To reduce delays Eurowings tests new hand luggage procedure in Cologne/Bonn

COLOGNE/BONN · Eurowings has been testing a new procedure when it comes to hand luggage. The goal is to save time in the boarding process and thus reduce flight delays.

Flight delays are not necessarily unusual. Reasons can include staff shortages and capacity problems. But hand luggage can also contribute to airlines not being able to keep to their time schedules. As Eurowings has observed, storing hand baggage is one of the critical stages of boarding, especially when passengers want to take pieces of luggage on board that are too large and too heavy. Stowing the hand luggage takes up most of the time, leading to delays in the boarding process.

"A flight often takes off late because baggage has to be brought into the hold at the last minute," said Eurowings spokesman Florian Gränzdörffer on Friday in response to a GA inquiry. For this reason, the airline is now testing a new procedure at Cologne/Bonn Airport. Since the beginning of March, passengers have been receiving an SMS or e-mail in advance informing them to avoid large pieces of hand luggage in the cabin as much as possible. Instead, they can turn in their larger pieces of hand luggage free of charge at the check-in counter. Eurowings hopes that this will save time.

At the end of January, the first test runs had already taken place at individual gates. "Now there is a complete test run in Cologne", says Gränzdörffer. "The knowledge we have already gained will be taken into account.” The new processes will then be successively introduced at further Eurowings locations.

According to Eurowings, there is a lot of positive feedback so far. In particular, the SMS sent in advance was very well received. But not every passenger is convinced. There are also critical voices. Some people are reluctant to hand over their luggage. Particularly on short-haul flights, some passengers find it too time-consuming to wait for their larger hand baggage items after landing. The company will also takes this feedback into account as it further develops its processes. Orig. text: Sebastian Knauth, Jill Mylonas

Translation: Carol Kloeppel

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