Mit dem Jumbo nach Malle - Urlauberansturm am Flughafen | Mittendrin Flughafen Frankfurt 39
SUBTITLE: Hessischer Rundfunk SUBTITLE: Hessischer Rundfunk Start of vacation in Hessen: Thousands of families fly on vacation. Tourists are allowed to travel again. Passenger numbers are also increasing in Frankfurt.
Germany's largest airport is the hub for passengers in Europe. (Announcement) Warning! Please keep a distance of at least 1.5m! Computers, food, vaccines: are distributed worldwide from here. The freight industry is booming.
Countdown for a new airline. Training flight with captain Thorsten Beck. I've never flown this far, never such a big plane. Despite the avoidable experience , this is an incredible respect for the new task. A dream for airplane fans: with the Jumbo to Malle. This is crazy what you do to fly a plane.
Exclusive insights behind the scenes at Germany's largest airport. * Radio messages * Frankfurt Airport expects 115,000 passengers today for the start of the holiday in Hesse. The tower reports 1,050 take-offs and landings. The last time there was so much activity was 16 months ago. The Germans just want to leave. Preferably to Mallorca. 84 planes fly from Frankfurt to the island every week.
Also this special flight at Gate A69. The airline sends its flagship in the style of the seventies. A lucky day for airplane fans like Cezary. Today he flies there and back just for the good feeling.
I booked the flight because the aircraft had a special paint job. We still fly with the 747-800 in retro style from back then. Normally, the flight would not be possible with such a large aircraft. Due to Corona and the increasing number of bookings , Lufthansa decided to fly to Mallorca with the Jumbo. I thought to myself, I will probably never have the chance again. The flight has been booked out for weeks.
364 vacationers and planespotter like Cezary. They come from all over Europe only to fly once. One of them flew with the Condor to Mallorca at 4.50 a.m.
and is now sitting on the beach. At 2 p.m. he flies home with us. A crazy hobby, right? - Yes / Yes.
It's crazy what you do to fly a plane. But not all have. Now we go into the sun.
Seven years ago, Cezary moved with his mother from Poland to Frankfurt. Since then he has been snapping airplanes: he already has 10,000 photos. Cezary has an account on Instagram. He prefers to exchange aircraft pictures around the world from aviators with special paintwork.
A new slot, 38, but we already know it. First Officer Philipp Wiebe will fly to the island today. At his side is Captain Sergio de Witt. The pilots are used to long-haul flights but from several thousand miles. 743 miles: a three-digit number of miles.
It is remarkable. Mallorca instead of Miami. It doesn't matter, the main thing is to fly, says Captain de Witt. It's a wonderful feeling, always nice. The best moment is when you sit on the plane, close the doors, start the engines and can take off. How much break has there been in the 747 in the last few months? We actually flew relatively consistently with the 747.
Unfortunately, very little, but we have a permanent route network of at least 5.6 destinations. Now it is slowly picking up again. Families are on board instead of business people, as is usual on long-haul routes. But today they fly medium haul: 1 hour 45 minutes. I'm looking forward to the plane. Cezary flies economy there and business back.
The price is not a bargain for the trainee, but it doesn't matter: Malle is only open once a year. 350 Euro. - Round trip? - Yes. I booked pretty early. Hi, hello. We wrote: on Instagram.
I am the cezary. - Ah, hello. - Hi. I'll come over later. - All right, I'm 28K. The purser is also a planespotter. They know each other from sharing photos. Working at the airport: Cezary could imagine that in a few years. He is currently doing an apprenticeship as an industrial clerk.
What is he doing now? I will enjoy the view and maybe listen to a little more music. I'm looking forward to arriving in Mallorca. The 747-8 is currently the largest aircraft in service with the airline. A dream comes true for Cezary today.
For the first time he flies jumbo. Boarding is completed. Cabin Crew: All doors in flight. The giant bird was out of service for a year due to the aviation crisis.
It's been flying again for four weeks, the jumbo with the retro paintwork. Unique in the world, the favorite jumbo for aviation fans. 80 m long, 70 m wide, 20 m high. The pilots cannot afford to be late today. The plane has to go to Brazil that evening. First of all, Spain.
Back to the airport in the Frankfurt Airport Center at Terminal 1. Work looks like this behind this inconspicuous door. The headquarters of a new German airline: Eurowings-Discover.
In addition to Eurowings, there is also a subsidiary in the Lufthansa Group. Modern open plan office with atmosphere and aquarium. Today is an important day. For the first time, pilots and flight attendants are flying together with a corona check. It's a duty every day.
I stand over there, there is the most space. Thorsten Beck is the captain and flight operations manager, responsible for the crews. Good morning! Welcome to our first cabin flight on Discover. I now dare to predict that this will be the greatest crew that both we and everyone else will ever have.
I'm glad you're here. The plane is prepared for Victor 168, it says there. We'll fly to Rostock straight away, 55 minutes there.
A training flight with 21 flight attendants. You flew for Germanwings, Sun Express and Brussels-Air. But they had to cut staff or close them entirely. Here they try their restart. Then I would say let's go to the plane.
Have fun. * Applause * In June 2019 Lufthansa starts planning a vacation flight. Then Corona comes and the schedule is over. But the crane is sticking to the plan in the middle of the pandemic.
Now, shortly before the official start, pilots and flight attendants rehearse everyday life on board. Thorsten Beck also has a training flight today. We're doing a preparatory flight today. This is the airline's first flight. With this I will fly off with passengers on board for the first time, completely unprepared . We now have cabin crew with us three times and have training captains who rarely get to fly during the first few days.
After the long Corona period, we will fly together for the first time to prepare our colleagues. Does that mean you do more take-offs and landings today? In total there will be around 20 take-offs and landings. I only retrained on the A330 myself.
I'll fly with you to Rostock right away. Then my training will be over there. The other colleagues will then "do traffic laps", as it is called, so they always fly around the airport. Practice taking off and landing there, which is usually the most difficult part of the flight.
Thorsten Beck lives with his family in Siegburg near Bonn. The 50-year-old takes the ICE to Frankfurt every day for his dream job. That's great.
45 years ago I stood up there on the visitors' terrace and if you can now drive down here after the long break. Then of course that is something special. He was a pilot at Germanwings at Cologne / Bonn Airport. The airline ceased operations in March 2020. The family man tries his luck with the newcomer.
Today he is captain and flight operations manager, but hardly ever flown. The aviation crisis slowed him down too. 13 months.
I took the last flight in June. An airplane was allowed to paint and pick it up again. It's longer for most colleagues. They flew for the last time around March last year, around 15 months ago , some even longer. So a long time, that's why we do the flights. After the training in the simulator , the real flights with the Airbus now follow.
The crews see the A330 for the first time today. We all go up. We'll take photos afterwards in Rostock, it's easier there.
Weather is nicer too and the air is nicer too. A familiarization flight for man and machine. Everyone has their tasks in long-haul aviation. Thorsten Beck programs the data to Rostock-Laage.
This is the name of the airport in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Most flight attendants have already flown long-haul flights, which is exactly what the airline needs now for the restart. They will initially only offer long flights. Not everyone knows the Airbus A330, says cabin manager Markus.
My colleagues are now busy throughout the aircraft. We use the time here on board where we are flying, today without guests. That we can look at the aircraft, that we can see through all the equipment, especially familiarize them with the storage spaces. Thorsten Beck has only flown small machines so far: on short and medium-haul routes. Long distance has always been his dream: that's what he trains for.
A huge respect. I've never flown so far, never such a big airplane, from what I think it is a great respect for the new task. To get this chance in Corona times, he is very grateful for that. Many of his former colleagues no longer fly.
Why did he become a pilot? First I wanted to be a firefighter and then I wanted to become a pilot. There are a lot of drawings from me at home. I painted planes. I didn't have a plan B either. I applied to Lufthansa after school.
That didn't work and then I thought you had to study something: Either business administration or law, because I didn't know what to do. But then I found out about the possibility of getting a pilot's license and that's how I got into aviation. I haven't regretted it for a day. The new workplace feels good.
Dear guests, welcome on board. Please stow your hand luggage under the seat in front of you. Emergency equipment check is completed. - Thank you very much. Afterstart.
Off. The A330 is 17 meters high, 60 meters long and 60 meters wide. So as big as half a soccer field. The machine has been in operation for 17 years and has flown for Qatar Airways and Sun-Express. Training manager Werner Lutz supports Thorsten Beck on his last training flight.
Are you ready? Take off. One lap around Frankfurt, past the Henniger tower in a northeast direction. They want to land in Rostock in 45 minutes. From the training flights back to the headquarters of the new airline in the Frankfurt Airport Center. "Bay": that's what the airline calls its base. 30 employees from all departments play passengers today.
Nina Felgentreff is Manager Ground Operations, responsible for the airline's check-in counters in the terminal. I am very happy that you are part of it. That we do not check in fictitious data, but that you are there and put our systems through their paces. The colleagues have brought their children with them, families should travel too. Check in the test today.
Then I would say: Let's go! The roles they are supposed to play are written on the pieces of paper. Who they are, where they are going. Technicians and IT specialists programmed the check-in counters and the booking tool for weeks.
Now they want to know if it works. The teams worked a lot of overtime to get the airline going. A unique and exciting time, says 30-year-old Nina Felgentreff. It's just a world of its own. I think it's really exciting to see what's behind it all. So many passengers book their tickets, come to the airport, hand in their luggage, fly and don't worry about what's behind it.
The first destination is the leaflet in Terminal 1. Where is flight number: 4Y to Windhoek, Namibia? We now look on the display board to see if our flight is already displayed, because that would be the first time. But right now ... Has anyone found him? - No. - Nope. Then he's not on it yet. That started well.
Maybe you have better luck at the check-in counters? Nina Felgentreff was previously in the same job at Condor. So how are things here? Super cool, you see our logos on our check-in counters for the first time . It's getting to be a great moment, really.
Now the passengers can check in with suitcases, strollers and lots of questions, according to the plan. Then the check-in for our flight 4Y-4010 to Windhoek starts. Please. The IT colleagues worked on this project for a year. And what is the result? This is our boarding pass now, it already feels cool. It took a long time to load it into IT.
It was not agreed that it would work now , that it is already loaded today. All the better, I'm happy. So, once your boarding pass! Many Thanks. Just stupid that they stay in Frankfurt.
Holidaymakers to Namibia are supposed to just play. Any delay would be bad for the first flight. Nina's boss gets an idea of the situation.
Nina, how are your tests going? - Uh, boarding pass looks good. It just needs to be printed, but the printer prints it correctly. And otherwise with the waiting list, because the passengers are not ranked properly. They are distributed but not properly sorted. Exactly exactly. - Okay, very good. Sounds good!
Doesn't sound like a catastrophe now, does it, Nina? No, it's not a disaster, but with the waiting list I thought it would work. But we are in contact with IT. Maybe we'll get it fixed later. Can you see your flight now? Ask the Fraport experts. Are they on the billboards? Then we'll look again. Super thank you!
Then let's go have a look. * Music * And, and, and? Voltage! He's on it, look! Oh my gosh! We are already on board. We have to go to the gate. We are already being indicated that we are at the landing.
That works too, very cool. * quiet music * The first flight starts at gate A69. Do the newly programmed systems work here too, and what about the speakers? Have a nice good day, dear guests.
My name is Nadine and my charming colleagues and I'll take care of the handling of your flight here at the gate today. Checked. Now the boarding pass scanner. If they light up green, you can take a deep breath. So what. * quiet music * Then we're through for today and I would say that worked really well. Again, a big thank you to you guys, really, really great.
Mission accomplished. The right passengers can come. From Terminal One back to the Jumbo in Malle. * Exciting music * * happy music * Photographing planes, completely or in detail, planespotter Cezary's hobby and flying is the greatest anyway. The start is not that special, but I always find the landing exciting. Family reunions or vacations: impossible without planes.
His mother has to play along too. I'm going to my grandma's next week, it's her birthday. You have to visit them. I'll fly there too. My mother drove yesterday.
I didn't want to drive because it takes too long. That's why I prefer to fly and be picked up in Warsaw. The flight is fully booked. 276 seats in economy, 80 in business. But eight spots became available spontaneously. One tomato mozzarella with delicious pesto sauce.
What kind of bun would you like? The eight guests enjoy pure luxury above the clouds. They got an upgrade, like Hugo Heckert. His parents fly economy with still water, the 18-year-old first class with bubbly. One was surprised oneself.
I was at the airport and then someone gave me a towel. I am sitting here now. Lying is also possible. According to the airline, first-class is difficult or even impossible to sell on short flights .
That's why they raffled the beds. So the holidays can begin. I am now on vacation in Mallorca with my family and friends for a week. Very nice, have fun! - Thank you very much.
* happy music * we have already switched on the seatbelt signs. One deck up is the cockpit, somewhere over there. First Officer Philipp Wiebe steers the jumbo to Malle. He never really wanted to be a pilot. I am not one of those who already knew at the age of four that they wanted to become a pilot and I am not one of those who pulled out the camera at 16, 17 at runway 18 when a retro jumbo flies past, I admit.
When I was 20, I would not have said that I would be a pilot. I was still studying politics and had little to do with flying. Jumbo pilot: his dream job today. So, out of the cockpit, Mr. Wiebe wants to land.
(Announcement) At the end of the island is Palma and the airport. We land on runway 24 on the right, for the experts on board. Today it is still around 30 degrees Celsius. For you a really nice vacation or whatever drives you to Mallorca.
The plane arrives punctually at the international airport in Palma. * happy music * One hundred. Fifty.
Fourty. Thirty. Twenty. Ten. * happy music * Welcome to Mallorca. There are also planespotter in Spain.
Word has got around that the Germans will come with the fat one. The booking numbers for Mallorca are shooting through the roof. In July more than 1000 take-offs and landings a day, just as many as currently in Frankfurt. Have fun! - Thank you! See you later! - See you soon! Cezary drives into the terminal to get in and out again.
The cleaning teams have 45 minutes. The Jumbo also needs fuel, it's even cheaper here than in Germany. This gentleman from the technical service in Frankfurt flew with me in case the jumbo caused problems. He also has spare parts and bikes with him, you never know. On the island they do not offer any service for the 747.
They rarely have such a bird here either . The landing on the Balearic Island with the 747-8 is a first for the airline. They have to hold on to that. And who is the gentleman with the purple quiff? * happy music * they know you? From "Instagram" or "TikTok". With his fashion tips he reaches an audience of millions, he says and goes back on board. Shoot videos for his account: that's the only reason he's flying there and back today.
* quiet music * 90 minutes after landing, the new guests arrive. You know each other. Cezary met a buddy, another planspotter.
The vacation was very short, now we're back and we're going back to Frankfurt. Where are you from? - Also from Frankfurt. I flew here this morning on the Condor, one of the early flights to fly the plane back now. You have to have done it, when else do you have such a chance? The buddies sort aircraft photos by type, airline and license plate number. This is the first gear to the right. They shot 150 photos in less than an hour at Malle, of course only airplanes.
Another spotter is sitting in the business class. He came yesterday especially for the Jumbo. The CO2 footprint: not an issue today.
The other colleague, Robert, flew the same way, he flew Berlin to Zurich, from Zurich to Palma and today with the 747 back to Frankfurt. You can fly like that, right? What are you doing in business now? I'll lean back in a moment and then enjoy the view from the window of the two engines. I'm looking forward to the flight again. * happy music * I am the captain of today's very special flight.
We are pleased that we can bring you home in this special way. Captain Sergio de Witt flies back to Frankfurt. The Spanish spotters: ready to go. * happy music * Ballermann on the left, Frankfurt ahead. Just under two hours. * Music ends. *
From the Mediterranean to the Baltic Sea to a training flight for pilots and flight attendants. Thorsten Beck flies to Rostock with colleagues. The Airbus A330 is still new to him.
So far he has only flown smaller machines. With the small plane you got to know a lot of small airfields and saw many small impassable areas. You flew well with the weather, it was noisy at times. A very direct plane, great fun to fly. Now the Airbus is much more convenient, much more comfortable and you get to know completely different destinations.
He had to learn a lot of theory for the A330, then 15 days of training in the simulator and now a training flight with training manager Werner Lutz. This is practically the last flight now. For instruction, you do four flights again in real life.
Then you have completed this part of the training. Then you go to the line training on the different routes, that's still ahead of me. Approach to Rostock-Laage, a short run.
Thorsten Beck has to set up the machine early so that there is enough space to brake. * calm music * Fifty, fourty, thirty, twenty, retard. Oops, that was tough for nose wheel and colleagues.
The aviator's nose went down too quickly. * fast music * I could have landed the nose even softer, right? Yeah, a little softer, fly down a little more. There would have been air, you could have drawn a lot. That's why they train. You need to.
You don't get a truck driver's license in one day, says the training manager. Aircraft like the A330 rarely land in Rostock. No problem for the guide.
Thorsten Beck and the flight attendants will get out. Four pilots remain on board. The four other pilots make their preparation rounds for the operation. After two hours they take us back to Frankfurt.
Ciao, see you next time! Is that part of the exercise? That is part of it, finally the last good grade again. For the passenger, that's what gets stuck. We had a nice flight with our guests. That is why we are happy to say goodbye to our guests accordingly. Thorsten Beck and his 21 colleagues have a two-hour break.
You go to the visitor terrace. The pilots aren't the only ones training today. Eurofighter over the Eurowings Discover. The air force also trains in Rostock. * dynamic music * After this fighter jet you can get going, the tower sparks.
A spectacular spectacle over coffee and cake. When can the crew watch their aircraft take off and land? * Dynamic music * The circuit around Rostock-Laage takes six minutes, then it's down again. They call this maneuver "Touch and Go", says pilot Thorsten Beck. The flight is completely stabilized at a height of 150 meters. The landing gear is down, the flaps are out.
One prepares that the landing will not take place normally and that the plane rolls out at the rear, but that one takes off. They come up, retract the landing flaps. You don't give the reverse thrust, on the contrary, you accelerate. It is not braked. When you have reached take-off speed again, 280 kilometers per hour, the plane takes off again.
And you go into the air for the next traffic area. Now the landing gear is retracted. Now the gas is taken out again.
In total, that's over 50,000 hp. There are no more than 250 passengers that are normally there. That means the plane has a lot of power. And you'll be back in six minutes. Unions criticize the new airline.
There is talk of dumping wages. People are fundamentally insecure due to the Corona crisis. Several flight operations were closed. Now, of course, one is unsure how the whole thing will develop. At Lufthansa there are definitely other salaries.
These are still old conditions. All other new airlines are all on the same level. In this respect, we have competitive salaries and conditions. That's why I can't understand the criticism. We started with 70 percent working time in order to get through the crisis as well as possible. We didn't know how the corona crisis was developing.
We tried to be as flexible as possible. When we saw the market open again, we increased working conditions to 100 percent. All employees at Discover have a 100 percent employment contract except for the colleagues who have chosen to work part-time. They are still hiring. There is no shortage of applicants at the airline. An Airbus M400 of the Air Force, on board soldiers.
You are returning from an exercise. A stroke of luck for plane spotters. They don't see two big planes and a fighter jet every day. The coffee break is over. Flight back to Frankfurt.
The fleet currently consists of three A330s. By the summer of 2022 they want to fly with 21 planes, long and medium-haul flights. Check two on the right. - Perfect, very good. We start. Thorsten Beck also flies back. How will be the weather? Worse than here, wobbly, but not as beautiful as here.
It's almost imperial weather, just with clouds. Thank you for the hospitality. And have a nice evening. - Gladly, nice that you were there.
Flight time to Frankfurt: 65 minutes. Take off. Back to the jumbo with the plane spotters. Cezary is enthusiastic about the aircraft technician. He shows him photos of airplanes that he has taken at work around the world. Could we use first names? Sure, under plan spotters a matter of honor.
Every detail is recorded. It's just a shame: the batteries are empty. There were probably too many shots on malls. 20 minutes later. Frankfurt is getting closer. The passengers can experience the approach live. (In English) 100, 50, 40, 30, 20, 10. Special flight LH 1153 is back home.
The pilots are now off. The Yankee Tango, as the Jumbo is called, flies on to Sao Paulo in six hours. Thank you very much. Goodbye - Thank you, bye. We ask all guests to get off by row 33.
Cezary's premiere is also over. But with plane spotters, the following applies: after the jumbo is before the jumbo. The next flight will definitely be a 747, but then long haul because that was my first 747 flight. Where is the long haul going? I have to think about it. I would like to do Singapore. Or Tokyo, depending on. The first flight with the Yankee Tango, it couldn't be better.
Have fun! - Thank you, ciao. From position A69 back to the training flight. The Airbus A330 is also approaching Frankfurt. Relaxation on board the new airline. The tests were successful, the bosses are satisfied. Time for a debriefing, a debriefing in the event of slight turbulence.
We're just lucky to have this training flight. We made the most of the time. Dear ones, we flew together for the first time.
* Applause * The skyline can hardly be seen. Thunderstorms over Frankfurt. A bit of wind, but no problem for the big aviator, says Thorsten Beck and lands on the southern runway.
* calm music * Fifty, fourty, thirty, twenty, retard. * fast music * He smiles. Rightly. Thorsten Beck put on the Airbus this time as soft as butter. The last training flight is now over for him. * fast music * technicians want to check out the machine tonight.
So they roll the plane to a cargo position. * fast music * * atmospheric music * What's next for you? We're going to quit now, go to the office first, go over the day and discuss all other things that happened while we weren't there. And after that, when will you fly again? I don't even know that exactly, I can't say that yet. So more office then. - Exactly. Yes thank you. - Thank you.
Training manager Werner Lutz is also satisfied. * atmospheric music * A bus drives the crew back to the terminal. Bye! From position F212 to gate A69. 3 days later. Today they make history.
The maiden flight of the new airline. Once in Kenya, Zanzibar and back, a total of 13,000 kilometers. The first flight crew is enjoying the media hype. With Planespotter, also Cezary and his buddy. I am definitely happy to be on the apron. Otherwise I would probably be standing outside somewhere on Affenfelsen at 18 West.
Now I'm allowed to stand in the middle of it all and photograph the plane up close. * happy music * take photos without a fence a dream. Otherwise, only airport employees are allowed to get this close.
* happy music * boarding is about to begin. Welcome on board. Unbelievable! Come on, all of you put away your luggage and then we will start our checks straight away . The first flight with passengers is a matter for the boss. Wolfgang Räbiger is the airline's chief executive officer and flight captain. * quiet music * That is a very special feeling, a very special moment that we have been looking forward to for 1.5 years , have worked hard with the whole team.
When you are here and let that become a reality, then that is something very special. A unique moment that will be remembered for a long time, probably forever. * happy music * As probably also Cezary.
The plane is almost full. 222 passengers. Airport operator Fraport has provided a bus for the spotters . They want to accompany the plane, every meter.
* Atmospheric music * We are now waiting for the Eurowings plane to be pushed, then it will roll past here. Then we quickly get back on the bus and drive over to 18 West to take a picture of it at take-off. Photographing planes is a life's work for planespotter women and men. * atmospheric music * * engine noise * Quick in, everything in! So, stay on the strip. The plane is about to take off. That could be close.
* happy music * the fire brigade donated a water bow. Cezary missed it. Disc! There is no time to stop for a photo.
Otherwise you will not get a picture of the start. Full throttle to 18-West. And out with you. * quiet music * We wait for the plane to hopefully take off from where we are right now.
Here he comes. - I'm going on the gas. * happy music * * engine noise * * click * Cezary's day today: 250 pictures. And lots of fun. * happy music * copyright subtitle: hr 2021
2021-08-02 16:15
