Over the past few days, air passengers across Europe, including Budapest, have experienced a significant number of flight delays and cancellations. In this situation, it is particularly important for Budapest Airport to take good care of its passengers, and following an immediate decision by the management, the airport has designated dedicated waiting areas in Terminals 2A and 2B.
Here, eligible passengers can wait and rest in comfort, and the airport operator provides food and drinks if necessary, as well as baby food, diapers and wipes for travelers with young children. In addition, people in these zones have faster access to the latest information about their flight. The airport operator agrees with the Ministry for National Economy that the current situation requires swift action and cooperation of all stakeholders to ensure that aviation actors can provide the highest possible quality of service in a controlled manner.
New support points at Budapest Airport
With flight delays and cancellations across the continent, passengers often wait for hours at airports. This trend can also be observed in Budapest, so Budapest Airport – in agreement with the position of the Ministry for National Economy – is doing its utmost, even beyond its own responsibilities, to support passengers at the highest possible level in this difficult situation.
As part of this, the airport operator has set up two support points, called BUD:carezone, in the transit area, which will be expanded by one additional unit if necessary. The airline, the ground handling company or the staff of Budapest Airport informs the passengers concerned via the public announcement system or in person if they can use the support points. In the zones, Budapest Airport provides passengers waiting due to flight delays with information, sandwiches and water if needed, as well as diapers, baby food and wipes for travelers with small children.
Budapest Airport has already distributed 7500 bottles of water to passengers waiting and it is constantly replenishing these stocks to ensure that the right amount of bottled water is always available. In addition, the company will provide more comfortable high-back chairs, recliners, phone chargers and unlimited Wi-Fi access throughout the airport.
By scanning the QR code that will be installed on site in the coming days, passengers will find useful information on delays and cancelations and can also get answers to frequently asked questions with phone contact details. A terminal map will also help them find the services they need, such as toilets, nursing rooms, terraces and restaurants.
The zones are located in Terminal 2B in front of boarding gates B1-B2 and in Terminal 2A on Pier 1 in front of boarding gate A17. Budapest Airport advises passengers that if they have been informed by the airline or ground handling company of a flight delay or cancelation and are unable or unwilling to leave the airport, they should wait in these zones to ensure that they receive the latest information about their flight as soon as possible. At BUD:carezone, Budapest Airport’s on-duty terminal managers and terminal information staff are continuously assisting passengers.
“As an airport operator, our priority is to provide passengers with high quality services, even beyond our scope of responsibility. Now, when many people have to wait at the airport due to flight delays, we have responded as quickly as possible by setting up support points,” said Francois Berisot, the chief executive officer of Budapest Airport. He highlighted, “We welcome the fact that the Ministry for National Economy is also treating the problem as a priority issue, and as the owners of Budapest Airport we were able to act together quickly and effectively to remedy the situation.”
In the current situation, Budapest Airport advises passengers to make flexible bookings when planning their trip, to arrive at the airport in time (at least 2.5 hours before departure) and to keep a close eye on information from airlines and the staff of the ground handling company at the airport. It is a good idea to pack in the hand baggage all the personal items, medical equipment and medicines (which can be passed through security screening) that the passenger may need or that are essential for a stay of up to several hours at the airport.
Delays could affect all flights of all airlines and this trend could continue until the end of the summer travel season, i.e. until 30 September. Experience so far shows that early morning, morning and mid-morning services are more likely to run on schedule with no or minimal delays. In general, the more rounds a flight makes, the more likely it is to accumulate delays by the end of the day. However, the weather is always an unpredictable factor, so a major storm or thunderstorm can cause delays to morning flights as well.
Aviation as a process has at least four participants: the airport, the airlines, the ground handling companies and the air traffic controllers are responsible for the safe flight of passengers, and their competences are complemented by the role of the authorities. Everyone has their own responsibilities in the process, based on regulations and contracts, so the competences of the airport operator and the ground handling companies working at the airport are also regulated.
Stakeholders can always act together in a cooperative way, so for example, for any information on a specific flight, the flow of information between all actors must be smooth in order to ensure that passengers receive accurate and timely information about their flight.
In the event of flight delays and cancelations, Budapest Airport does its utmost regarding the tasks within its own sphere of responsibilities, often going beyond those to support the ground handling companies in order to ensure that passengers are served and provided with the right information despite the difficult circumstances.
It is important to note that as passengers have a contract with the airline, the primary point of contact is the airline and the on-site staff of the ground handling companies who are responsible for boarding and de-boarding. In the event of cancelations or delays, the airline informs passengers by text message and/or e-mail of the expected departure time and any action to be taken.
On site, the staff of ground handling companies have the latest information on the specific flight based on the notification received from the airline and they inform passengers accordingly. In case of a flight delay, Budapest Airport continuously supports the ground handling companies through the terminal information staff, helping ground handlers inform passengers based on the information received from them.
The current situation poses a challenge for all aviation stakeholders, which can be tackled by working together with the members of this ecosystem. In addition to its operational tasks, Budapest Airport has set up BUD:carezone areas to assist passengers, where it continuously monitors the situation and the needs of passengers in order to provide them with the best possible service to alleviate inconvenience and ensure a high level of passenger service.