German officials say airlines could help ease the current chaos seen at airports due to staff shortages by ending the ‘privileged treatment’ some travellers enjoy. Passengers at German airports, like elsewhere in Europe, have endured long waits at check-in and numerous cancellations in recent weeks, prompting calls for government intervention.

Germany is currently considering bringing in more temporary workers from abroad amid a shortage of security and baggage-handling staff during the peak holiday travel season.

But the country’s interior ministry said security checks for the temporary workers would take about two weeks, and in the meantime, airlines could do their bit too.

“For example they could open ‘fast lanes’ for all travellers and end the privileged treatment a few passengers get,” ministry spokesman Maximilian Kall said Monday. “They could smooth out their flight schedules and prevent peak loads.”

Did Herr Kall give this more than a minute of consideration? The concept of ‘fast lanes’ for all travellers, is brilliant –actually – no it isn’t.  Those fast lanes would almost immediately become slow lanes as passengers fill them – unless you have lots (and lots) of lanes – which brings up the issue of current staffing shortages. Who wo/mans these speedways?

Then, quite aside from lost revenue for the airline,  there are these ‘privileged’ passengers who paid  hefty supplements for easy access, and upgraded service and seats. They are going to complain – take my word for it – they are going to complain. (That’s not an accidental repetition – they are going to complain). Refund them all you want – they will stand firm at counters and gates and argue their “rights” and what they paid for and why they are entitled to upgraded service, and those overworked, overstressed, underpaid agents will be harassed, harangued and bullied about something they did not institute and can do nothing about.

Kall says, “So, there are also measures that companies, that bear some of the responsibility for their own staffing shortages, can take.”

Yeah, right. But understaffed fast lanes and ending “privileged treatment” (that travellers have paid for, or are prepared to pay for) just ain’t it.

Airlines and airports across Europe had cut jobs during the pandemic, and many are now struggling to find staff as travel rebounds.