Column “There and Back”: Everyone on the track!

Deutsche Bahn , a scandal! Just enter this combination of words into the infernal machine known as Google, and you'll inevitably get the impression that trains must be the wyrms of the modern age. Misanthropic monsters who, unfortunately, have lost their gift of fire-breathing in the age of electrification. Between the wandering US presidents and the Middle East crisis, there's always a horrific story from German rail transport, arguably the biggest domestic security risk. Just recently, a planned trip from Munich to Hamburg was canceled shortly after departure on the grounds that the train was too dirty, leading to drastic headlines: "Railway throws passengers off ICE."

How dirty the train really was and who threw the passengers where exactly and with what force is almost impossible to reconstruct amidst all the rubbish in the train and station. But the tone has been set for some time, and rail bashing has long since become socially acceptable on the internet and in social media, however absurd this may be. For example, Green Party politician Renate Künast already tried her hand at being a train passenger advocate, complaining last fall via Musk that a Deutsche Bahn travel center refused to open for some waiting customers before 9 a.m. Even though the travel center officially only opened at 9 a.m. Perhaps Künast herself no longer fully understands her outrage after a few weeks. A young mother, on the other hand, is upset that she didn't reserve a seat on a long-distance train and then, in fact, can't get a seat for her children. This may be a poor reflection of Germany's child-friendliness, but not necessarily of Deutsche Bahn. Some defeatists are now taking refuge in the belief that Deutsche Bahn is the best advertisement for driving and flying.

Here are some of the month's aviation news: Just a few days ago, Finnair had to cancel more than 140 flights due to a union strike. This affected 6,500 passengers, including four Finns known to the author who had planned to spend Midsummer in the beautiful Alps instead of flat Helsinki. In Norway, a Wizz Air jet tipped backward while unloading and crashed onto its tail. No one was injured, but the subsequent flight was delayed by eight hours. The 221 passengers on Condor flight DE 1513 from Mallorca endured an odyssey through the airspace at the beginning of June and were diverted to Frankfurt-Hahn after the approach to Munich had to be aborted due to a delay. There, planes are only allowed to land until 12:30 a.m., even with special permission. According to eyewitnesses, the time limit for a landing would have been exceeded by exactly ten seconds. And at Lagos airport, according to media reports, Nigerian Senator Adams Oshiomhole was so abusive at the closed gate because of a missed flight that other passengers were prevented from continuing their journey.

Anyone strolling to their car with their legs spread wide now only needs to briefly reflect on the traffic jam reports on the Brenner and Tauern motorways during the Whitsun holidays to plan their next vacation using the simplest of all means of transport: the bicycle. That is, of course, provided the tire doesn't keep losing air again.