One agent at DUB LH/LX counter for LX check in 11Aug LX407
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2005
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Posts: 245
One agent at DUB LH/LX counter for LX check in 11Aug LX407
One agent at DUB LH/LX counter for LX check in for our LX flight on 11Aug. I couldn’t understand how this could be. We arrived at 5am for the 8am flight at business class check in. No agents at any of the desks save for one. The 555am LH flight to FRA was apparently still checking in and one passenger was taking an inordinate amount of time due to some problem. One economy traveler in line complained to the passenger at the counter to please let others check in. We finally got to ask the one agent about our flight and he said our flight wasn’t ready for check in. To wait until 530am. As 530am approached no other check in agents were in sight. The passenger with difficulties never made her 555am flight. Then at 530am the one agent called us over to his station to check our bags for our LX flight. The Line of economy class passengers was well formed and my guess is he was the only agent there to handle the entire flight.
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Stoke on Trent, UK (MAN ), BUE, BKK, DBV
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There are Staff shortages at most European airports currently.
Check in for intra EU flights starts 2 hrs before, since you were in J they accommodated you early.
Check in for intra EU flights starts 2 hrs before, since you were in J they accommodated you early.
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2005
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Posts: 245
Too bad they don’t have a separate bag drop desk. We did online check in but when asked if there was a separate place for just bag drop offs the one agent said he was it. I had heard of the staff shortages but had no idea it could be limited to just one person checking in an entire flight. He said check in was 2.5 hours not two. So I guess he didn’t know the rules either.
#4
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Too bad they don’t have a separate bag drop desk. We did online check in but when asked if there was a separate place for just bag drop offs the one agent said he was it. I had heard of the staff shortages but had no idea it could be limited to just one person checking in an entire flight. He said check in was 2.5 hours not two. So I guess he didn’t know the rules either.
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2005
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Posts: 245
Situations like this make me glad I fork over the extra money for business class. As a side note, the LX flight was delayed an hour as a traveler (according to the pilot) decided not to show up at the gate and the airline had to remove their bags. I was at a window seat and observed the painstaking effort the ground staff (5 people in all) had in retrieving the five suitcases. I wonder if the airline penalizes travelers for this as several passengers on the flight had to be rebooked for their connections out of Zurich.
#6
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Situations like this make me glad I fork over the extra money for business class. As a side note, the LX flight was delayed an hour as a traveler (according to the pilot) decided not to show up at the gate and the airline had to remove their bags. I was at a window seat and observed the painstaking effort the ground staff (5 people in all) had in retrieving the five suitcases. I wonder if the airline penalizes travelers for this as several passengers on the flight had to be rebooked for their connections out of Zurich.
#7
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: OSL/IAH/ZRH (time, not preference)
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They pay fewer staff and get pax to volunteer to pay more .
I wonder if the airline penalizes travelers for this as several passengers on the flight had to be rebooked for their connections out of Zurich.
They prob don't want to pay comp to the delayed passengers.
#8
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OP was watching them search for the bags from the luxury of his J window seat but otherwise they would also be amongst my thoughts, not paying compo is very high up the list of priorities at LH group
#9
Join Date: Aug 2004
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This sounds more serious than one miffed Biz passenger giving up after having to wait for an hour to check in...
#10
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: BNA (Nashville)
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Posts: 6,225
My experience this summer on LH from DUB to FRA:
I flew in early June and I was on the 9:10 AM flight. I arrived at the airport at 6:30. I walked through the maze in the front of the airport to get inside. There was a huge line for check in at the LH counter. There were 2 ticket agents. These are contract employees by the airport. There were 2 people in the business class line. That is where I went. When anyone was in the business class line, the one agent only would take them. The other agent was for all the other passengers.
I was through in about 3 minutes. Fast track security skipped another huge line.
We board the plane and wait. The pilot announces that they have to 'remove some bags'. I assume its people who are not on the plane. But it was wrong.
The plane had been on the ground for more than an hour. The grounds crew was so backed up that they hadn't unloaded the bags from the previous flight yet, which meant that people were waiting over an hour for their luggage. They unloaded the bags. Then we waited for another ground crew to load our bags. I watched it out the window. We left DUB 2 hours late and I (like most people) missed my connection in FRA.
I put the blame squarely on DUB airport. They simply did not staff. Perhaps the people who didn't make the plane to Zurich were still stuck in security. If not for business class, I would have waited hours in both lines.
I flew in early June and I was on the 9:10 AM flight. I arrived at the airport at 6:30. I walked through the maze in the front of the airport to get inside. There was a huge line for check in at the LH counter. There were 2 ticket agents. These are contract employees by the airport. There were 2 people in the business class line. That is where I went. When anyone was in the business class line, the one agent only would take them. The other agent was for all the other passengers.
I was through in about 3 minutes. Fast track security skipped another huge line.
We board the plane and wait. The pilot announces that they have to 'remove some bags'. I assume its people who are not on the plane. But it was wrong.
The plane had been on the ground for more than an hour. The grounds crew was so backed up that they hadn't unloaded the bags from the previous flight yet, which meant that people were waiting over an hour for their luggage. They unloaded the bags. Then we waited for another ground crew to load our bags. I watched it out the window. We left DUB 2 hours late and I (like most people) missed my connection in FRA.
I put the blame squarely on DUB airport. They simply did not staff. Perhaps the people who didn't make the plane to Zurich were still stuck in security. If not for business class, I would have waited hours in both lines.
#11
Suspended
Join Date: Feb 2022
Posts: 853
One agent at DUB LH/LX counter for LX check in for our LX flight on 11Aug. I couldn’t understand how this could be. We arrived at 5am for the 8am flight at business class check in. No agents at any of the desks save for one. The 555am LH flight to FRA was apparently still checking in and one passenger was taking an inordinate amount of time due to some problem. One economy traveler in line complained to the passenger at the counter to please let others check in. We finally got to ask the one agent about our flight and he said our flight wasn’t ready for check in. To wait until 530am. As 530am approached no other check in agents were in sight. The passenger with difficulties never made her 555am flight. Then at 530am the one agent called us over to his station to check our bags for our LX flight. The Line of economy class passengers was well formed and my guess is he was the only agent there to handle the entire flight.
I would've suggested the requester reroute themselves to a destination smelling of sulphur.
#12
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[QUOTE
This sounds more serious than one miffed Biz passenger giving up after having to wait for an hour to check in...[/QUOTE]
Yes, it was an early start for the OP & maybe with the less than smooth LX premium experience the OP had paid for & was expecting OP was losing the …… enthusiasm by now
Maybe a lack of Guinness in the lounge ? a crime in DUB surely ? I realise it was early but this is DUB
This sounds more serious than one miffed Biz passenger giving up after having to wait for an hour to check in...[/QUOTE]
Yes, it was an early start for the OP & maybe with the less than smooth LX premium experience the OP had paid for & was expecting OP was losing the …… enthusiasm by now
Maybe a lack of Guinness in the lounge ? a crime in DUB surely ? I realise it was early but this is DUB
#13
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My experience this summer on LH from DUB to FRA:
I flew in early June and I was on the 9:10 AM flight. I arrived at the airport at 6:30. I walked through the maze in the front of the airport to get inside. There was a huge line for check in at the LH counter. There were 2 ticket agents. These are contract employees by the airport. There were 2 people in the business class line. That is where I went. When anyone was in the business class line, the one agent only would take them. The other agent was for all the other passengers.
I was through in about 3 minutes. Fast track security skipped another huge line.
We board the plane and wait. The pilot announces that they have to 'remove some bags'. I assume its people who are not on the plane. But it was wrong.
The plane had been on the ground for more than an hour. The grounds crew was so backed up that they hadn't unloaded the bags from the previous flight yet, which meant that people were waiting over an hour for their luggage. They unloaded the bags. Then we waited for another ground crew to load our bags. I watched it out the window. We left DUB 2 hours late and I (like most people) missed my connection in FRA.
I put the blame squarely on DUB airport. They simply did not staff. Perhaps the people who didn't make the plane to Zurich were still stuck in security. If not for business class, I would have waited hours in both lines.
I flew in early June and I was on the 9:10 AM flight. I arrived at the airport at 6:30. I walked through the maze in the front of the airport to get inside. There was a huge line for check in at the LH counter. There were 2 ticket agents. These are contract employees by the airport. There were 2 people in the business class line. That is where I went. When anyone was in the business class line, the one agent only would take them. The other agent was for all the other passengers.
I was through in about 3 minutes. Fast track security skipped another huge line.
We board the plane and wait. The pilot announces that they have to 'remove some bags'. I assume its people who are not on the plane. But it was wrong.
The plane had been on the ground for more than an hour. The grounds crew was so backed up that they hadn't unloaded the bags from the previous flight yet, which meant that people were waiting over an hour for their luggage. They unloaded the bags. Then we waited for another ground crew to load our bags. I watched it out the window. We left DUB 2 hours late and I (like most people) missed my connection in FRA.
I put the blame squarely on DUB airport. They simply did not staff. Perhaps the people who didn't make the plane to Zurich were still stuck in security. If not for business class, I would have waited hours in both lines.
Add to that when you get rid of Staff that worked loyally for many years , why would they want to come back…
#14
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Dublin, Ireland
Posts: 98
Unfortunately the two handling agents at DUB, Swissport and Sky Handling Partner, the latter of which LH/LX use, are still seriously short staffed. Flights only being check-in by one agent is common unfortunately.
The airline at DUB with the least check-in queues is Ryanair. They have lots of self-service bag drop kiosks which helps a significantly. Aer Lingus' staff situation is reasonably good also.
#15
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Zurich
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Posts: 1,647
Well, at the risk to repeat myself, the entire LH group (including LX) decided to become an ULCC, at least short haul, No surprise at all about what happened. I just avoid them, whenever possible,