On Monday, 60 passengers were left behind at Tallinn Airport when they missed their Tallinn-Paphos flight due to unusually long queues at check-in, security, and passport control, Postimees reports.
The Ryanair flight captain decided not to wait for the passengers who were stuck in the passport control queue.
“The flight crew was firm and uncompromising in their decision, and naturally, the passengers were unhappy,” said Eneli Rohtla, a communications expert at Tallinn Airport. As a result, all the baggage of the passengers who missed the flight had to be unloaded, which Rohtla noted takes a lot of time for a plane of this size, as each baggage tag must be checked against the list individually. The flight, which was scheduled to depart at 11:20 a.m., eventually took off nearly two hours later.
Rohtla explained that the longer-than-expected queues at check-in desks, security checks, and border control occurred due to the simultaneous departure of several flights. Additionally, at that moment, only two border control checkpoints were staffed by the Police and Border Guard Board. Since it is possible to travel to Paphos with an ID card, many passengers could not use the e-gates, which would have helped alleviate the queue, as the gates can only be used with a passport.
“We will definitely discuss this incident with the airline, the Police and Border Guard Board, and various departments at the airport to avoid such unpleasant situations in the future and ensure smooth passenger flow and adequate information during such irregular occurrences. There are certainly bottlenecks and learning points for all parties involved,” Rohtla said.
Passengers are advised to contact their airline in case of any disruptions during their journey, as the airline is always the primary contact for passengers if anything happens with their flight or luggage.
Source: BNS
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