mot29

BigFlyer

I have not flown DL out of Amsterdam since the new system. But it seems to me that you can't miss a flight due to the security interview if it is at the gate - but, you can miss your flight if you are going to or coming from an interview at a remote location.

flyerCO

Its not an interview. It's one question designed to ensure person packed their own bag.

US carriers do an actual interview. They don't just ask if you packed your own bag. They ask where you've been, why, where you going, why, what work do you do, etc... They're profiling you to determine if you should get extra security scrutiny or even be allowed onboard.

SpinzCity

This thread has multiple questions, but in my frequent AMS transits this year, here are some notes:

* For the flyer going OKC-ATL-AMS-OTP, all your flights are non-Schengen, so there is no passport, no security, no nothing - - just go to your next gate once you land at AMS.

* For flyers going non-Schengen to Schengen, the queues can be short, or mount up quickly and substantially; in that case, there is someone who will allow people with the tightest connections to come over and join a shorter line, depending on your departure time. The agent will call out "everybody with 12:45pm departures can come over here," then in a few minutes 12:50, then 12:55 as the minutes tick by - - be prepared to access that short queue as soon as your departure time is called.

* For flyers going Schengen to non-Schengen, the area sectioned off for U.S. and other passport holders with chips in their passports can go pretty quick - - if you head to the far left queue (highly recommended) there is a spot where one line dumps into three processing gates, instead of one gate per line; at these passport reader gates you enter a sectioned spot, put your passport into a reader, it reads it for up to 30 seconds, and then tells you to proceed and get a stamp - - no hassle, no questions - - just a machine then an automatic stamp from some person with no other agenda).

duluthDL

Question about transferring from Schengen (TXL to AMS) to US/non Schengen because I must have done something wrong last time:
I got off the TXL flight and went into lounge 25. They directed me to go downstairs to passport control. I went through passport control and ended up in luggage claim and the general airport terminal. It took forever to get back airside. There must be a better way for airside transfer? Exactly where do I need to go from the Schengen airside area?

MSPeconomist

You should follow signs for connections/transfers toward the D/E/etc. gates (you probably land in C IIRC) and do passport control on the same level as most of the gates. Going down the big stairs/escalators signposted as arrivals or exit takes you to baggage claim.

BigFlyer

When you land at AMS, find out your gate and just head towards that gate (there will be signs). Do not worry about passport control, you will automatically get to passport control on the way to your gate.

Billy Mumphrey

Were you denied access to lounge 25, or were they simply suggesting you go through passport control first and then use lounge 52 instead? Obviously they didn't mean for you to exit the terminal and re-clear security. During my AMS connections, I've always ended up in lounge 25 going US-Europe and lounge 52 Europe-US (since it's a bit less stressful to be in the area where you're going next), but can you do the reverse if you want to? Lounge 52 is nicer so I could see spending some time there with a long layover after coming from the US. Or do they make you go to 25 as a matter of policy (since presumably some travelers would miss their connecting flights unnecessarily by not realizing they might be facing a lengthy passport check line)?

sdadept

A couple months ago I made a SUPER tight connection on klm coming back from India to MSP through AMS. I got to the gate just as the last few people were going through the gate paper verification stuff and I got in line. They gave me a ton of dirty looks but I got on the plane. They had already upgraded someone into my full fare business class seat that they had to downgrade but I got my seat with no time to spare. 4 colleagues travelling with me didn't make the flight (i was the only one who mostly ran the whole way).

duluthDL

I had a pretty long connection time (2 hr?). I got off the plane from TXL, saw lounge 25 and thought I'll stop by there. I wasn't denied access; they asked where I was going. I said DL to ATL. They said, you need to go downstairs for passport control and then the next thing I know, I was outside in the general airport terminal. I was just blindly following what they told me to do. I'm thinking that there is a way of getting to lounge 52 from lounge 25 without going downstairs? I should have just followed signs for gate xx to ATL?

BigFlyer

Sounds like the directions were correct, but not specific.

Lounge 25 is one floor up from the gates. To get to any gate or the passport control between the Schengen and non-Schengen gates, you would indeed have to go downstairs and through passport control.

You went downstairs, but did not go through passport control.

So the directions were cruddy, they should have said go down one level only and follow the signs to your gate.

As I said in my earlier post - don't look for passport control, look for your gate. Passport control will find you.

Billy Mumphrey

Lounge 25 is on the mezzanine level, so you need to go back down to the main level. But then you need to follow signs to your connecting gate. You must have accidentally gone through a door for baggage claim/ground transportation and left the secure area. If you stayed in the terminal you would have seen a passport control check point (basically right below lounge 25 and directly adjacent to the window side of the building). Once through passport control you can access lounge 52, which is where the lounge agent was most likely telling you to go.

Grouchy

For Schengen - Non-Schengen passport control. You need to turn left after you go down, not right. If you leave the KLM lounge and are still at level 1 you will see the Grand Cafe Het Paleis, that's the correct side.

The airport maps in the Delta app might also come handy here to give you guidance.