to 117 destinations in 34 different countries.
Cologne/Bonn Airport: Situation a little more relaxed since Sunday
While the crowds pushed through the terminals on Saturday, the situation began to calm down on Sunday. It is true that in Cologne/Bonn travelers are backed up more than two hundred meters in front of the entrances to the security checkpoints. “But things are progressing quickly,” says a father who has almost reached the entrance with his wife and two children. “It took us just a quarter of an hour to get here.” Says it and hurries on. The holiday island of Fuerteventura is calling.
Two English musicians stand further back. “Everything is going well so far,” admits Michael with a smile. A family wants to go to Barcelona, the long line in front of them looks so threatening as if they could miss their plane. But nothing can spoil the good mood. The older daughters in particular are looking forward to the tour of the Ramblas in Barcelona, which is well worth seeing, and then to the beach holiday.
Check-in problems. “No, we didn’t,” replies the father. And now the long queue, isn’t that annoying? “Nope, we’re only here for ten minutes, we’ll definitely get the plane, we’re looking forward to a good time,” he joins in with the happy laughter of his family.
Federal police: “It is important that we ensure the safety and protection of people”
Further ahead, at one of the entrances to the locks, a muscular security guard explains to a woman in a friendly manner where she should queue. “It was much worse yesterday,” says the man. They would have handled 22,000 passengers by late evening. Five hours longer than planned. “Today it’s much quieter, which is also due to the fact that the security checks only last 15 or 20 minutes,” he sums up.
Behind him, two heavily armed federal police officers keep an eye on the situation. The officers have just started their shift. Despite the great rush of the past few days, “there have been no significant incidents,” explains one of the two federal police officers. Neither riots nor other freaks out by angry vacationers. He does not want to comment on the personnel problems with the federal police at Cologne/Bonn Airport. “What’s important is that we keep people safe and secure, and that’s being done extensively.”
Aydin family: Wait another hour and then finally on the plane
Back past the queue to the security gates. In the meantime, Ahmed Aydin has also joined with his wife and daughter. It’s just after twelve o’clock. The family has reached the security checkpoints in fifteen minutes at the latest. They will be at their departure gate shortly before 1 p.m. And wait another hour before finally going to the Mediterranean Sea.
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