Chaos in the queue – that’s what the airport advises

An airport spokesperson reacted

Queue chaos at the airport

Passengers needed a lot of patience at the airport that morning: an airport spokesperson explained what caused the chaos – and what passengers should do.

There was a long traffic jam in front of security checks at Cologne-Bonn Airport on Thursday morning. Sometimes, passengers apparently have to queue for more than an hour.

The airport’s website initially reported wait times of up to 60 minutes. An airport spokesperson later provided his perspective: The information is only an estimate, but has been corrected.

The actual wait time was only about 20 minutes – but a WDR reporter reported that he himself had waited almost an hour for passengers to reach the security area in the morning.

An airport spokesperson told Köln’s local t-online editorial team that “there were several things that happened simultaneously” in the morning that triggered the delay: On the one hand, renovation work is currently underway at the security gate.

There is also a second problem: the rise in illnesses among private security companies working at security checkpoints. “We ask for our passengers’ understanding regarding this matter,” the spokesperson said. They are trying to avoid delays like those that occurred on Thursday morning.

The airport advises passengers to arrive at check-in three hours before departure. In the afternoon the situation calmed down again and the queues were much shorter.