Ditto

Yesterday in departures 1 priority, I opted for lane number 2, there was only 1 person there, so no queue at all, but clearly made the wrong choice.

By the time I was out of the security scanner, the first of 3 trays of the person in front of me was just before the split of the belts, and so it waited there for a good 2 or 3 minutes, all during which the agent looking at the screen kept on blinking her eyes very slowly as if she is falling asleep, yet stays concentrated on the screen, though clearly it has not changed.
On top of every other tray going for secondary, there was a piece of paper that was blocking one of the sensors from the front belt, which is why the trays didn't move.
People also seem to have a hard time understanding where to put the trays after they are done with them, as the front belt had 7 empty trays (packed in 2,3,2) on it, meanwhile the airport employees also couldn't be bothered with it.

At the same time, belt number 1 though has maybe 1 out of 10 trays sent to secondary, so there goes the 20% average

Grouchy

Non-Schengen Privium/SP security line on new year's day, the secondary screening lane was completely jam-packed up to the scanner station with jackets, shoes & luggage items.
Something like 80% of the stuff going through secondary screening.
The employees at the swap station simply didn't have the capacity to keep things moving.

Made a futile attempt to avoid seconday screening by using 4 bins to spread out my keys etc. Was a sad sight seeing the normal lane completly empty;



In addition & as usual: a false positive at the body scanner, bringing up 3 random yellow rectangles.

Sailed through security at ATL, MCO and MSP with no need to remove shoes, 3-1-1 liquids, laptop, light outerwear or belts and entered AMS airside again that way .

mfkne

I never return my trays as I am not airport employee, what's more I'm paying a security fee when I buy a ticket.

Crismyth

So #$% those coming after you who's trays are blocked by entiteld flyers...

BigFlyer

That bothers me less than those self-service grocery checkout lines in the UK - I don't work for Tesco.

Not to mention that I don't know how the whole world became trained to clear their own tables at McDonalds and the like.

mfkne

Schiphol themselves "take pride" in delivering security as a service. With all the security fees they collect from travellers they should make sure they have staff to collect the bins.

Ditto

There is something called common courtesy, to PAX who are behind you in the queue, eventually it is them who you delay, I don't see how does it have anything to do with the security fees you pay, perhaps the security staff should also take your laptop out of your bag for you?

caliform

Calm morning at AMS today, managed to sail through without any secondaries or extra checks on my bags! Remarkable! I don't think that has ever happened to me.

Didn't even have to take all my chargers and cables out of my carry-on.

KLflyerRalph

Was it by any chance due to the new CT scanners?

CyBeR

They do, but it's a lot faster for everyone behind you if you help them out a little. So as someone potentially behind you: please do so from now on thank you very much.

arjen05

For some reason, I have been selected for a drugs scan at every single time I pass Schiphol Schengen security. 19 times out of 19 when flying from there. I mean the tissue that they sweep on your body and then put into an analysis scanner. It only delays me with a minute, but I'm really wondering how they profile?

My height is 1.90m, I have a northwestern european skin and brown hair and I usually fly in a dark blue suit, with a leather briefcase. I have studied math, so I realise that it can be just random....

BigFlyer

Drugs scan? Isn't that an explosives scan?

arjen05

Excellent point - I always thought it was a drugs scan.... Have asked it several times, but the employees always keep silent

All I know is that it checks for several substances, because it returns several lines, all individually showing an 'ok' sign.

Anyone?

AlicorporateUK

That sounds pretty dodgy to me, no wonder why you get stopped each time

On a serious note, there's no profiling as such and that's indeed an explosive detection testing.

G

AlicorporateUK

Officers are required to undertake explosive trace detection tests on a random yet continuous basis. I go through security twice a week during my weekly air-commute and have never really noticed a specific pattern in the way those tests get carried. Funnily enough, I got checked this morning in GDN and I can't even remember when it had happened last time.

G