Vacation time: Corona rules at German airports

and Carola Felchner, science journalist

Lisa Vogel studied departmental journalism with a focus on medicine and biosciences at Ansbach University and deepened her journalistic knowledge in the master's degree in multimedia information and communication. This was followed by a traineeship in the editorial team. Since September 2020 she has been writing as a freelance journalist for

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Carola Felchner is a freelance writer in the medical department and a certified training and nutrition advisor. She worked for various specialist magazines and online portals before becoming a freelance journalist in 2015. Before starting her internship, she studied translation and interpreting in Kempten and Munich.

More about the experts All content is checked by medical journalists.

Keep your distance and wear a mouth and nose protection - both are also part of the job at the airport. But these are not the only rules that currently make the process different than usual due to the corona protective measures.

The airlines are flying again. And for some, it's still going on summer vacation. After international air traffic was practically idle for many weeks due to Corona, the volume of travel is slowly increasing again. So everything is back to the way it was before? In fact, things are still different at German airports. Passengers should know the rules. A selection.

Distance and mandatory mouth and nose protection

Keeping your distance from other people is of course also very important at the airport. Whether you stick to the "two arm lengths" of the Federal Police or the usual 1.5 meter rule is up to you. In areas such as check-in, security and baggage claim, signs and markings remind people to keep their distance.

In addition, mouth and nose protection is mandatory for the entire check-in area at most airports. These include the terminals, shops, restaurants and means of transport such as buses. However, children under six years of age and people who cannot wear a mask for health reasons are exempt from this obligation.

Less hand luggage

Many low-cost airlines have reduced the number of hand luggage allowed free of charge in recent years - but by no means all. With many airlines it is actually possible to take a hand luggage trolley and an additional small bag with you.

At the moment, however, things are different: some airports and airlines have strictly limited hand luggage by order of the Federal Police. The following applies to all passengers: only one piece of luggage per person. As a result, the waiting times at the security checkpoint and during boarding, when many people are standing together in a confined space, should be as short as possible. "This should reduce the risk of infection," explains Sandra Kraft, Lufthansa spokeswoman.

With some airlines such as Lufthansa and Eurowings, however, an additional piece of hand luggage can be checked in free of charge. "But it has to comply with the hand luggage rules of the respective tariff," says Jannah Baldus, Eurowings spokeswoman.

What if you can't do without two pieces of luggage? At Düsseldorf Airport, the smaller piece of luggage can also be stowed in the larger one if necessary, according to the airport's website.

Less physical contact at the security checkpoint

At airports where the federal police are responsible for checking passengers and luggage, the checks are a little more relaxed. This is intended to reduce physical contact between staff and passengers. "During the security check, for example, you can wear protective gloves and protective masks," says Verena Ballig, spokeswoman for the Federal Police. In addition, belts and shoes no longer have to be taken off at the moment.

Otherwise, the following applies: Put small objects that you have touched regularly in your hand luggage or in your jacket pockets. It can also happen that you have to stow your belongings in the control tub yourself. The tubs are disinfected regularly.

Also important: plan in time. Due to the protective measures, the controls can take a little longer at the moment.

Less dining and shopping

If you arrive too early at the airport and wanted to spend the time shopping, you may be disappointed: Not all shops are open. In addition, some of the shops that are already open have reduced their opening times. Anyone who strikes in the duty-free shop should pay cashless.

Eating and drinking is allowed in the terminals. However, not all restaurants and snack bars are open again yet.

Corona test at the airport

A corona test before boarding in order to avoid a quarantine at the destination: This is now possible for travelers at Frankfurt Airport. It is expected that departing and arriving passengers will be able to visit the "Walk-In Test Center" near the terminal building and the long-distance train station by the end of July 2021. The current capacity is around 300 tests per hour, it said.

According to the information, tests can be carried out either the day before or before departure on the day of departure in an express procedure. All results would be made available to passengers via a secure, digital platform and linked to the ticket, said Centogene boss Arndt Rolfs.

"With the opening of the test center, we are offering our guests a convenient opportunity to test themselves for flights abroad or a stay in Germany in order to avoid quarantine," said Björn Becker from the Lufthansa Group.

Behavior after arrival

After landing at your destination and baggage claim, you should not stay longer than absolutely necessary in the airport. The Berlin-Brandenburg Airport Company asks for this on its website. Anyone wishing to receive an arriving passenger should wait outside the terminal building. (lv / caf / dpa)

Tags:  Diseases dental care prevention