The total failure of the German authorities in terms of security checks became clear again at the weekend at Cologne/Bonn Airport. There was a waiting time of up to seven hours in front of the Siko lines. The queue was several hundred meters long and extended far into the outside area in front of the terminals.
As a result, many passengers missed their flights despite arriving at the airport extremely early. To make matters worse, some carriers only open their check-in and baggage drop-off desks two to three hours before the scheduled departure. So it was completely impossible for the affected travelers to pass the security check in time before boarding. Several connections have left Cologne/Bonn with only a few passengers on board. Some even completely empty.
The fact that numerous airlines, including a self-proclaimed premium star carrier, had too few staff on site or, according to passengers, no staff to take care of rebookings, substitute transport and hotels, also caused severe criticism. Reference was made to "self-service options" via the homepage or the app and alternatively to the hotline. Solutions could only be found digitally in very few cases, sometimes resulting in hours of waiting on the hotlines. In some cases it was then said that you could not allocate a hotel with direct billing and that you should first pay in advance and then submit the bill.
The security checks at Cologne/Bonn Airport are carried out by a private security company on behalf of the Federal Police. The service provider is suffering from an acute shortage of staff. A spokesman for the executive branch also stated that the state police had to intervene to ensure order. Fearing to miss their flight, passengers repeatedly tried to enter the security area illegally – i.e. without being checked. The airport also explained that it had strengthened its own security service. This is said to have put people who have pushed ahead back to the end of the queue. This sometimes led to loud protests, which the police had to silence again and again.
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