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TRANSPORT

‘Utter chaos’: Stockholm’s Arlanda airport still hit by long queues

More than a week after the company running the airport said it would take action to resolve the issue, passengers are still subject to waiting times of more than an hour just to go through security.

Published: 29 May 2022 11:01 CEST
A plane prepares to touch down in Sweden's Arlanda airport.
A plane prepares to touch down in Sweden's Arlanda airport. Passengers have been frustrated by long queues at security. (Photo by Jonathan NACKSTRAND / AFP)

Passengers at Stockholm’s Arlanda airport are not happy. 

Swedavia, the company that manages the major transport hub, warns that staff shortages at security check points are leading to longer queues. 

More than a week ago, the company said that it launched “major recruitment efforts” to resolve the issue, but many passengers are still reporting waiting times of more than one hour to pass through security. 

Various people on Twitter have described the situation as “a catastrophe”, “horrific” and “utter chaos”. 

Another Twitter user, @PropDylan advised: “Don’t fly here. Take a canoe here or whatever. It’ll save you some time.”

The problem is compounded by an uptick in travel as Europe enters the summer and most countries have relaxed Covid-related travel restrictions. 

READ MORE What’s behind the behind the queues at Stockholm Arlanda airport?

Swedavia has said that it will reopen Terminal 4, which was closed during the pandemic, on June 15th. This will ease pressure on Terminal 5 where the impact of long queues is currently being felt. 

Airport unions have threatened to go on strike unless the problem is resolved soon. 

What should you do if you are travelling through Stockholm Arlanda at the moment? 

Swedavia recommends that you arrive “well in advance” when taking a flight. You can contact your airline here to find out when their check-ins and baggage drops open.  

Swedavia also recommends that you do everything possible to speed up the check-in process, such as:

  • checking in from home
  • packing hand baggage to make screening faster
  • checking the need for a face covering in advance
  • checking that you have the right travel documents ready 

If you can’t check in from home, Swedavia recommends seeing if you can check in using an automated machine at the airport.

You can read more to do if you have missed your flight due to the chaos HERE. 

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TRAVEL NEWS

Öresund Bridge raises toll for single journeys between Sweden and Denmark

The Öresund Bridge on Thursday increased its toll for single journeys but said that new discount rates will be introduced.

Published: 14 March 2023 16:13 CET
Öresund Bridge raises toll for single journeys between Sweden and Denmark

The bridge’s operator Öresundsbron set out the changes to toll prices in a press statement on Tuesday.

“We are making it cheaper for those who travel with us the most and the price will go up for those who travel less,” Öresundsbron director of sales and marketing Berit Vestergaard said at a briefing on the price changes.

The toll price for a one-way crossing on the Öresund Bridge was raised to 645 Swedish kronor (440 Danish kroner) from the previous 610 kronor (415 kroner) on Tuesday, a 6 percent increase.

Discount offers for both private and business customers will provide bigger savings for frequent bridge users under the new price structure.

While the annual fee to register for one of the Öresund Bridge’s range of discount offers goes up from 495 Swedish kronor (335 Danish kroner) to 499 kronor(349 kroner), the price per journey falls by 6-7 percent or 8-12 kroner per journey.

A breakdown of the Öresund Bridge price changes in full. Photo: Öresundsbron

Increased prices on single trips allow the cost of a crossing for a discount customer to be reduced, Vestergaard said.

“We want to offer our customers a cheaper price and we are doing it at a time when many other things are becoming more expensive,” she said in the statement.

“It will simply be cheaper and easier to cross the Öresund with a discount offer. The price per journey will fall by around 7 percent,” she said.

Tuesday’s changes mean that motorists registered for discount offers will no longer need to carry an electronic tag to register at the toll. Instead, tolls will use number plate recognition. Cars must be registered on the Öresundsbron website.

Discount schemes for the bridge have been renamed under three categories: ÖresundGO, ÖresundPENDLER and ÖresundBUSINESS.

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