Piles of suitcases at the Zurich Airport
Piles of suitcases at the Zurich Airport due to a staff shortage in Europe.
Zurich Airport’s baggage reclaims area was overflowing with 750 pieces of luggage this week. Swissport, the international baggage handling company, used by most airlines, has blamed the backlog on flight cancellations and a shortage of workers.
The company fears disruptions in the summer months
On Wednesday and Thursday, a Swiss media event brought attention to the stacked luggage in Zurich’s airport baggage reclaim area. Due to staff shortages, airports will face significant disruption this summer as airlines cancel flights. As a result, many wanted to know why so many bags remained unclaimed.
“There are many suitcases temporarily stored in the baggage claim area,” said Swissport spokesperson Nathalie Berchtold to Blick. “They are stacked neatly, registered in the system, and processed.”
“Swissport currently has enough staff in Switzerland to handle normal air traffic,” she explained.
Europe’s staff shortage is to blame for Zurich baggage backlogs
Berchtold explained that there are many flight cancellations and staff shortages around Europe. For this reason, passengers are arriving in Zurich more and more often without luggage. Passengers receive their luggage when it arrives in Zurich, where it is handled and delivered by courier or postal service.
As Swissport employees spoke with Blick, they expressed concern about a possible catastrophe over the summer. As with Swiss airlines, baggage handlers fear they will not have enough staff to handle increased demand over the summer.
Currently, 750 bags are awaiting processing and shipping throughout Switzerland. Berchtold confirmed that additional staff would be on hand to work overtime “even at night” to deal with the current backlog.
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Photo by Lukas Souza on Unsplash
