What travelers currently need to know
What do travelers have to do if they are currently flying from Cologne/Bonn Airport? There are still long waiting times. All information at a glance.
Cologne/Bonn – At many airports in Germany and North Rhine-Westphalia travelers sometimes have to put up with long waiting times. The reasons: personnel problems due to Corona, canceled Lufthansa and Eurowings flights or the high number of passengers during the summer holidays. also am Cologne/Bonn Airport In the end, travelers always have to be patient. In addition, there is now a strike at Lufthansa on Wednesday (July 27).
Cologne/Bonn Airport: Lufthansa strike on Wednesday
On Wednesday (July 27) there is a major Lufthansa strike in Germany. The Verdi union has called for the warning strike. Lufthansa ground staff are affected. This WILL also affect Cologne/Bonn Airport. However, these are expected to be limited. According to an airport spokesman, Cologne/Bonn Airport is not or only slightly affected. However, Lufthansa domestic flights to and from Cologne/Bonn are in danger of being cancelled.
► All Information on the planned Lufthansa strike on Wednesday (July 27th)
► At a glance: Which The Lufthansa strike has had an impact on Cologne/Bonn Airport?
► At a glance: Which The Lufthansa strike has had an impact on Düsseldorf Airport?
► Lufthansa strike: Is Eurowings also affected?
A notice: On Tuesday (July 26), Lufthansa announced that almost all flights at its major German hubs in Frankfurt and Munich would have to be cancelled. All cancellations are shown Lufthansa on their info page to the flight plan and flight status.
Cologne/Bonn Airport: Long waiting times and queues at security checkpoints during the summer holidays
There is still a sharp increase in the volume of travel at Cologne/Bonn Airport during the summer holidays. Coming from the train station or the parking lot, travelers notice the long line leading to the security check-in. Whether it’s around 12 noon, in the evening or even at 3 a.m. – especially on weekends, this leads along the airport rewebranch and causes travelers to wait several hours.
Current situation at Cologne/Bonn Airport at a glance
On the Cologne/Bonn Airport website Is there always the latest information on the situation and tips on how to behave for travelers. Cologne/Bonn Airport is currently asking you to plan “enough time at the airport”. The recommendation: passengers should calculate “at least a good 2.5 hours more time”.
Air travelers should find out in advance about the check-in times of the respective airline. This currently affects Lufthansa passengers in particular, because the airline is on strike on Wednesday (July 27th). (Status: July 25, 11:34 a.m., source: Cologne/Bonn Airport)
Some travelers report waiting times of up to several hours, but the staff who are still there try their best not to let the times get too long. In the night from Saturday, July 23 to Sunday, July 24, for example, the waiting time during the night was around one to one and a half hours. If you also plan to get to your plane, you should definitely plan several hours in advance – probably at least until August 9th, when the summer holidays in North Rhine-Westphalia end. According to the Federal Police, the following should also be observed:
- Travelers should be at the security checkpoint at least 120 minutes before departure time
- Before the trip, the validity of travel documents (e.g. proof of vaccination, passport) should be checked
- If possible, only hand luggage should be taken on the plane
Current situation at Cologne/Bonn Airport: when is it busy?
Basically, according to the federal police, there are long waiting times at Cologne Airport, especially during fewer “peaks”. On some weekends, these are sometimes all day, but otherwise mainly on Saturday and Sunday mornings and Thursday and Friday evenings. These are the times when a particularly large number of passengers fly at once. Then there are sometimes “waiting times of more than three hours,” said a federal police spokesman recently to 24RHEIN. Especially during the week it is usually quieter and the waiting times shorter, said a federal police spokesman on Thursday (July 7) when asked by 24RHEIN. The Federal Police is responsible for security checks at all German airports. “But there’s always a lot going on at the weekends,” said the spokesman.
What is the situation at other German airports?
In addition to Cologne Airport, other larger airports such as Berlin and Munich also have to deal with long waiting times. It looks similar at Dusseldorf Airport such as Airport Frankfurt out:
► That’s dying Current situation at Düsseldorf Airport
► This is the current situation at Frankfurt Airport
Cologne/Bonn Airport: How can long waiting times be avoided?
To keep the situation as calm as possible, some trips can also be made for security checks or check-in at Cologne/Bonn Airport. Curiously, this also includes: Not getting to the airport too early. “Many travelers also arrive five to eight hours before departure,” says the federal police spokesman. That also led to long queues and longer waiting times at Cologne Airport.
According to the airport recommendation, passengers should arrive at the airport around 2.5 to 3 hours before departure. You can also register online via the Check-in status of your own flight, which helps to better estimate the waiting time. Compared to Frankfurt Airport, for example, you cannot see the current waiting times at Cologne/Bonn Airport in advance.
Airports in Germany: Most important travel information
Travelers at Dusseldorf Airport, Dortmund Airport, Airport Weeze or Frankfurt Airport have to plan longer waiting times, especially during holiday periods. 24RHEIN shows,
► was man on Düsseldorf airport at security control and check-in must consider
► was man on Dortmund airport at security control and check-in must consider
► was man am Weeze Airport at security control and check-in must consider
► was man am Frankfurt Airport at security control and check-in must consider
Cologne/Bonn Airport: Queues at security checks – that’s why no more staff is planned
Since the security checks are the bottleneck at Cologne/Bonn Airport, there are long waiting times, especially here. According to the Federal Police spokesman, “thoroughness and safety always come first”.
Is it also because of the staff? Apparently only partially. According to the Federal Police, there are more than 100 sick leave reports (for 570 people), mainly due to Corona, but these would still be sufficient in most cases. Because at the “peak” times there is such a rush that these are generally not “handleable”, explains the federal police spokesman. And since these only take place selectively, you cannot hire more staff. Because this would have nothing to do most of the time. This problem does not only exist at Cologne/Bonn Airport, but at most European airports. The situation in Frankfurt is hardly better. There, the airport even advises passengers against black suitcases in order to get a better handle on the baggage chaos, as reported by wa.de.
Cologne/Bonn Airport: The airport will assist with security checks
As a consequence of the long queues, Cologne/Bonn Airport wants to get involved in the security checks itself. “As an airport, we are prepared to take responsibility for the controls. That also means that we can have a say and have an influence on the organization of the controls,” said airport boss Thilo Schmid Cologne City Gazette.
Infrastructure provided by the airport can also help. “In this context, we are willing to invest in technical equipment ourselves in order to strengthen the processes,” explained Schmid. “We have a lot of experience in working with service providers and could also bring this to bear. When it comes to planning, control and monitoring, we have a lot of expertise.”
So far, the security checks have been under the supervision of the Federal Police and have essentially been outsourced to a private service provider. (os with dpa) informed fairly and independently, what happened in NRW and Cologne – here our free one 24RHEIN newsletter subscribe to.
This text is continuously updated.