The chaos at German airports does not bring many passengers under palm trees, traffic light politicians agree. Minister of Transport Wissing is upset about the lack of staff. Social Democrat Mast advises consumers to exercise their rights. Meanwhile, the Union criticized a recruitment plan for staff.
In the debate about the chaos at German airports, politicians from the traffic light coalition criticize employers in the industry. "It obviously didn't go well for the companies responsible," said Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing on TV station Welt. SPD parliamentary director Katja Mast called on the companies to get the matter under control. She encouraged affected passengers to exercise their rights.
Due to a lack of staff, there are currently bottlenecks at many airports, resulting in long waiting times and other problems for passengers. It is feared that the situation will worsen during the peak travel season in summer.
Wissing said he wondered why the companies hadn't tackled the looming personnel problem early enough. Securing skilled workers "is not a topic that would be new now, but everyone actually knows that this is one of the most important tasks". There is currently a "really unsatisfactory situation," Wissing judged. "The fact that air traffic isn't working right now - well, that annoys me too."
The parliamentary manager of the SPD parliamentary group, Mast, made a similar statement. It was "completely understandable" that people were looking forward to their summer vacation - "all the more annoying when the vacation they deserve ends in frustration," she said. "Although times were sometimes tough for airlines and airport operators, thousands of canceled flights - often at short notice - endless queues at security checkpoints and lost luggage cannot be the answer," Mast criticized. "I urge everyone involved to finally get this under control." Affected passengers would "not have to put up with everything," emphasized the social democrat. "There are clear rules and responsibilities. The consumer centers advise here."
To combat the shortage of staff, the federal government wants to allow the entry of hundreds of foreign workers who can help with baggage handling, for example. Government circles said at the weekend that a four-digit number of assistants should be brought in from Turkey. The Union criticized the project. "The airport chaos could be solved permanently with domestic specialists," said the transport policy spokesman for the Union parliamentary group, Thomas Bareiß, of the "Rheinische Post". "I call on the responsible ministers to act in this way."
On Wednesday, the situation will also be the subject of a discussion between airport operators, the federal police and other authorities and service providers. A spokeswoman for the airport association ADV rejected a report by the "Bild" newspaper, according to which it was a "crisis call". Rather, it is a normal and regular exchange between those involved, she said.
The Verdi services union called on the Lufthansa subsidiary Eurowings to hold a short-term crisis summit. "The strongly returning desire to travel in combination with strong staff cuts lead to an enormous physical and mental strain on the employees," the union complained.
The Lufthansa board has meanwhile sent a letter to customers. In the next few weeks, "the situation will hardly improve in the short term," it says about the lack of staff in the industry. "We promise you that the more than 100,000 employees of the Lufthansa Group will do everything humanly possible to offer you the best possible travel experience in the current difficult circumstances over the next few weeks."
