Originally Posted by BigFlyer

Got to Schiphol about 11 AM for our 14:50 UA flight to SFO. I actually thought today would not bad as it is mid ( not end of) holiday weekend, but the Schiphol website said today was peak, and I have an important meeting on Monday AM in San Francisco, so didn't want to risk missing the flight.

No boarding pass check entering Departures 3.

I had purchased Premier Access from UA, which for $24 was supposed to give priority seating and boarding.

Went to the escalators at back of Departures 3, and saw that the priority and non-priority gates feed to the same escalator. At the top of the escalators, took a sligh right to get to the priority line. Someone took a quick look at our boarding passes and let us through, it seemed that that person didn't look very closely at the BP.

There was one person at the inspection machines handling priority.

Took us about 15 minutes from escalators to get through passport control.

The non-priority line snaked a bunch of times starting at the hard right turn, based on a trip we took through there a month ago would estimate it at about an hour without priority.

Went to Aspire Lounge. Told it was too crowded and we were too early. I asked when he suggested we come back - the attendant said 2PM. The impossibility of coming to the lounge at 2 PM for a 2:50 PM departure was lost on him.