Hamburg Airport is converting 22 of its 90 check-in counters into hybrid units that can be used either by airline staff or by passengers handling the process themselves. The project covers 14 counters in Terminal 1 and eight in Terminal 2, and the airport plans to invest about 1.7 million euros in the upgrade.
The new setup gives airlines more flexibility than a conventional staffed desk, as they can decide whether to operate the counters in the usual way or let travellers complete the process independently. Hamburg Airport already has 30 fixed self-bag-drop machines in service, split between 20 in Terminal 1 and 10 in Terminal 2.
Those self-bag-drop units handled about 1.38 million bags last year, and during the morning departure peak they now process as many as 70% of all checked bags. The figures underline the airport’s growing reliance on automated baggage handling, which can ease staffing pressure and speed up the flow through the departure area.