Fuel discount, 9-euro ticket, bottlenecks at the airport Will there be major traffic chaos at Whitsun?
Bonn/Region · It's not just local trains that could be particularly crowded on Whitsun due to the nine-euro ticket. Long traffic jams are expected on the motorways. And at Cologne/Bonn Airport there have already been long waiting times. What travellers should be prepared for.
The Whitsun weekend is just around the corner and many people are looking forward to a short holiday. However, the prospect of relaxation is clouded by the traffic forecasts: A particularly high volume of travel is expected, not only at Cologne/Bonn Airport, where long waiting times have repeatedly occurred recently. Due to the fuel rebate that has been in effect since 1 June, more people are also likely to make their way by car. The ADAC expects numerous traffic jams. Rail travellers will also need patience: the nine-euro ticket, also in effect since 1 June, threatens to make trains especially crowded. What must travellers be prepared for now?
Many travellers expected at Cologne/Bonn Airport
In recent weeks, long queues have repeatedly formed in front of the security checkpoints at Cologne/Bonn Airport at peak times. In some cases, the queues were so long that travellers missed their flights.
The number of passengers has already increased "significantly" in recent weeks, says press spokesman Lukas Weinberger. Over the Whitsun weekend, the airport is expecting an even higher number of passengers: From Friday to Monday inclusive, the airport expects a good 30,000 passengers per day.
It is not possible to predict exactly whether there will again be long waiting times at the security checkpoints. However, airport spokesman Weinberger asks passengers to allow more time than usual before departure - at least two to 2.5 hours. The reason for the recurring problems at the security checks are staff shortages. Cologne/Bonn Airport is not the only airport affected. The situation is similar at other German airports. "There is a nationwide shortage of aviation security assistants," explains Jens Flören, spokesperson for the NRW Federal Police Authority. In addition, there is "an above-average level of sick leave". The security checks at the airport are the responsibility of the Federal Police, which in turn hires a private service provider for this purpose.
Together with Cologne/Bonn Airport, the Federal Police are currently trying to find solutions to the problem. However, this is not to be expected in the short term, says Flören. "What is needed above all is a relaxation of the labour market as well as an equalisation of the flight schedule. Both take time and cannot be influenced by the Federal Police."
According to Flören, the problem for the security service provider, incidentally, is not the mass of passenger traffic, but the handling of a very high number of passengers in a very narrow time window.
Motorways: Long traffic jams loom on Whitsun
Those travelling by car on Whitsun will also have to be patient. "It will be very crowded on the motorways on the Whitsun weekend," announces the ADAC and warns of numerous traffic jams in NRW. "Most shortstay holidaymakers are again travelling by car towards the German North Sea and Baltic Sea coasts as well as the Netherlands," says ADAC traffic expert Roman Suthold. In addition to the normal travel traffic on the Whitsun weekend, the fuel discount that has been in effect since 1 June makes holidays by car even cheaper over the next three months.
The ADAC expects the most massive traffic disruptions on the motorways on Friday afternoon and early evening, as well as on Saturday morning and Monday afternoon. "The confluence of commuters and shortstay holidaymakers makes Friday a test of patience. Those who can should not leave until the evening or at least switch to Saturday morning," advises Suthold.
The ADAC expects particularly heavy traffic jams on the following motorways in the region:
A1 (Cologne - Dortmund - Osnabrück)
A3 (Cologne - Oberhausen - Emmerich - Arnhem)
A4 (Greater Aachen/Cologne Ring)
A40 (Dortmund - Essen - Duisburg - Venlo)
A46 (Düsseldorf - Wuppertal)
According to the ADAC, in good weather on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, delays caused by day trippers are also possible away from the motorways.
Nine-Euro-Ticket ensures full trains at Whitsun
Since 1 June, not only the fuel discount but also the nine-euro ticket has been valid on local transport throughout Germany and "will ensure full trains to the local recreation areas at Whitsun", predicts ADAC expert Suthold. Deutsche Bahn is preparing intensively for a higher passenger volume, explains a railway spokesperson. "Nationwide, more trains, seats, buses and service staff are available in local transport.“
How many additional passengers will board buses and trains over Whitsun as a result of the 9-Euro ticket is still completely open. "At Whitsun, the trains are well-filled anyway," said a Deutsche Bahn spokesperson. It is also difficult to predict on which routes particularly high passenger volumes are to be expected. However, DB assumes that there may be a higher volume of passengers, especially along tourist routes.
Deutsche Bahn therefore advises passengers to reserve a seat for rail travel on the Whitsun weekend. Especially on Friday, 3 June, as well as on Monday, 6 June, DB expects a high demand.
Original text: Sandra Liermann / Translation: Mareike Graepel
