I usually wax lyrical about CPH security, but this morning my bag caused quite a stir at the SK priority checkpoint. It took three agents, and five or six runs through the scanner, with more and more of the contents removed each time, before they finally found what they were looking for : as baseball cap with led lights in the peak.

Sheesh . . .

The whole thing did not take longer than it normally does at Schiphol, though. There was no queue, the waiting time was zero, I didn't have to play statue in a body scanner, I was not frisked, and did not have to wait for ages at secondary for some sloth to get his act together.

Johan

When going through security late last year for a flight to VIE Mrs. Reload was whinged at because her digital SLR had a battery in it which they 'weren't expecting' ???

Lately I've taken to just telling them my small photo kit is film, so they have to do a manual inspection. Often faster than full secondary, so I might stick with that.

Hi,

Just sent through the security again today - bags did not get any secondary - which is nice, but my gosh.. their attitude is really unbelievable. They are just such a bunch of power trippers.
I forgot to remove a piece of tissue paper from my pocket (as I was travelling before this flight from airports with just metal detectors so completely forgot about it) - and after that I heard them talking to each other - Oh these passengers think that they are smarter, but we are smarter than them....:rolleyes:

I mean how can they behave like this....just terrible...IMHO

Cheers!

The attitude is really something. I went into priority Security 2, dreading the usual process. Love the Privium gate there, by the way: it puts you in the same line as the regular BP scanner. Why bother? Anyway...

As I walk up, the man curtly tells me to keep all my stuff in my bag. "It's a camera", I explain, as the cameras always go secondary if they're not taken out. No, I am assured, it has to stay in the bag.

Bag goes to secondary.

"What's in here, sir?" — A ca-- "CAMERAS HAVE TO BE OUTSIDE THE BAG SIR"

:rolleyes:

Unsually, I've mostly avoided AMS for the past four months or so. I had therefore almost forgotten about the joys of going through security at this fabulous airport.

Amazingly, there was no line at all at Terminal 1 security, and both priority checkpoints were up and running. Not at all amazingly, almost every single tray was sent to secondary. I was pleased to see my bag heading the right way, but the agent manning the scanner jumped up, just managed to grab the tray, and sent it to join the queue at secondary.

Fortunately, the lady manning secondary was not only competent but blessed with common sense as well. She manually searched the bag of an airline captain in uniform (who proved himself a true expert at rolling his eyes), and swabbed a few bags, but all the others she just shoved into scanner, threw the most of casual glances at the screen, and then returned them to the waiting pax, wishing them a good flight. It was very obvious that she was far from impressed by the skills of her colleague manning the scanner and probably felt he was wasting both her and the passengers' time.

Johan

Breezed through T1 the other day, but only through a combination of perspicacity and luck.

There was nobody in line at all, but all six tray loading stations at the two priority lanes were occupied. While waiting I could see a crowd of pax waiting at lane 2 secondary, and none at all at lane 1. The traffic warden then directed me to a vacated loading station at lane 2. I kept a beady eye on lane 1, and as luck would have it a pax vacated a tray station just as I reached lane 2. I spun around and made a beeline for lane 1. Phew! That was a close call.

Johan

This really just proves over and over again how badly trained these people behind the monitors are....it is just so human dependent....

The first time in oh, five years that I managed to get my bag through security without secondary screening. 7:30 AM; all filters positively abandoned as far as pax go, friendly staff, breezed through. Was explicitly told to leave everything in my bag, which gave me an internal chuckle (as it tends to be smoother if I take out my camera gear which is in a little case of its own).

Nope, went clear through. Did peek at the fancy 3D model they get on the X-Ray review screens; that seems new? Regardless, a rare pleasant an expedient security filter pass this morning.

Yesterday early morning, while passing through security in Hall 1 (Schengen) - had the luck of getting into the wrong lane again (the 2nd lane at the Priority) where 60-70% of bags went into secondary.:rolleyes: Initially they used that lane as a training lane - there was 2 person behind the screen with one pointing out things to the 2nd officer, than later, it was only the "experienced" one while the one on training left and become the secondary checker, with still > 50% of bags going for secondary.
It is really such a joke these hopeless agents......:rolleyes:

I really do wonder if they are blind, trying to show their "stupidity" or just trying to keep their job by making sure bags goes secondary so they can defend why they are needed - but my bag went secondary because I did not remove the plastic bag with 2 bottles of nearly empty bottles from the open side pocket of my backpack....which is close to being on the tray itself as it is a meshed side pocket.....:rolleyes:

Cheers!

They are currently trying to defend their jobs by threatening to go on strike.

Schiphol has just put the security contracts out to tender, and the current bunch fear being replaced by others willing to do the job for less.

Johan

The instructions regarding liquids are pretty clear, I don't think you can blame anyone but yourself for your bag going to secondary...

Still, it can get quite annoying. I got 2/2 bags to additional last wednesday, admittedly one of them contained a computer I forgot about. Difficult day.

In other news, the new experimental body scanner that was on leftmost side is gone now.

Just in
 

Due to the renovations for the new security filter, access in Departure Hall 1 will be changed from the 1st week of October. As a Privium member, you will unfortunately also be effected by this.
If you face the current filter in Departure Hall 1, the left part (including the Privium gates) will close on 2 October. For the time being you can use the Privium gates at the following places:

1. The Privium gate on the right-hand side of the current filter in Departure Hall 1 (at check-in rows 1-2) can be used for now.

2. A temporary security filter will be opened on 2 October as a replacement capacity for Departure filter 1. There will be 1 Privium gate. This temporary filter will be in the hallway to Departure Hall 1A.

3. A Privium gate is also located in Departure Hall 1A itself.

Also, for the same renovation, the arrival border passage if you come from D-pier 1st floor (for European non-Schengen flights in particular) will close completely. This will happen on 1 October for a 6-month period. You will be referred on the spot to an alternative passport check. This will generally be the arrival filter at the E pier.