Relaxed back home
IUte Holtz happily wears her Santa Claus hat with red sequins on her head. Her plane left in about two hours Frankfurt airport from the direction of the Alps. She has already handed in her heavy suitcase and is now on her way to the security checkpoint with her small backpack, which she is hanging over her shoulder. She watches people die around her. The crowd is still manageable, queues are only slowly forming. “You can see that some people are under stress, but I am and remain in good spirits,” says Holtz.
However, not all travelers were as relaxed as they were on this second day of Christmas in the past few days. Not to mention the Christmas hats and contemplative atmosphere. Long waiting times in the never-ending queues strained the nerves of many guests at Germany’s largest airport, especially just before the holidays. This is related to the lack of staff, and then to the increased number of passengers. An employee of Lufthansa confirms that “it was very stressful throughout December” and that operations are back to full swing after the pandemic. Many guests also have to get used to traveling by plane again and have many questions and concerns, says the young woman. Today, on Boxing Day, it is much quieter, but another stressful day is expected.
Avoid time pressure
Apparently, the extension of the past few weeks has affected airport staff in particular, and less so travelers. Most of them work and try to keep the Christmas spirit going. Many prepare for possible delays even before they arrive at the terminals. Two friends tell us that they arrived at the airport very early today to avoid time pressure. “We’re super relaxed now” – she’s obviously looking forward to her vacation in Milan.
Two young men from Würzburg also started early in the day, but were initially unsure whether they were even likely to arrive at the airport. Surprised, they say that everything actually worked: “Our train was even on time,” they laugh. A look at the display board at the long-distance train station makes it clear that this is not a matter of course. Three lines are marked with the heading: “Train canceled today”.
Peter Barthelomes and Frank Püttmann can only laugh about it. They deal with the situation just as calmly and are used to delays caused by trains and buses in everyday life. “We don’t have a car, so we always take the train, which is completely normal,” says Püttmann. Even passengers who do not come from Germany and are possibly used to other conditions do not complain. “It’s quieter than expected,” says a couple from the USA who visited their daughter in Munich over the Christmas holidays. Nevertheless, they are a bit excited and excited that they are expected to be on their plane.
Your concern is not entirely unfounded, after all, the queues at the counters and at the baggage checks are getting longer with every passing hour. The large halls are filled with people who love to travel or those who finally want to return to their homeland after visiting family. However, one thing is certain: there will be no exceptional situation today. A security employee assures that despite the noticeable stress of the past few days, everything is under control.
Ute Holtz is now on her way back to her home country and is still reminiscing a little. Seeing her children and grandchildren over Christmas was a great joy for her this year. Despite her positive mood, she makes it clear at the end: “I’ll be happy too when I’ve finally arrived.”