The labor shortage is reaching the aviation industry: Thousands of flights have to be canceled in Germany – in the middle of the holiday season. In the FOCUS online interview, pilot and aviation expert Thomas M. Friesacher explains whether Germany is about to face the big “cancel summer” and how travelers can best prepare.
The start of the summer holidays is approaching, and many people are looking forward to the holiday. Arriving by plane could be a bit more complicated this year, however. Hundreds of flight cancellations have already been announced. Is there a risk of a summer of chaos at German airports? In an interview with FOCUS Online, aviation expert Thomas M. Friesacher explains what to expect from travelers and how they should behave.
FOCUS Online: The holiday season starts and Lufthansa alone wants to cancel 900 flights in Frankfurt and Munich in July. Why is that?
Thomas M. Friesacher: Lack of staff. During the pandemic, an extremely large number of employees left the industry. I’m assuming that between 15 and 20 percent of staff is simply missing at the moment.
Unlike other industries, hiring new employees is a lengthy process. It’s a very networked system. Long lead times with training and checks in many areas are required to see whether the applicants also meet the necessary requirements. This is extremely important for safety.
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However, the airlines should have expected for a long time that there would be high demand during the holiday season. Why didn’t they prepare better?
Friesacher: In my opinion, that was already foreseeable. The airlines were poorly prepared. One should also seriously consider whether it was wise to destroy such high-quality jobs in the short term. It’s always easy to adopt a ‘hire and fire’ mentality and get rid of employees in times of crisis.
The airlines have reduced a lot of staff in the past two years and failed to catch up and integrate new ones into the system. That couldn’t work, but it’s obviously modern personnel policy.
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How do you rate the decision to cancel so many flights at once? Wouldn’t there have been other possible courses of action?
Friesacher: That is a very responsible decision and, in my opinion, the right approach. In the end, a safe flight must always be guaranteed.
This is of course unpleasant for the passenger. But the ultimate goal should now be to safely transport the travelers with the remaining resources. It’s impossible at the moment to get new staff immediately. The remaining employees should not suffer as a result. There are very strict working time regulations to avoid fatigue.
So the airlines can’t really do anything about the current shortage situation?
Friesacher: Right. The remaining staff must now be managed in the best possible way and not overburdened. I think the Lufthansa Group is currently acting very seriously. That wouldn’t show a good picture of the industry either.
I also believe that all pilots, cabin crew and ground crew are acting very hard at the moment. They do their best to minimize the impact.
Thomas M. Friesacher, MSc, is one of the most distinguished aviation experts in the German-speaking and international area. He is experienced worldwide and has proven expertise in civil aviation. He is a commercial airline pilot and trainer for commercial and small aircraft and an examiner for pilots, as well as an academically trained and certified aviation accident investigator and analyst.
That also means that the situation can’t normalize over the course of the summer, right?
Friesacher: Exactly. The aviation industry runs in waves. We are at the peak of demand this summer. Added to this is the lack of staff. But it will also return to normal.
What do travelers have to be prepared for? Are we headed for a summer of chaos at the airports?
Friesacher: I don’t expect that now. There will be rebookings. Travelers have to be prepared for longer waiting times and fewer flight frequencies. So it can happen that travelers have to fly detours or start from another airport.
What is demanded of the customer is this unpleasant loss of time at the airports or stopovers. Of course, if the frequencies of the flights become lower, fewer people can travel overall. But I believe that everything is done to not frustrate the customers.
Nevertheless, if fewer people can travel now, the vacation might fall through for some, right?
Friesacher: It is certainly still the case that the routes are flown. A little restriction in the freedom of choice of flights is to be expected. Then the customers are required to be a little more flexible in terms of time.
But somehow it will work out, as it usually is. Then you can’t fly to Palma every half hour. In view of climate change, the aviation industry has to ask itself anyway whether this large number of flights is absolutely necessary.
What tips would you give travelers to get through the summer with as little frustration as possible?
Friesacher: Checking the company websites very closely. Also on site at the airports, when you are already there. I believe that good information management will take place on the part of the airlines.
