Due to baggage chaos: Hamburg Airport reactivates the old terminal
Hamburg Airport reactivates the old terminal / Frustration, exhaustion and a long search:
This is what many travelers are currently experiencing at Hamburg Airport. Stranded luggage is now blowing up the camps. / Hamburg Airport reactivates the old terminal…
“Please note that your luggage must not be left unattended,” said the loudspeakers in Hamburg Airport’s baggage hall on Friday afternoon. A bizarre situation, because for weeks there have been rows of luggage between the conveyor belts that have been left behind somewhere on their owners’ journey. In addition to suitcases, there are also prams, walkers and a surfboard. A few searchers stroll through the rows of suitcases: annoyed, tired and sometimes without hope.
In Hamburg, the warehouses for stranded luggage are full. “We are currently dealing with a high three-digit number of suitcases,” says quality manager Florian Schweyer from the airport service provider AHS. Rush baggage that arrives late is therefore also stored in the former Terminal 1, now Terminal Tango. The additional camp has been around for about three weeks, as t-online learned.
Hamburg: Travelers are offered to look for their luggage at the airport
Since, according to AHS, the volume of flights has increased so rapidly and the amount of lost luggage could not be planned, some travelers are offered the option of picking up their luggage themselves. It’s quicker than having a courier service bring it to you. The search at the airport is not successful for everyone. t-online spoke to several travelers, some of whom have been waiting for their suitcase for weeks.
Among the seekers are many people from abroad who are only visiting Hamburg. One of them is Jackie (76) from Wisconsin (USA). She arrived from Chicago via Amsterdam on Tuesday. For the fourth time she is at the airport to find her suitcase. Where he is is unclear. On the phone she was told Hamburg, the Delta Airline app says Amsterdam. After half an hour it breaks off again. She now goes shopping for new clothes and no longer wants to wash by hand in the hotel room every evening. The return flight is scheduled for June 30th.
Some have been looking for their suitcases for weeks
A young man from Brazil has been looking for his suitcase for two weeks and has been here several times to look for it. “Not a trace,” he says. He’s studying in Hamburg, and he’ll probably have to buy a lot of new books. When asked how he’s dealing with the situation, he says in a sarcastic tone: “H&M.” A few meters away another young man is looking for his suitcase. “I’d rather not say anything, I’m a flight attendant,” he says under his breath.
“We currently have about five times as much luggage as in normal times, which arrives late,” reports Schweyer from AHS. His company takes over the so-called “Lost & Found” service for many airlines, i.e. the locating of lost luggage. “Too many gears are currently not meshing,” he says. Airlines and their service providers are responsible for baggage handling, but they are also dependent on the ground staff at the airports.
Hamburg Airport: European air traffic is out of step
In addition to baggage service providers such as AHS, these cogs also include airport operators, airlines, ground staff and air traffic control. “If there is a delay somewhere, everything quickly gets out of step,” says Schweyer. Air travelers are feeling the effects of these problems all over Europe. Many flights have to be canceled due to staff shortages, but there are also major delays at security checks. Added to this is the chaos with the luggage.
“Passengers can move faster than the luggage,” Schweyer tries to explain the problems. Especially non-direct flight connections with short transfer times are a source of danger as a traveler losing his luggage for a long time. At many airports across Europe, baggage handling just can’t keep up. “Everyone is more or less affected by this, there is no hotspot,” says Schweyer.
Security guards: “I’ve been insulted and insulted”
“What’s the mood supposed to be like,” says a security officer in Hamburg to t-online. “Modest. I’ve been insulted and insulted, but I understand people’s frustration. But what should I do?” Few find their suitcase straight away. One is Joel Murphy from Florida, who came to Hamburg for business meetings from Miami via Paris on Thursday evening. He finds his suitcase after a short search. “They immediately sent me to the right place,” he says, beaming. “But it’s crazy what’s going on here.”
If a suitcase misses the plane its owner is on, “Lost & Found” service providers such as AHS try to get the piece of luggage to its destination as quickly as possible. “It doesn’t necessarily have to be on the same route, some connections only exist every few days,” explains Schweyer.
Most airlines take rush luggage from other airlines, explains Schweyer. “Only some companies that are not members of IATA make their own rules and don’t take luggage.” IATA is the umbrella organization of airlines, to which all major airlines belong. However, low-cost airlines such as Ryanair or Easyjet are often not members.
Baggage service: Have already hired 500 to 600 people / Hamburg Airport
The reason for luggage left behind is usually the lack of staff: “We have already hired 500 to 600 people this year. Unfortunately, that is not enough, but there are no applicants.” Due to the necessary background checks, it takes even longer to deploy new employees. But some suitcases also remain standing because a dozen cans of hairspray or forbidden power banks prevent them from taking them.
When asked by t-online, airlines such as Lufthansa and Eurowings also report that the problems are taking place across Europe and at all levels. Lots of travellers, too few staff, sick leave – that’s the tenor. Personnel are being hired everywhere at record speed, says Eurowings. There are initially no answers to the question of when things could get better.
Expert Schweyer has a tip for all travellers: If you are traveling with direct flights outside of the off-peak times, you are taking a lower risk from the outset. Clear identification features such as bright colors or large stickers are also helpful. “In this way, the case can be identified more quickly if it is lost. Anything that can be torn off, such as gift ribbon, is not suitable.”
