Insider predicts catastrophe over Christmas break
Shortly before Christmas there is tremendous turbulence at Munich Airport. Suitcases are piled up in the halls and there are more every day. The holidays are only just beginning.
Munich – The Aeroground company has been publishing job advertisements on the airport website since Wednesday: “Aircraft handler/baggage handler (f/m/d)” wanted. It is “a job to tackle”. How true: there is no shortage of work at the airport. Because the suitcase chaos is becoming more and more dramatic, says our editorial team.
Munich Airport: 30,000 suitcases are already stacked in the halls
only remaining past 15,000 suitcases lying around every week due to the freezing rain. Now comes the storm ahead of the holiday season – between December 23rd and January 8th around 11,000 planes will take off or land. 1.3 million passengers are expected – and lots of luggage. Airport employees report that both ground handlers – Swissport Losch works here alongside Aeroground – can hardly keep up with the loading and unloading of the aircraft. Some planes take off without their passengers’ suitcases being loaded – these days there are likely to be some nasty surprises at the holiday resorts. Around 30,000 abandoned suitcases are said to be piled up in the airport halls – and the number is growing every day. For Friday, an insider prophesies the “absolute catastrophe”.
Munich Airport: Employees are demanding more wages
While the airport was silent about the chaos on Thursday despite repeated inquiries, the anger in the workforce boils up. They want more employees and more wages. Initial talks with management on Wednesday yielded no results. “The employer is very hesitant,” says Orhan Kurtulan from the Flughafen-GmbH works council. Among other things, employees are demanding a tax-free flat rate of 200 euros per month and the retention of various supplements that would actually expire at the end of the year – such as an increased reimbursement of travel expenses and a stress allowance. So far it has only been agreed that the talks will continue in January.