stevebintley

Bit calmer at 11:45 - from arrival to lounge was 50-minutes. Priority lane was open for Gold, Silver and Bronze. Staff managing the queues well and one chap who jumped the line ended up being turfed to the back by security. The Aspire lounge was quick to get into with no queue but just feels a bit dirty.

flatlander

Dutch news reports long waits and some airlines requested to cancel flights today: https://nos.nl/artikel/2444325-weer-...n-te-annuleren (Google Translate works OK).

Translated snippets:
BA, of course, also uses "Hall" (Terminal) 3.

stevebintley

2827 has been sat waiting for late passengers for almost an hour now and taking a while to offload bags. Can’t be more than half full. Very flustered people who did make it are mentioning queue times of four hours, so not sure how I got so lucky!

dalbyl

Update at around 1520. Priority is open but you need to be persuasive. I got a guest through too. Then there’s about 15 minute wait for security but you can go straight up stairs to the right of the tensa barrier. Guest had to get in the other queue then but shaved him off a good few hours I’d imagine! Surrounded by people who had been waiting for many hours and had missed their flights.

CannoSeven

I’m due to be travelling out of AMS on the 2nd October; can anyone confirm if there’s a method to drop bags earlier than 2 hours before the flight? The BA website shows that the desks open 2 hours before departure, which might be cutting it a bit fine given Sunday mornings seem to be peak and the recent recurrence of big queues.

I’m due to be travelling on BA0423 if it helps.

taxicabnumber

Arrived via Uber around 8:50am today for the BA431 (11:40am). HBO with mobile boarding pass (though this wouldn't have really mattered since the BA checkin queues looked quite short, even for Y). Normal security line looked ~2 hours long, but priority was open - used this, and got through in 25 minutes.

Priority is both a mess and a godsend - you essentially have to ask the dragons to open the rope up for you, both after the check in counters (between aisles 24-25) and once you get up the stairs. A lot of pax knew about the former, but not the latter; I shaved about 35 minutes (if the estimated wait monitor is to be believed) simply by knowing to ask! A number of people in front of me who were flying J did not think to ask. They may well still be in the security queue as I write this from the Aspire Lounge...
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CannoSeven

As someone travelling through AMS for maybe the second time, can you describe this process a bit more for me please? I’ve seen lots of recommendations that advise going to departures 2 to use priority, but it sounds like you’re saying it can be accessed from departures 3? I’m probably one of the lemmings who would stand in the queue not realising they can skip further once upstairs.

South London Bon Viveur

I ditched Amsterdam and flew from Rotterdam on Monday, and it is a million times more civilised. They appeared to have gotten on top of the problems at Schiphol, but earlier this week it was back in meltdown again. The place really is an abject shambles.

taxicabnumber

Sure - so there are basically a couple of things. I didn't follow the "departures 2" recommendation but perhaps I should have!

From departures 3 -- there is what looks like a single queue for security, snaking around the perimeter of the terminal behind the check-in desks (and probably out further on an especially bad day). The key is that there isn't really a separate priority queue; where it says "priority" (between aisles 24 and 25), there will be Schiphol staff. Show them your eligible boarding pass (that clearly indicates status or business class), and they'll let you cut the line -- essentially, downstairs, "priority" isn't a separate queue so much as it is the ability to jump the queue at a specific point.

You'll then be in a holding pen, where they let you upstairs in batches. Once you are up the stairs, there's a snaking security queue. Don't enter that; look for the priority sign on your right. You'll have to ask/mention that you have priority, and then they'll ask to see your BP again and let you enter. This is actually a different queue from the "main" line, not jumping-the-queue-at-a-specific-point like it is downstairs.

I'm not sure if that makes sense in a vacuum but hopefully it will for anyone who's currently at AMS!

shefgab

I flew through AMS a few days ago, connecting BA to AY. Thankfully managed to avoid any of the security issues, but then we waited at the gate, and then onboard for nearly 2 hours waiting for late passengers (which nearly caused me to miss my connection in HEL).

TarquinMontague

Just passed through, presented my gold boarding pass at priority and was allowed straight through. In the non priority line they’re quoting 3 hours 45 mins, some poor sods getting soaked outside.

On a side note I had more issues getting in the lounge, the PA had to guest me in a my gold card doesn’t come with lounge access.

Physci

A friend has just gone through AMS and found gold card working for access to fast track so he was through quickly.Non-priority queues are outside the terminal and 4-5 hours in the estimated wait ….

Summary seems to be to avoid AMS unless you have fast track access.

Sprodo

Is there any times particularly bad ? I have a fairly early morning flight back from AMS in a couple of weeks and simply I can’t afford to not be on my scheduled flight. Likewise I don’t want to rock up at 4.30am and waltz straight through with 4 hours to kill

GUWonder

BA Silvers flying AMS-LHR in BA economy class get priority security access at AMS. That makes a big enough difference that I wouldn’t even think about showing up at the airport more than 2.75 hours in advance of BA departures for just an AMS-LHR trip.

Sprodo

I’m only bronze this year :-(