Germany suggests airlines nix VIP lanes amid airport chaos

BERLIN (AP) — German officials say airlines could help ease the c urrent chaos seen at airports due to staff shortages by ending the privileged treatment some travelers 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 airlines could do their bit too in the mean time.

“For example they could open ‘fast lanes’ for all travelers 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.”

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

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