SWISS has criticised Zurich Airport for soaring baggage and flight delays in 2024. The number of bags misplaced at the largest airport in Switzerland is double the levels seen before the pandemic, forcing local airlines to pay more in compensation.

Zurich Airport heading "in the wrong direction" over bag delays

Speaking to NZZ am Sonntag, SWISS operations manager Oliver Buchhofer said that the number of bags being lost or delivered too late at Zurich Airport is well above normal rates. "Across our entire network, the rate of baggage not arriving as planned was 2,3 percent. In Zurich, it is around 4 percent," he explained.

The number of lost and late bags in 2024 is now double the amount seen in 2019. “In Zurich, we are seeing a clear change in the wrong direction," Buchhofer noted, adding that in the first nine months of the year, SWISS paid out 10 million francs in compensation to passengers, alongside the millions paid out in hotel and food compensation.

The comments come after Switzerland was beset with the worst flight delays in Europe during the summer. Between June 20 and September 4, 2024, of the 49.000 flights that landed in the country, 19.000 touched down with a delay of 15 minutes or more. During the same period, 2,61 percent of SWISS flights were cancelled, while 43,03 percent of services were delayed.

Airlines get unfairly blamed for delays and disruption, airline argues

Buchhofer argued that airlines get unfairly blamed and have to pay for delays, disruption and baggage loss, despite not being directly responsible. "In 2024, fewer [SWISS] planes will land and take off in Zurich than in 2019. However, our punctuality is around 10 percent lower than before the pandemic," Buchofer noted.

For instance, Skyguide, the air traffic controller for all major airports in Switzerland, admitted back in June that bugs in their system were responsible for a third of flight delays in the alpine nation. July 19 also saw Zurich, Geneva, Basel and airports around the world hit with a major tech outage, which suspended landings and take-offs for hours. 

The terrible weather in Switzerland seen at the beginning and midpoint of the summer, and air traffic restrictions placed on the country by surrounding nations also added to the disruption. When it comes to baggage, despite Zurich installing a brand new handling system, the new network is often down for several hours at a time due to maintenance issues.

Airport training new baggage handlers to resolve delays

In response to the comments, the airport told the Keystone-SDA new agency that there are various reasons for the disruption, ranging from tight transfer times and late check-ins to issues with baggage handling. They noted that up to 50.000 bags are processed at the airport every year, meaning one technical issue can have big knock-on effects.

Ground handler Swissport said they are working with SWISS to deliver the "highest standards in terms of efficiency and reliability." They added that new workers are going to be deployed both in and outside airport opening hours to try and resolve delays as swiftly as possible. 

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