A favorable exchange rate between the dollar and the euro may make a summer getaway to Europe look attractive this year, but travelers who have been there warn that the continent’s airports are a mess.
Mark Cassell, a political science professor at Kent State University who lives in Washington, D.C., told USA TODAY that his experience traveling home from Amsterdam this week was marred by flight cancelations, long lines and lost bags.
“Just getting my boarding pass required at least an hour and half of waiting, and waiting to get through security was another three hours,” he said. “I looked at the number of steps I took and it was at least 2 to 3 kilometers of lines.”
Cassell wound up having to connect through Frankfurt, Germany, after his original direct flight was canceled, and he said he wound up waiting on more lines there, including an hour-and-a-half-long line just to confirm his luggage made it onto the new flight. He was told by the airline that it did, but it never showed up on the carousel at Dulles International Airport outside Washington, D.C.
Nanci Belmont, a bassoonist from New York, had a similar experience flying home from Italy via Paris on Sunday.
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“I go to the carousel where our bags are supposed to be, and there were so many people standing there, the carousel finally stopped and…
