Only 13°C at Check-in: When Construction Leaves Workers Freezing

Only 13°C at Check-in: When Construction Leaves Workers Freezing

Leading question

How can temperatures at workstations in an international airport in full operation drop so low that employees must work in coats and scarves — and who is responsible in such a situation?

Critical analysis

Employees from different airlines at several check-in rows have been reporting persistent cold for weeks: according to accounts, thermometers in the work area show only about 13–14°C. That is well below commonly cited minimum temperatures for customer-facing workplaces (around 17°C). At the same time, extensive construction work is underway in the terminal — scaffolding, open walls, supply-air ducts, temporary partitions, as reported in Palma Airport: The construction site that never stands still — and how we cope with it. Such interventions can disrupt heating and air distribution systems. If official measuring devices are not visibly reporting, distrust increases.

Important: these are employee reports, not an official series of measurements presented here. Nevertheless, the described consequences are plausible: restricted movement due to winter clothing, slowed service processes, increased accident risk on wet floors or when handling luggage. When you deal daily with passengers carrying suitcases, trolleys and coffee cups, cold fingers and shaky hands are not a comfort issue but a safety factor.

What is missing from the public debate

The debate usually focuses on passengers, flight schedules and noise complaints related to construction. The concrete situation of the people who keep operations running — ground staff, check-in teams, baggage handlers, cleaning staff — is rarely viewed separately. Also little considered are how construction phases (excavation, demolition, reassembly) specifically affect heating and control systems. And: public transparency about measurements in affected areas is almost completely lacking. Without openly accessible temperature logs the situation remains a point of contention between management and employees.

Everyday scene from Palma

Imagine it like this: it is early morning, automatic sliding doors open and a cold gust swirls across the bright floor of the departure hall. On one side trolley wheels squeak, travelers pull on sweaters, and construction machines roar in the background. At a long check-in counter colleagues stand in thick jackets, a female employee nervously tugs at her scarf, a thermometer sits in a jacket pocket. The smell of fresh coffee from the airport bar mixes with the scent of cement slurry from an opened wall; earlier coverage even described how water streamed through the ceiling into the baggage handling area. The speakers announce gate changes, but nobody seems to be calling for the heating — it appears to have been lost in the renovation.

Concrete measures

Short term (within days): place mobile electrically powered warm-air heaters in work areas; temporarily seal draught sources in front of check-in rows; install clear, visible temperature measurements and record them regularly; adjust shift schedules so that especially exposed employees have shorter but more frequent breaks in heated rest rooms.

Medium to long term: plan construction phases so that critical supply systems (heating, ventilation) are not switched off or worked through simultaneously; provide a mandatory information sheet for employees with contact details and escalation steps for safety deficiencies; involve the labour inspectorate (Inspección de Trabajo) and the responsible health and safety officers for airport construction sites to create binding measurement and reporting obligations.

For management this means concretely: disclose measurement data, provide a clear completion schedule for affected sections, and maintain an emergency budget for temporary heating infrastructure. For employees the works council and trade unions are key levers: joint measurements, official reports and, if necessary, complaints to the competent authorities are legitimate means to improve working conditions.

Why this is not just a comfort issue

Cold at the workplace reduces concentration, slows down manual tasks and can create immediate accident hazards in the presence of moisture or icy surfaces. Airports have large numbers of people moving through them; mistakes or delays affect people, luggage and the entire operational flow, and extreme weather can make this worse, as when a severe thunderstorm slowed Palma Airport. Frustration in the team also grows — anyone who passes a check-in in the morning can feel it: fewer smiles, more targeted complaints, more frequent sick leave.

Pointed conclusion

It is unacceptable for people in a modern transport hub to systematically work at temperatures that are too low — whether due to renovation, cost savings or communication failures. Those responsible must act visibly now: in the short term with heating solutions and measurement logs, and in the medium term with construction planning that does not pit worker and passenger safety against each other. Whoever alters the airport structurally must not forget the people who ensure every day that flights take off and land. Otherwise not only the air will freeze — but trust as well.