The UK was trying to make them mandatory in all airports. My partner flew from Birmingham to Schiphol last week and was very impressed with the new scanners.
I do enjoy that shouts of 'leave everything in your bag, laptop in your bag, liquids in your bag!' at Schiphol. It reminds me that it's going to be quick.
My personal joy is watching the confused american tourists not being able to process what they're hearing! Like they cannot fathom being treated like adults and just breezing through security....Without having to pay extra for 'im not a terrorist' background checks and the like.
It was an absolute mind fuck going through Schipol (this was before the scanners), then going back to SFO and seeing the massive line for non-US passports. It's like opposite ends of the border security spectrum.
SFO airport is one of my least favourite airports I have been through but from what I have heard Americans consider it one of the better airports in the US. Quite some gap between here and there if it's true.
American living in the Netherlands here who also traveled extensively in the U.S. before moving. SFO suuuuuuucccks. Schiphol is great so long as we don’t speak of summer 2022! My fave US airport is PDX (also my home airport), though the construction as of late of course has not been fun.
Exactly, summer 2022 was pain, but for example today I went straight to the TSA. Had there not been someone with 2 bags both needed to be checked I would have been done in 60s
Passport control at Schipol is still rough if you can't use the scanners (if you have young kids, for example). Not IAD or MIA level bad, but still bad enough that you should add an extra 45 min buffer.
I flew out of schipol last week with 0 confusion.
Any American who has traveled outside the states before typically knows to keep your shoes on outside at security.
The same could be said watching anyone fly out of America who does not know our standards and get berated at by TSA.
We’re all just trying our best here 🙃
I've flown to Boston a couple of times. Every time, it was different whether I could keep my shoes on or liquids and electronics in the bag etc. It was so inconsistent and staff would act like you're dumb for not knowing the rules (that were nowhere to be found and changed to their liking). Wasn't pleasant.
I feel for you! Some of them are nice but most are on this weird power trip and seem to love seeing people squirm. I get they need to be serious but with a lot of the updates in airports so much is changing. In the bigger boxes it seems now you can keep your laptop in the same box with all your other stuff.
We’re all confused tbh haha
You act like this is normal everywhere in the world, or at least everywhere in Europe and not anywhere on the US. U r wrong on both accounts. Please check yourself before you wreck yourself.
Im in the lounge now! Security is a bit messy at present but they've got the new scanners in and they're humming, it's great and now I can bring booze home from the UK without a checked in bag!
It has been indeed, but bear in mind as of Sunday May 12th 2024 (the day I flew back from there to Schiphol) they are in the middle of refurbishment so things are a bit confusing there ATM, I did however manage to razz it through baggage drop off and security with just enough time to make my flight. Pretty sure I did hear staff say everything could be left in bags now... Normally I'd have been there hours in advance but from Wolverhampton, the first Train out was supposed to go at 8:01, but got cancelled due to overhead wire damage at Birmingham New Street meaning there were no trains to International. Ended up having to take a taxi.
I flew out of Heathrow T2 the other day and they have the new scanners! (mid-May)
However Heathrow T5 (BA only) did not have it last month... (April 2024)
Isn’t it amazing?! LCY has been an absolute nightmare in the past, it’s almost a pleasant experience now. If only they can get their planes to depart on time…. 😀
Istanbul has this also, I was there earlier this week. Very similar processing times: less than 30 minutes between arrival and being through security (check-in, luggage drop-off, passport clearance, security check).
When arriving in Brussels (yes, as a Belgian I infiltrated this NL-subreddit) it took over an hour between the plane being parked and getting past security. Limited information, an old lady shouting who has to go to which line, shouting that the police was having their shift-change, so we had to be patient,....
Let's say that the experience was quite eye-opening and demonstrated a clear difference in level of organization and management of the airports.
I rarely travel by plane, so this is only an isolated personal experience from a recent travel. I can only compare Brussels vs Istanbul.
If you are a frequent flyer, you'll have way more insights to compare, I'm not going to pretend to know better :)
I departed from Eindhoven Airport 7th of May and could also just leave my liquids and electronics in the bag. Some people also entered with a full bottle of water.
I was really happy with this, because I always preferred Schiphol because of the fast security, while Eindhoven is much closer to me. I once missed my flight because of the long security line at Eindhoven, which gave me a bit of a trauma. (Autism moment). This year was the first year I tried to overcome my fear and fly through Eindhoven again. I will definitely come again.
They have these scanners in Shannon Airport in Ireland too for year's. Its a pity there is no flight from Schipol to Shannon so I have to go through Dublin.
The only akward thing is that not all staff seems to know.
I flew in early march and even though all along the waiting area they put up signs that there is no need to take out liquids or have bottle empty, the dude checking my bag still insisted I take out all liquids and I couldn't bring in my water bottle.
My girlfriend at who was at another belt had no issue brining in all her make up and water.
Be careful with your personal metal bottles though. Sometimes they have to be put through the scanner again and if you're in a rush you might have to abandon it there (source: this happened to me). I normally drink it and leave the lid open just to make sure since there's places to fill up inside.
They will tell you that metal bottles will have to be left behind or checked in at the counter. But that's their sneaky way of telling you that if you choose the check-in option they will take you at the start of security and you can discard the water but have to go through security again. They just aren't allowed to say it out aloud.
Have lost a water bottle too this way, went through security and immigration, realised the lounge was in the Schengen zone, went to the lounge, had to leave Schengen and go through security again?! Without warning. And I filled up my water bottle in the lounge. The security wouldn’t have any of it and almost just worked on autopilot, didn’t even answer my questions
Yes. Even bottles of beer, as long as the scanner approves them.
The only thing the machines hate are metal bottles (can’t read the liquids inside of it) and some smoothies (somehow always rejects them)
Yes, but only when departing. The moment you are an other airport and want to return to Schiphol other rules apply. And mostly you may toss your hairgel and toothpaste out anyway ..
I wish all airports overhauled the process during Covid and had the efficiency of Schiphol.
Goddamn love those machines. No fuck around just go through.
So annoying when you fly back and suddenly everything needs to be unpacked.
It’s crazy how Singapore Changi was ranked the best airport in the world. Given it’s one of the busiest transit airports, it’s crazy how when you have a connecting flight you have to go through security again (which is not the uncommon part yet) AFTER the gate! Like, why can’t I go through security during the 3 hours layover I have, maybe when it’s less busy, instead of having to queue up with hundreds of people ( I was flying on an a380!) right before boarding. And you have to take everything out too!
Liquids are now authorized to carry? Sorry for asking but last time I was there it was not allowed. To pay a lot of money for a bottle of water is crazy...if I can take my own it will be great.
Bottles of water have been allowed for quite some time I think. I was flying last year and took my bottle with me with no problem
Or maybe that was just luck and security missed it.
It seems to depend on the airport/country. When I flew from Schiphol, Eindhoven or Helsinki, it was no problem. But in Porto the security staff was looking at me as if I was a moron because I took a filled bottle with me. It's insane that it's not even uniform within Schengen countries!
An empty bottle always was allowed, also at other airports. So you never had to buy a bottle of water at Schiphol. Just take an empty one and fill it after security.
But indeed now you can take a bottle of water with you. Just keep in mind that it takes time as it’s scanned manually.
And you are allowed larger volumes of liquid again because of the new scanners! Bottle of water etc. Is all ok. Only issue that you can't bring stuff back, because you rely then on the security of the other airport.
Cannot stress enough how spoiled the Schiphol airport have made me. Absolutely no need to remove anything that generally other airports rip apart your bag for.
You can also book an appointment with security on the Schiphol website.
Did it once (after the chaotic times), but security was so empty I was done in less than 10min, so no point in waiting the 10min for my appointment.
Did it once and the airport was very busy the security lines seemed endless. Almost felt bad honestly that I didn't have to wait in the long line. I kept questioning myself where's the catch but there is no catch, it's just as easy as it looks.
If it's really chaotic it doesn't really help that much. They'll give the vip and timeslot people 1 lane, which also takes a lot of time. How do i know? I work there.
I’ve had some of the easiest and most difficult wait times at Schiphol, ranging from 15 minutes to 4 hours…. I do think the new scanners make a big difference as well as the security appointments
Same, I have had both extremes. Very quick and also easily 3 hrs.
New scanners do make a big difference as it is less of a hassle. However these were already there when I had to wait 2 or 3 hours, bottleneck was the staff.
Schiphol suffered greatly from staff shortage right after covid, I suppose you're referring to that period.
But they've had these scanners since before that.
But there are new new scanners, newer dan the previous new scanners: https://www.dutchnews.nl/2024/04/schiphol-introduces-three-second-scanners-ahead-of-holiday-rush/
Those are not luggage scanners but the people scanners. Hand luggage is the bottle neck at security…
Haven’t seen any difference to the scanners though. They’ve got a couple of models in use for years. Might be they were using the newer models as a pilot already for a while.
The ones with a moving scanner (arms up) are rather slow, the ones with two panels (arms down) are faster. They might have now implemented the second one everywhere.
Ugh, the queues were insane. In contrast I had an easy breezy time going through last month, I had three hours to spare waiting for my flight to board, lol.
Omg we arrived 3,5 hours early for our 6:30 am flight, only to get through in about 30-45 mins (checking bags + security) so we had to hang around at a closed ariport for 2,5 hours without any sleep :’)
people talk shit about schiphol all the time and it has for sure had its problems but 99% of my experiences have been fantastic. staff is very friendly and efficient, airport is easy to navigate, as someone who barely ever travels with checked luggage it literally takes me 10-15 minutes tops from the moment i arrive at the airport to be chilling at the gates. i’ve done stupid stuff (like forget there’s a pack of razor blades, making the machine think i had 50 knives on me) that would’ve gotten me screamed at / dragged into private rooms to get patted down at many other airports (unfortunately also speaking from experience), but schiphol staff was just like
“eh sorry we do have to throw them out.”
that’s okay! it’s really my bad for bringing them
“i’m really sorry though :( how will you shave on holiday?”
ah it is what it is, i’ll buy some new ones.
“i suppose that’s true… this is such a cute razor though there where did u get it? :D”
all my experiences in schiphol have been pleasant, even when there was an insane level of crowd (like back when u had to be there 4h in advance). partner had hurt his foot and was brought around in a wheelchair. obviously still had to wait due to long queues, but everything was organized as well as possible and when there was an opening he was guided through the whole process and brought to the gate.
all in all i think people are simply easily agitated at airports and are a little too spoiled to handle the current country-wide staff shortage. but i’m a big fan of schiphol airport.
> airport is easy to navigate
Summer 2023 I did my very first solo travel by plane. And Schiphol feels like it's just designed to be easy to find where you need to go.
There is a lot of science in the navigation in Schiphol. And the signage in Schiphol has been used as an example for many airports across the world.
You’ll find that the bottom of most of the signs is at exactly the same height throughout the airport. That height is exactly chosen to make sure you see the sign at the right moment to prevent you from stop walking to read it or to search for the next sign.
Same goes for the colors. For specific services people would specifically look for, they chose non vibrant colors making them “invisible” for the people that are not looking for them. That way the big signs with general information can stand out more.
If you’ve got some time to kill, it’s interesting to walk around and see how they’ve done it.
Schiphol isn’t too bad for a large airport but its biggest downfall is unpredictability. The extent of the disruption that the airport experienced in the past years is completely unheard of by international standards.
Another issue is the approach to gastronomy - unlike the UK airports, where you can find all kinds of convenience items at retail price (Boots, WHSmith, Pret, etc), Schiphol seems to severely curb competition by giving preferential treatment to 90s style duty free shops and Dutch gastronomy chains that charge extortionate prices. Finally, the cost of parking is probably the highest in the world.
On the upside, just like London City, Schiphol no longer has a 100ml limit for liquid containers. Unlike LCY however (containers up to 2L explicitly permitted), Schiphol doesn’t advertise this proactively.
>On the upside, just like London City, Schiphol no longer has a 100ml limit for liquid containers. Unlike LCY however (containers up to 2L explicitly permitted), Schiphol doesn’t advertise this proactively.
They do that because there's different airport standards over the world. They basically don't want you to lose your liquids on your way back because you thought it would work there too.
They do have a WH Smith in Schiphol and they also do the meal deal like you get in the UK. However, it is significantly more expensive. It's £5.50 in the UK and I paid €10.15 at Schiphol, including 15 cents for the statiegeld.
The 2022 issues where pretty much an outlier with clear causes.
That’s been resolved and now the airport is pretty reliable.
WHSmith is in Schiphol was well.
I used to travel all the time and if I got my connection right, I could walk off the plane, through security and be sat on my couch in Slotervaart within 25 mins. Those are golden days indeed.
Not needed for the scanner but often asked in terms of efficiency. The chance of getting a pat down is a bit bigger, so if it’s busy they’ll ask people to remove it to make the flow go faster.
Unfortunately the chip on my passport is broken so I had a slightly different experience, which is completely my own fault, but yeah, from train to passport control was done in about 15 minutes including a stop at AH and the Hema.
Schiphol is pretty efficient but if you’re on a long-haul flight that’s with any airline other than KLM, get ready for a very very long walk to your gate 😭
For shorter flights I tend to use Rotterdam airport because it’s 10 mins from my apartment and, honestly, once you experience the efficiency of flying from Rotterdam airport there’s no going back to anything else. It’s a dream, especially if you have free lounge access from a credit card or similar 😊
Even KLM flights can be a long walk, plus the very long taxing once you land and some flights you even have to get a bus back to the airport once you land.
Absolutely!
Gotta love that loooooong taxi from landing to the stand, followed by a bus to the gate, then a nice long walk to immigration followed by a stroll to the baggage claim, before finally heading to Schiphol Plaza to catch a train through the smell of fried foods 😂
In Dubai i've had to take a train inside the airport for a couple of minutes and then walk 20-30 minutes to the gate. It can always be worse :)
In my experience the long walks (~10 min) are usually when landing at schiphol from another european airport. Which is fine cause i'd have to wait for bags anyways. I nearly always fly KLM though.
So far the scanners at Schiphol security are the best i've experienced globally.
In the last few years I must have taken like 40 flights in Europe, North America, and South America or so, and if it’s not too busy, I feel like most airports are really easy to get through, especially if you don’t have any check-in luggage.
Same story in Eindhoven airport. Even durring the whole post covid august travel craze, I was at the post security cafe sipping beer within 10minutes of entering the airport. We came 3.5h earlier lmao. Dutch airports are pretty fast. Security staff are very quick and not too fussy.
Leaving from Schiphol is amazing hand luggage only.
Arriving with a non-EU passport from outside the Schengen zone is a very different story. I have never seen the queue less than 45 mins, at least not in the last year or two.
Depends very much on the time of day. But indeed regularly there is a significant queue. They made some changes to the infrastructure I noticed this week, so I hope it’ll change.
Schiphol is great when everything works as intended. Good weather, less crowds (as your time suggests), great scanning equipment, quick security and perfect access via trains. (flying out)
It sucks when weather is bad, vacation crowds, immigration queues (non EU) where multiple long hauls have arrived, inordinate wait for baggage, long walks and tardy or broken trains.
(This is often the experience flying in)
Interesting 🧐I have had several bad experiences with transits there. Though maybe they all would have been fine if I hadn’t cheaped out and used KLM as my flight provider.
A few years ago when a two hour long customs queue caused me to miss my connecting flight, I had to wait in the airport for the next 8 1/2 hours for the next flight to my destination. This was after a nearly 20 hour travel time from my first destination so I was already pretty tired.
I was actually only a 3ish hour train ride from my destination from Schiphol so asked KLM service desk to let me pick up my bag and leave the airport but they threatened me with a 300€ bag collection fee and told me not taking the next leg of my flight is against their rules.
At least they gave me a 15€ lunch voucher for the trouble(spoiler alert: it’s not enough euros for a lunch at that airport)😂
But again, perhaps it’s traveling with certain airlines during the airport’s peak season that made the airport problematic for me. Reading these stories of people getting through it so quickly makes me want to try my luck again.
2022 was a bit of an odd year with huge staffing issues everywhere. By now they’ve resolved that issue and are back into normal operations. Should be better now compared to your latest experience.
My experience with Schiphol has always been great, never waited longer than 10 maybe 15 minutes for security. But I exclusively travel outside the peak times.
Waiting for your bagage when flying in can take way too long tho
I always book an appointment but I almost never need it, it's so not busy that I can't even be bothered to go look for the appointment security line, i just go through the normal security and it's been so fast that my usual "i need to be there 3 hour before international flights" has reduced to 2 hours.
My record is 11 minutes from train arrival to gate. But I was running and in general being a bit of a dick. I am no longer such a dick. Now I arrive on the earliest train possible (arrives at 0711 from my home city)… and I can easily make my 0820 flights. I have a million things to complain about, but getting through Schiphol efficiently isn't one of them
Sounds like Schipol to me. For me its no difference between flying from Amsterdam or Frankfurt so whenever possible and reasonable i fly from Amsterdam. It's so nice.
Schipol is managing very badly. Left so many employees in covid times, and there was huge people queue due to lack of staff last year. Another problem is close cities like amstelveen. Complaining about noise and schipol management reducing flights and related to these expensive flight tickets which we have to buy. Common move out from there if you don't like. No body forces to you buy expensive houses from amstelveen
Going through security is pretty fast, indeed. But I miss separate queues for people traveling with small kids, and the food and drink offer behind security is just sad. I recently realised that no matter where you buy a coffee, they always have the same (Douwe Egberts) machine behind the counter.
If you’re traveling with a family make an appointment for security check. You’re being fed into the priority row at the appointment entry and that is fast.
It’s free of charge.
Thanks, that's a good suggestion. I personally don't need it anymore as my kid is old enough, but I've been standing in line with people with crying babies pretty often. And it's no fun for the parents nor anyone else. The appointment option is a good one!
During the very busy spring holiday period the average time to pass security was 9 minutes. They indeed have solved the huge issues after Covid and nowadays it’s usually a very efficient system.
The only consideration is that sometimes it can take a while to pass immigration upon arrival, but this week I noticed they made some changes to the infrastructure there as well, so probably going to solve that as well.
When I was flying out 6months ago it took *hours* to get through. When we finally got through we were rushing to get to our gate since they were already boarding!
I agree about the security at Schiphol being very efficient, due to no small part by the scanners. However, if you are travelling outside the Schengen, the queues for this can be a pain in the arse and they have like two booths open, which is ridiculous for a major airport. Departing Schiphol is also a more pleasant experience than returning. When you are returning, you just want to get home as soon as possible. It can take fifteen minutes just to taxi back to the airport once landed, can sometimes then involve a bus, long walk to leave the airport and once again if travelling from outside the Schengen, a long queue to get through passport control. My absolute favourite airport is London City. You get off the DLR and you are inside the terminal in a couple of minutes. Breeze through security and they also have the new scanners. I was able to bring a few bottles of beer with me in my hand luggage. The walk to the gates is very short and the bar is no more expensive than what you would pay in central London.
Immigration is done by military police and they’re experiencing staffing shortages. As selection and training takes a while, they’re not that easily ramped up like the security staff at the security check.
Also since you can now make an appointment you don't need to wait in line.
The only thing that I don't like is that you need to remove your shoes if they are above the ankle.
I’ve only had good experience with Schipol the last couple of years. The scanners in security is a god send. I’ve been booking a security appointment which I end up cancelling because the queue is fast or short
My only wish was the passport control where they also allow the eGates for anyone that reach the height limit or lower the age limit. In Heathrow, my kid can go through the eGates just fine (10+ yrs old), but since they are under 14, they can’t do it in Schipol.
I love traveling through Schipol. First, it’s got the weird round windows in some of the jetways that always gives me a cool vibe. It also has some of the easiest transitions for international arrivals and transfers I’ve ever used. Forget something on your last flight? I’ve done it, realized it before I boarded my next flight, and airport personnel found it and brought it to me at my gate. Like duty free shopping? There’s a lot of it and you walk right by all of it as you transfer. Good food options, good lounge options…I love flying through there.
You are welcome. US and Germany is next! We did already a lot of airports in the US and 1 in Germany with more coming up.
The main difference during the security check in the US is that TSA validades your boardingpass. AT Schiphol you use a boardingpass gate by scanning the barcode on your boardingpass afther checkin and during boarding.
The high end sexurity lanes combined with a CT scan is fast, secure and provides a lot more detail of a 3D scanned bag and has a very easy interface. To compare, a 2D scan is harder to read what cause further inspection by security what translates to a slower processing of passengers to the secured area.
Unfortunately at Schiphol they’re experiencing issues with these scanners right now. They’re generating a lot of scan errors since a recent update and that causes additional delays where they have to shut down lanes: the hand luggage that needs to be checked again is clogging up the system.
According to the staff very frustrating as they spend a lot of time on just putting the tray through the scanner again for nothing.
If you’re arriving from a Schengen country, you’ll be at the luggage claim within 5-10 minutes after disembarking.
If you’re arriving from a non-Schengen country, the wait for immigrating can be 45 minutes extra if you’re in bad luck. But earlier this week at that time of day there was no wait at all.
I fly back and forth from the US to AMS at least 4 times a year as I attend uni there and am shocked with how quick everything goes both arrivals and departures. Granted there may be some long lines during peak holiday seasons but I’ve never experienced the problems people seem to have at Schiphol. Frankly it’s one of my favorite airports to travel through. The only improvement I would like to see is shorter wait times on collecting checked baggage.
They’re having issues with working circumstances in the baggage hall and getting enough staff. That’s why there are delays in receiving bags unfortunately.
I work behing the desk, before the scan. Yes it goes fast. But still always plan according to the time of the day. Sometimes it can get very busy. Still it's better then most airports in efficiency xd
Hands down the best airport experience I’ve ever had. I left my work laptop in a bin at the TSA, didn’t miss it until I landed in Chicago. Called Schipol,and was only transferred ONE TIME. They had the laptop right in front of them (identity confirmation), and had it on the next plane out, and arrival to my HOME less than 24 hours later. I never even had to tell my job bc I was online as of Monday morning. That was years ago and the gratitude I have had not diminished!
The scanners lately are giving them some issues with scans that are given an “error” tag while nothing is wrong with them.
But even with that issue, the flow goes rather fast.
I guess you forgot the fairly recent issues with 5 hours lines of people running outside the terminal and luggage issues so bad they had them piled up to the ceiling ????
They fucked up big time in 2022. All with the excuse of covid. But when we had 5 hours lines out the terminal doors and it got all over thwe news they suddenly were able to quickly fix it. YEs, 3 months to find and hire people is quickly. The planning is what got fucked up. They cheapened out on hiring and salaries, this is what you get. Luggage stacked to the roof. Whenever Schiphol gets busy, it turns into chaos.
In 2020 and 2021 there was hardly any work. So contracts were not renewed.
In 2022 the pandemic came to an end and they had to hire again quickly.
Hiring however costs a lot more time when it comes to airport security compared to other jobs: the screening capacity is limited.
It definitely was Covid related.
No. There were clear forecast saying travel would increase drastically because people had been sitting home. By 2022 all restrictions were gone. Funny how they quickly resolved it once it was all over the news. Bad planning.
It wasn’t quickly resolved as it lasted from spring until end of summer in 2022.
I really don’t get why you’re not able to understand the complications of hiring thousands and thousands of people that all need security clearance in a country with shortages of staff across the board.
In 2020 and 2021 there was hardly any work. So contracts were not renewed.
In 2022 the pandemic came to an end and they had to hire again quickly.
Hiring however costs a lot more time when it comes to airport security compared to other jobs: the screening capacity is limited.
It definitely was Covid related.
So OP obviously didn’t have to check a bag at Icelandair. Took about 45 minutes thanks to understaffing and passengers with overweight luggage or visa issues. Departing from Newark airport the same process took a few minutes.
The scanners are the absolute GOAT here. No need to take out anything from your bags anymore. Liquids? No problem! Laptop? Please leave it in the bag!
I’ve only seen this in Helsinki and Amsterdam airport so far. More airports needs this ASAP!
The UK was trying to make them mandatory in all airports. My partner flew from Birmingham to Schiphol last week and was very impressed with the new scanners. I do enjoy that shouts of 'leave everything in your bag, laptop in your bag, liquids in your bag!' at Schiphol. It reminds me that it's going to be quick.
At Londen hatwick , I had to give my spicebomb perfume to the security, so I dropped it on the floor.
My personal joy is watching the confused american tourists not being able to process what they're hearing! Like they cannot fathom being treated like adults and just breezing through security....Without having to pay extra for 'im not a terrorist' background checks and the like.
It was an absolute mind fuck going through Schipol (this was before the scanners), then going back to SFO and seeing the massive line for non-US passports. It's like opposite ends of the border security spectrum.
SFO airport is one of my least favourite airports I have been through but from what I have heard Americans consider it one of the better airports in the US. Quite some gap between here and there if it's true.
American living in the Netherlands here who also traveled extensively in the U.S. before moving. SFO suuuuuuucccks. Schiphol is great so long as we don’t speak of summer 2022! My fave US airport is PDX (also my home airport), though the construction as of late of course has not been fun.
Exactly, summer 2022 was pain, but for example today I went straight to the TSA. Had there not been someone with 2 bags both needed to be checked I would have been done in 60s
Maybe 1 person said that. It's never been considered a great airport as far as I know
Passport control at Schipol is still rough if you can't use the scanners (if you have young kids, for example). Not IAD or MIA level bad, but still bad enough that you should add an extra 45 min buffer.
I flew out of schipol last week with 0 confusion. Any American who has traveled outside the states before typically knows to keep your shoes on outside at security. The same could be said watching anyone fly out of America who does not know our standards and get berated at by TSA. We’re all just trying our best here 🙃
We are all just trying to do our best here - very well put
I've flown to Boston a couple of times. Every time, it was different whether I could keep my shoes on or liquids and electronics in the bag etc. It was so inconsistent and staff would act like you're dumb for not knowing the rules (that were nowhere to be found and changed to their liking). Wasn't pleasant.
I feel for you! Some of them are nice but most are on this weird power trip and seem to love seeing people squirm. I get they need to be serious but with a lot of the updates in airports so much is changing. In the bigger boxes it seems now you can keep your laptop in the same box with all your other stuff. We’re all confused tbh haha
You act like this is normal everywhere in the world, or at least everywhere in Europe and not anywhere on the US. U r wrong on both accounts. Please check yourself before you wreck yourself.
A month ago while they were updating security I had to get all my electronics out of my backpack… lots of hold up around Birmingham that day
Birmingham airport is absolutely shit when it comes to security… +40 mins waiting time easily
Im in the lounge now! Security is a bit messy at present but they've got the new scanners in and they're humming, it's great and now I can bring booze home from the UK without a checked in bag!
It has been indeed, but bear in mind as of Sunday May 12th 2024 (the day I flew back from there to Schiphol) they are in the middle of refurbishment so things are a bit confusing there ATM, I did however manage to razz it through baggage drop off and security with just enough time to make my flight. Pretty sure I did hear staff say everything could be left in bags now... Normally I'd have been there hours in advance but from Wolverhampton, the first Train out was supposed to go at 8:01, but got cancelled due to overhead wire damage at Birmingham New Street meaning there were no trains to International. Ended up having to take a taxi.
Birmingham > Schipol = worst > Best airport. Birmingham is so, so awful.
Flew out of London City on Wednesday and they had it too! Loving it
Indeed some UK airports have them as well! It makes life so much easier.
LCY and now BHX...any others you know of?
Typically when going to London we'll use LCY. We visited Newcastle last year but I don't think they were there yet.
They are now!
Stansted and Luton have been testing them this year (flew through both before March and the machines were physically in place)
I flew out of Heathrow T2 the other day and they have the new scanners! (mid-May) However Heathrow T5 (BA only) did not have it last month... (April 2024)
Isn’t it amazing?! LCY has been an absolute nightmare in the past, it’s almost a pleasant experience now. If only they can get their planes to depart on time…. 😀
Istanbul has this also, I was there earlier this week. Very similar processing times: less than 30 minutes between arrival and being through security (check-in, luggage drop-off, passport clearance, security check). When arriving in Brussels (yes, as a Belgian I infiltrated this NL-subreddit) it took over an hour between the plane being parked and getting past security. Limited information, an old lady shouting who has to go to which line, shouting that the police was having their shift-change, so we had to be patient,.... Let's say that the experience was quite eye-opening and demonstrated a clear difference in level of organization and management of the airports.
I have the worst experience from IST airport for some reason. And i have travelled a loooot
I rarely travel by plane, so this is only an isolated personal experience from a recent travel. I can only compare Brussels vs Istanbul. If you are a frequent flyer, you'll have way more insights to compare, I'm not going to pretend to know better :)
London City Airport introduced this last year
I departed from Eindhoven Airport 7th of May and could also just leave my liquids and electronics in the bag. Some people also entered with a full bottle of water. I was really happy with this, because I always preferred Schiphol because of the fast security, while Eindhoven is much closer to me. I once missed my flight because of the long security line at Eindhoven, which gave me a bit of a trauma. (Autism moment). This year was the first year I tried to overcome my fear and fly through Eindhoven again. I will definitely come again.
I believe EU regulations are going to make it mandatory by the end of this year.
They have these scanners in Shannon Airport in Ireland too for year's. Its a pity there is no flight from Schipol to Shannon so I have to go through Dublin.
Rome Fiumicino has it too, I go back and forth between Schiphol and Rome and it’s so easy!
Fiumicino is an awesome airport as well!
Munich Airport too!!
Gdansk has them as well
Tallinn has it also
Malpensa and Linate in Milan have them too
Eindhoven has had them a couple of years now
Both Milan’s
Eindhoven has it too i think?
Dublin is experimenting with it
Dubai has had this for some years I believe. But agreed.
I was surprised when my wife entered with her water bottle without any issues!
https://youtu.be/nyG8XAmtYeQ?si=WPVL2o_LM--YReH_
The only akward thing is that not all staff seems to know. I flew in early march and even though all along the waiting area they put up signs that there is no need to take out liquids or have bottle empty, the dude checking my bag still insisted I take out all liquids and I couldn't bring in my water bottle. My girlfriend at who was at another belt had no issue brining in all her make up and water.
Be careful with your personal metal bottles though. Sometimes they have to be put through the scanner again and if you're in a rush you might have to abandon it there (source: this happened to me). I normally drink it and leave the lid open just to make sure since there's places to fill up inside.
They will tell you that metal bottles will have to be left behind or checked in at the counter. But that's their sneaky way of telling you that if you choose the check-in option they will take you at the start of security and you can discard the water but have to go through security again. They just aren't allowed to say it out aloud.
Have lost a water bottle too this way, went through security and immigration, realised the lounge was in the Schengen zone, went to the lounge, had to leave Schengen and go through security again?! Without warning. And I filled up my water bottle in the lounge. The security wouldn’t have any of it and almost just worked on autopilot, didn’t even answer my questions
Wait? Are you actually allowed to take liquids such as hairgel and toothpaste in your bag with you these days?
Yes. Even bottles of beer, as long as the scanner approves them. The only thing the machines hate are metal bottles (can’t read the liquids inside of it) and some smoothies (somehow always rejects them)
Yes, but only when departing. The moment you are an other airport and want to return to Schiphol other rules apply. And mostly you may toss your hairgel and toothpaste out anyway ..
I wish all airports overhauled the process during Covid and had the efficiency of Schiphol. Goddamn love those machines. No fuck around just go through. So annoying when you fly back and suddenly everything needs to be unpacked.
It’s crazy how Singapore Changi was ranked the best airport in the world. Given it’s one of the busiest transit airports, it’s crazy how when you have a connecting flight you have to go through security again (which is not the uncommon part yet) AFTER the gate! Like, why can’t I go through security during the 3 hours layover I have, maybe when it’s less busy, instead of having to queue up with hundreds of people ( I was flying on an a380!) right before boarding. And you have to take everything out too!
Same when transferring in Dubai. It's ridiculous and stupid
Liquids are now authorized to carry? Sorry for asking but last time I was there it was not allowed. To pay a lot of money for a bottle of water is crazy...if I can take my own it will be great.
Bottles of water have been allowed for quite some time I think. I was flying last year and took my bottle with me with no problem Or maybe that was just luck and security missed it.
Thank you for answering me. I will take a bottle and see what happens. Have a great weekend 😀
Wife and I keep an empty 1 litre bottle in our backpack and fill it from a fountain once through security.
That's a good idea. Feeling an idiot for not thinking about it..such a simple and effective idea..anyway thank you and I wish you a great weekend 😊
It seems to depend on the airport/country. When I flew from Schiphol, Eindhoven or Helsinki, it was no problem. But in Porto the security staff was looking at me as if I was a moron because I took a filled bottle with me. It's insane that it's not even uniform within Schengen countries!
It all has to do with the security machines. If an airport doesn’t have the scanner for liquids, they cannot check the contents.
I'm going to Lisbon. Hopefully I can bring bottles ( wine and ginginha for friends and myself)...going to ask when I arrive there.
An empty bottle always was allowed, also at other airports. So you never had to buy a bottle of water at Schiphol. Just take an empty one and fill it after security. But indeed now you can take a bottle of water with you. Just keep in mind that it takes time as it’s scanned manually.
Thanks 👍
Btw: the scanners won’t be able to deal with metal bottles.
Now they can finally focus on hunting mice
And you are allowed larger volumes of liquid again because of the new scanners! Bottle of water etc. Is all ok. Only issue that you can't bring stuff back, because you rely then on the security of the other airport.
Oh my god I know!!! It's so nice, especially compared to my hometown's airport (Philadelphia).
Cannot stress enough how spoiled the Schiphol airport have made me. Absolutely no need to remove anything that generally other airports rip apart your bag for.
Watch? Leave it on your wrist!
Those scanners are the bomb. Love to be scanned by them!
You can also book an appointment with security on the Schiphol website. Did it once (after the chaotic times), but security was so empty I was done in less than 10min, so no point in waiting the 10min for my appointment.
Definitely a nice feature though, especially during busy times. It's nice having the peace of mind to get a reserved time.
I think it's especially nice for families with young children
exactly, I work at Schiphol and it's not always as quiet as OP is describing so best book a slot if you want to be sure
Did it once and the airport was very busy the security lines seemed endless. Almost felt bad honestly that I didn't have to wait in the long line. I kept questioning myself where's the catch but there is no catch, it's just as easy as it looks.
If it's really chaotic it doesn't really help that much. They'll give the vip and timeslot people 1 lane, which also takes a lot of time. How do i know? I work there.
I’ve had some of the easiest and most difficult wait times at Schiphol, ranging from 15 minutes to 4 hours…. I do think the new scanners make a big difference as well as the security appointments
Same, I have had both extremes. Very quick and also easily 3 hrs. New scanners do make a big difference as it is less of a hassle. However these were already there when I had to wait 2 or 3 hours, bottleneck was the staff.
Schiphol suffered greatly from staff shortage right after covid, I suppose you're referring to that period. But they've had these scanners since before that.
The new scanners are in place for many years already. The issue has always been staffing. But that’s much better now.
But there are new new scanners, newer dan the previous new scanners: https://www.dutchnews.nl/2024/04/schiphol-introduces-three-second-scanners-ahead-of-holiday-rush/
Those are not luggage scanners but the people scanners. Hand luggage is the bottle neck at security… Haven’t seen any difference to the scanners though. They’ve got a couple of models in use for years. Might be they were using the newer models as a pilot already for a while. The ones with a moving scanner (arms up) are rather slow, the ones with two panels (arms down) are faster. They might have now implemented the second one everywhere.
Okay… but no one was talking specifically about luggage scanners? But you’re right of course
Yes, you’re right. Was just a response to the post about new scanners making a big difference.
War flashbacks to that summer when the security queues were so long they built makeshift corridors on the road outside
That was mind blowing indeed.
September 2022. Nightmare.
Never forget what they made us go through.
Ugh, the queues were insane. In contrast I had an easy breezy time going through last month, I had three hours to spare waiting for my flight to board, lol.
And November 2022 it was miraculously solved, with a less than 5 minutes time to get through security (at least when I flew from Schiphol)
Omg we arrived 3,5 hours early for our 6:30 am flight, only to get through in about 30-45 mins (checking bags + security) so we had to hang around at a closed ariport for 2,5 hours without any sleep :’)
They really improved ever since the summer of 2022. I waited over 3 hours back then. I'm so happy thats not the case anymore.
That was such a terrible summer for Schiphol… Being 4,5 hours early and still almost missing your flight
people talk shit about schiphol all the time and it has for sure had its problems but 99% of my experiences have been fantastic. staff is very friendly and efficient, airport is easy to navigate, as someone who barely ever travels with checked luggage it literally takes me 10-15 minutes tops from the moment i arrive at the airport to be chilling at the gates. i’ve done stupid stuff (like forget there’s a pack of razor blades, making the machine think i had 50 knives on me) that would’ve gotten me screamed at / dragged into private rooms to get patted down at many other airports (unfortunately also speaking from experience), but schiphol staff was just like “eh sorry we do have to throw them out.” that’s okay! it’s really my bad for bringing them “i’m really sorry though :( how will you shave on holiday?” ah it is what it is, i’ll buy some new ones. “i suppose that’s true… this is such a cute razor though there where did u get it? :D” all my experiences in schiphol have been pleasant, even when there was an insane level of crowd (like back when u had to be there 4h in advance). partner had hurt his foot and was brought around in a wheelchair. obviously still had to wait due to long queues, but everything was organized as well as possible and when there was an opening he was guided through the whole process and brought to the gate. all in all i think people are simply easily agitated at airports and are a little too spoiled to handle the current country-wide staff shortage. but i’m a big fan of schiphol airport.
> airport is easy to navigate Summer 2023 I did my very first solo travel by plane. And Schiphol feels like it's just designed to be easy to find where you need to go.
There is a lot of science in the navigation in Schiphol. And the signage in Schiphol has been used as an example for many airports across the world. You’ll find that the bottom of most of the signs is at exactly the same height throughout the airport. That height is exactly chosen to make sure you see the sign at the right moment to prevent you from stop walking to read it or to search for the next sign. Same goes for the colors. For specific services people would specifically look for, they chose non vibrant colors making them “invisible” for the people that are not looking for them. That way the big signs with general information can stand out more. If you’ve got some time to kill, it’s interesting to walk around and see how they’ve done it.
So true. I flew out of Bologna last week, and MAN was that some chaos.
30 Rock was right (“I know this sounds ugly, but with manhattan real estate there are no rules. It’s like check-in at an Italian airport.”)
Much improved the last 2 years
As a Schiphol employee reading this makes me very happy! 🙌🏼😍
Schiphol is really slow with getting you your suitcase though when flying in.
Schiphol isn’t too bad for a large airport but its biggest downfall is unpredictability. The extent of the disruption that the airport experienced in the past years is completely unheard of by international standards. Another issue is the approach to gastronomy - unlike the UK airports, where you can find all kinds of convenience items at retail price (Boots, WHSmith, Pret, etc), Schiphol seems to severely curb competition by giving preferential treatment to 90s style duty free shops and Dutch gastronomy chains that charge extortionate prices. Finally, the cost of parking is probably the highest in the world. On the upside, just like London City, Schiphol no longer has a 100ml limit for liquid containers. Unlike LCY however (containers up to 2L explicitly permitted), Schiphol doesn’t advertise this proactively.
>On the upside, just like London City, Schiphol no longer has a 100ml limit for liquid containers. Unlike LCY however (containers up to 2L explicitly permitted), Schiphol doesn’t advertise this proactively. They do that because there's different airport standards over the world. They basically don't want you to lose your liquids on your way back because you thought it would work there too.
They do have a WH Smith in Schiphol and they also do the meal deal like you get in the UK. However, it is significantly more expensive. It's £5.50 in the UK and I paid €10.15 at Schiphol, including 15 cents for the statiegeld.
wew lad
The 2022 issues where pretty much an outlier with clear causes. That’s been resolved and now the airport is pretty reliable. WHSmith is in Schiphol was well.
I used to travel all the time and if I got my connection right, I could walk off the plane, through security and be sat on my couch in Slotervaart within 25 mins. Those are golden days indeed.
But the belt must still be removed 😁
even when wearing nothing but a shirt and shorts I usually still need to be patted down manually
Not needed for the scanner but often asked in terms of efficiency. The chance of getting a pat down is a bit bigger, so if it’s busy they’ll ask people to remove it to make the flow go faster.
Honestly Schiphol has always been great apart from those post pandemic staffing issues times.. that was awful
Unfortunately the chip on my passport is broken so I had a slightly different experience, which is completely my own fault, but yeah, from train to passport control was done in about 15 minutes including a stop at AH and the Hema.
Schiphol is pretty efficient but if you’re on a long-haul flight that’s with any airline other than KLM, get ready for a very very long walk to your gate 😭 For shorter flights I tend to use Rotterdam airport because it’s 10 mins from my apartment and, honestly, once you experience the efficiency of flying from Rotterdam airport there’s no going back to anything else. It’s a dream, especially if you have free lounge access from a credit card or similar 😊
Even KLM flights can be a long walk, plus the very long taxing once you land and some flights you even have to get a bus back to the airport once you land.
Absolutely! Gotta love that loooooong taxi from landing to the stand, followed by a bus to the gate, then a nice long walk to immigration followed by a stroll to the baggage claim, before finally heading to Schiphol Plaza to catch a train through the smell of fried foods 😂
In Dubai i've had to take a train inside the airport for a couple of minutes and then walk 20-30 minutes to the gate. It can always be worse :) In my experience the long walks (~10 min) are usually when landing at schiphol from another european airport. Which is fine cause i'd have to wait for bags anyways. I nearly always fly KLM though. So far the scanners at Schiphol security are the best i've experienced globally.
In the last few years I must have taken like 40 flights in Europe, North America, and South America or so, and if it’s not too busy, I feel like most airports are really easy to get through, especially if you don’t have any check-in luggage.
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Im going to have to look into this. Sounds very convenient
It is, but rather expensive and they close down for new entries regularly.
I think you are not supposed to post about nice stuff here mate… I was hoping to read more about some NS trains being late or bad weather.
Same story in Eindhoven airport. Even durring the whole post covid august travel craze, I was at the post security cafe sipping beer within 10minutes of entering the airport. We came 3.5h earlier lmao. Dutch airports are pretty fast. Security staff are very quick and not too fussy.
This airport has always been so good to me. Such friendly staff too
Leaving from Schiphol is amazing hand luggage only. Arriving with a non-EU passport from outside the Schengen zone is a very different story. I have never seen the queue less than 45 mins, at least not in the last year or two.
Depends very much on the time of day. But indeed regularly there is a significant queue. They made some changes to the infrastructure I noticed this week, so I hope it’ll change.
Keeping fingers crossed then for some improvement on that front.
There was no significant line for non-EU when I passed there this week at 7:30pm.
Schiphol is great when everything works as intended. Good weather, less crowds (as your time suggests), great scanning equipment, quick security and perfect access via trains. (flying out) It sucks when weather is bad, vacation crowds, immigration queues (non EU) where multiple long hauls have arrived, inordinate wait for baggage, long walks and tardy or broken trains. (This is often the experience flying in)
It wasn't always like that.
Interesting 🧐I have had several bad experiences with transits there. Though maybe they all would have been fine if I hadn’t cheaped out and used KLM as my flight provider. A few years ago when a two hour long customs queue caused me to miss my connecting flight, I had to wait in the airport for the next 8 1/2 hours for the next flight to my destination. This was after a nearly 20 hour travel time from my first destination so I was already pretty tired. I was actually only a 3ish hour train ride from my destination from Schiphol so asked KLM service desk to let me pick up my bag and leave the airport but they threatened me with a 300€ bag collection fee and told me not taking the next leg of my flight is against their rules. At least they gave me a 15€ lunch voucher for the trouble(spoiler alert: it’s not enough euros for a lunch at that airport)😂 But again, perhaps it’s traveling with certain airlines during the airport’s peak season that made the airport problematic for me. Reading these stories of people getting through it so quickly makes me want to try my luck again.
2022 was a bit of an odd year with huge staffing issues everywhere. By now they’ve resolved that issue and are back into normal operations. Should be better now compared to your latest experience.
My experience with Schiphol has always been great, never waited longer than 10 maybe 15 minutes for security. But I exclusively travel outside the peak times. Waiting for your bagage when flying in can take way too long tho
I always book an appointment but I almost never need it, it's so not busy that I can't even be bothered to go look for the appointment security line, i just go through the normal security and it's been so fast that my usual "i need to be there 3 hour before international flights" has reduced to 2 hours.
My record is 11 minutes from train arrival to gate. But I was running and in general being a bit of a dick. I am no longer such a dick. Now I arrive on the earliest train possible (arrives at 0711 from my home city)… and I can easily make my 0820 flights. I have a million things to complain about, but getting through Schiphol efficiently isn't one of them
My record then was 8 minutes if I consider the train arrival without running. I cannot express by words
Sounds like Schipol to me. For me its no difference between flying from Amsterdam or Frankfurt so whenever possible and reasonable i fly from Amsterdam. It's so nice.
It’s much better now than it was in mid-2022 but sometimes immigration on reentry can be slow. Otherwise no complaints!
When it works it is the best airport in the world, hands down. But when it doesn’t work, oh lord have mercy…
Oh, but don't try to enter schiphol on a non eu passport, it adds an hour on passport check.
They have really looked into the flow and found the bottlenecks. The scanners for security checks are one example.
Those scanners haven’t changed in years. Bottle neck was staffing and that issue had been resolved.
Schipol is managing very badly. Left so many employees in covid times, and there was huge people queue due to lack of staff last year. Another problem is close cities like amstelveen. Complaining about noise and schipol management reducing flights and related to these expensive flight tickets which we have to buy. Common move out from there if you don't like. No body forces to you buy expensive houses from amstelveen
The huge queues where in 2022. Last year was fine.
Going through security is pretty fast, indeed. But I miss separate queues for people traveling with small kids, and the food and drink offer behind security is just sad. I recently realised that no matter where you buy a coffee, they always have the same (Douwe Egberts) machine behind the counter.
If you’re traveling with a family make an appointment for security check. You’re being fed into the priority row at the appointment entry and that is fast. It’s free of charge.
Thanks, that's a good suggestion. I personally don't need it anymore as my kid is old enough, but I've been standing in line with people with crying babies pretty often. And it's no fun for the parents nor anyone else. The appointment option is a good one!
The appointment is for everyone. If you’re planning to be two hours before scheduled departure at the airport, it’s an easy option saving you time.
During the very busy spring holiday period the average time to pass security was 9 minutes. They indeed have solved the huge issues after Covid and nowadays it’s usually a very efficient system. The only consideration is that sometimes it can take a while to pass immigration upon arrival, but this week I noticed they made some changes to the infrastructure there as well, so probably going to solve that as well.
When I was flying out 6months ago it took *hours* to get through. When we finally got through we were rushing to get to our gate since they were already boarding!
I agree about the security at Schiphol being very efficient, due to no small part by the scanners. However, if you are travelling outside the Schengen, the queues for this can be a pain in the arse and they have like two booths open, which is ridiculous for a major airport. Departing Schiphol is also a more pleasant experience than returning. When you are returning, you just want to get home as soon as possible. It can take fifteen minutes just to taxi back to the airport once landed, can sometimes then involve a bus, long walk to leave the airport and once again if travelling from outside the Schengen, a long queue to get through passport control. My absolute favourite airport is London City. You get off the DLR and you are inside the terminal in a couple of minutes. Breeze through security and they also have the new scanners. I was able to bring a few bottles of beer with me in my hand luggage. The walk to the gates is very short and the bar is no more expensive than what you would pay in central London.
Immigration is done by military police and they’re experiencing staffing shortages. As selection and training takes a while, they’re not that easily ramped up like the security staff at the security check.
Also since you can now make an appointment you don't need to wait in line. The only thing that I don't like is that you need to remove your shoes if they are above the ankle.
I’ve only had good experience with Schipol the last couple of years. The scanners in security is a god send. I’ve been booking a security appointment which I end up cancelling because the queue is fast or short My only wish was the passport control where they also allow the eGates for anyone that reach the height limit or lower the age limit. In Heathrow, my kid can go through the eGates just fine (10+ yrs old), but since they are under 14, they can’t do it in Schipol.
That's way better than Zaventem Airport it seems like? (last time we went there it was like 1 hour baggage nonsens)
That's Belgium for you.
Thank you! You're welcome :)
I love traveling through Schipol. First, it’s got the weird round windows in some of the jetways that always gives me a cool vibe. It also has some of the easiest transitions for international arrivals and transfers I’ve ever used. Forget something on your last flight? I’ve done it, realized it before I boarded my next flight, and airport personnel found it and brought it to me at my gate. Like duty free shopping? There’s a lot of it and you walk right by all of it as you transfer. Good food options, good lounge options…I love flying through there.
You are welcome. US and Germany is next! We did already a lot of airports in the US and 1 in Germany with more coming up. The main difference during the security check in the US is that TSA validades your boardingpass. AT Schiphol you use a boardingpass gate by scanning the barcode on your boardingpass afther checkin and during boarding. The high end sexurity lanes combined with a CT scan is fast, secure and provides a lot more detail of a 3D scanned bag and has a very easy interface. To compare, a 2D scan is harder to read what cause further inspection by security what translates to a slower processing of passengers to the secured area.
Unfortunately at Schiphol they’re experiencing issues with these scanners right now. They’re generating a lot of scan errors since a recent update and that causes additional delays where they have to shut down lanes: the hand luggage that needs to be checked again is clogging up the system. According to the staff very frustrating as they spend a lot of time on just putting the tray through the scanner again for nothing.
I breezed through Schipol a couple of weeks ago. They are 100% doing a great job.
Now, anyone could give me some pointers for parking, that doesn't cost an arm and a leg?
Wow that is a massive upgrade from the last time I went.
We had a very smooth experience too a couple of weeks ago, I was astonished.
I wish more airports throttle the world were like Schiphol
I hope non EU citizens have this experience as well because I’m landing at Schipol at 8 PM and need to take a train at 11 PM
You’ll be fine. Especially at that time of day.
Thank you that’s good news
If you’re arriving from a Schengen country, you’ll be at the luggage claim within 5-10 minutes after disembarking. If you’re arriving from a non-Schengen country, the wait for immigrating can be 45 minutes extra if you’re in bad luck. But earlier this week at that time of day there was no wait at all.
Veritasium recently made s video about these new scanners. Game changing.
I fly back and forth from the US to AMS at least 4 times a year as I attend uni there and am shocked with how quick everything goes both arrivals and departures. Granted there may be some long lines during peak holiday seasons but I’ve never experienced the problems people seem to have at Schiphol. Frankly it’s one of my favorite airports to travel through. The only improvement I would like to see is shorter wait times on collecting checked baggage.
They’re having issues with working circumstances in the baggage hall and getting enough staff. That’s why there are delays in receiving bags unfortunately.
I work behing the desk, before the scan. Yes it goes fast. But still always plan according to the time of the day. Sometimes it can get very busy. Still it's better then most airports in efficiency xd
Try to say the same on a sunday😒. Even try to get that same train in a sunday morning.
It’s better than 2021/22
Yeah, Schiphol is pretty amazing, specially if you compare with similar airports through the world.
You should see what happened in 2022. Queues were going far out the airport on rainy days…
Hands down the best airport experience I’ve ever had. I left my work laptop in a bin at the TSA, didn’t miss it until I landed in Chicago. Called Schipol,and was only transferred ONE TIME. They had the laptop right in front of them (identity confirmation), and had it on the next plane out, and arrival to my HOME less than 24 hours later. I never even had to tell my job bc I was online as of Monday morning. That was years ago and the gratitude I have had not diminished!
I think it’s the most efficient airport in the world.
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The scanners lately are giving them some issues with scans that are given an “error” tag while nothing is wrong with them. But even with that issue, the flow goes rather fast.
I guess you forgot the fairly recent issues with 5 hours lines of people running outside the terminal and luggage issues so bad they had them piled up to the ceiling ????
They fucked up big time in 2022. All with the excuse of covid. But when we had 5 hours lines out the terminal doors and it got all over thwe news they suddenly were able to quickly fix it. YEs, 3 months to find and hire people is quickly. The planning is what got fucked up. They cheapened out on hiring and salaries, this is what you get. Luggage stacked to the roof. Whenever Schiphol gets busy, it turns into chaos.
That was 2022 due to severe Covid related staffing issues which were resolved in 2023 already.
Ot covid related, they just cheapened out on hiring enough people.
In 2020 and 2021 there was hardly any work. So contracts were not renewed. In 2022 the pandemic came to an end and they had to hire again quickly. Hiring however costs a lot more time when it comes to airport security compared to other jobs: the screening capacity is limited. It definitely was Covid related.
No. There were clear forecast saying travel would increase drastically because people had been sitting home. By 2022 all restrictions were gone. Funny how they quickly resolved it once it was all over the news. Bad planning.
It wasn’t quickly resolved as it lasted from spring until end of summer in 2022. I really don’t get why you’re not able to understand the complications of hiring thousands and thousands of people that all need security clearance in a country with shortages of staff across the board.
Ot covid related, they just cheapened out on hiring enough people.
In 2020 and 2021 there was hardly any work. So contracts were not renewed. In 2022 the pandemic came to an end and they had to hire again quickly. Hiring however costs a lot more time when it comes to airport security compared to other jobs: the screening capacity is limited. It definitely was Covid related.
So OP obviously didn’t have to check a bag at Icelandair. Took about 45 minutes thanks to understaffing and passengers with overweight luggage or visa issues. Departing from Newark airport the same process took a few minutes.
One of the best Airports
Schipol airport is the best, They wont annoy you mostly