After two long pandemic years, American tourists are finally returning to Europe in large numbers. Travel photos of the French Riviera or the Amalfi coast are all over social media — talk about pent-up demand. On the other hand, newspapers have also been telling horror stories of airport meltdowns, epic delays, and mass flight cancellations since the beginning of the summer. We recently covered how Newark Airport was hit especially hard during this time — so we decided to dig a little deeper to see what it’s actually like to fly in Europe right now. Read on to find out more about what to expect if you’re traveling to Europe this summer — as well as what you can do to minimize the chance of a nightmare travel experience.
Nightmare or Exaggeration?
For starters, the airspace is busy this summer. A Delta flight attendant who has been flying transatlantic routes this summer told The Hoboken Girl that all JFK to Paris flights she has worked on this summer are full. Some flights are even overbooked, she said, in which case some passengers have to be rebooked to later flights.
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However, people are not traveling more than before the pandemic. Network traffic is still lower than the 2019 level for both intercontinental routes (down 11 percent) and intra-Europe ones (down 24 percent), according to The European Organization for the Safety of Air Navigation, commonly known as Eurocontrol. But on the other hand, there are fewer workers to handle the crowd. At major European airports, only about 55 percent of all departures are on time. About half of all delays are caused by capacity and staffing reasons, such as strikes. In other words, there are fewer travelers, yes, but there are far fewer workers.
That being said, the experience really depends on destination and luck. Eurocontrol shows that delays are mainly concentrated at a few airports affected by strikes or bad weather. German airports, for example, are badly hit. Travelers have reported mayhems in Berlin and Frankfurt. One of our writers who recently traveled to Europe met a family from Boston who, on their way to Venice, had to wait for an extra 11 hours in Munich when their flight was canceled due to a Lufthansa strike.
Generally speaking, delays and long lines are more likely at hubs than regional airports. But flights from small airports can still be affected if coming from a big one. For the aforementioned writer, it took her about two hours to pass security and clear immigration at Paris CDG (there was plenty of airport staff at CDG that directed foot traffic, though), but less than half an hour at Marseille and Pula the same two weeks. Her flight from Pula to CDG was late, however, because the incoming plane was held up at CDG.
Another thing to note is that airport amenities can be stressed. There are lines at coffee stands, convenient stores, and vending machines. At regional airports, it is not unusual for travelers to share tables when eating their airport sandwiches. VIP lounges sometimes have crowds at the door thanks to the popularization of membership programs such as Priority Pass. Some lounges have been turning away Priority Pass holders during peak hours.
The taxi situation can be tricky, too, when public transport is not a viable option. When our writer landed one day after midnight when the shuttle bus had stopped running, there were hundreds of people waiting at the taxi stand. The line was barely moving, since there were so few taxis available at such a late hour. Soon enough, everyone started trying Uber, but availability there was hardly any better. Our writer got canceled no fewer than five times in less than ten minutes. The fare doubled in the meantime.
See More: These 7 Destinations Are a Short Flight From Newark Airport
How to Minimize the inconvenience
Frequent travelers and flight attendants generally offer the following suggestions for relatively pain-free air travel:
- Try to travel light with carry-on luggage only and check-in online to minimize waiting at the airport check-in counter or luggage carousels. This also avoids problems caused by luggage mishandling (and lost luggage), which have been on the rise partly due to staff shortages.
- If traveling with budget airlines, try to get on the plane early even with priority boarding. Because many travelers do get priority boarding through their carry-on luggage purchases, there is actually competition for overhead bin space. Passengers throw their bags literally at the first available overhead space they see, and latecomers are often left only with space at the back of the plane, even if their seats are in the front. So try to get on the plane early.
- If there is no direct flight to your final destination, try to book different legs of the trip with the same airline. If there is a missed connection because of delays, the airline will book you another flight instead of you scrambling to rebook it.
- Take trains if possible. Train stations are usually close to city centers and don’t require layers of security checks. However, train systems in Europe have been experiencing delays and cancellations due to strikes as well, but the disruption is to a much less extent than flying.
