johan rebel

You had better ask the airport spokesman quoted in the article.

Given human nature, it strikes me as highly unlikely that there would not have been an increase in the number of people faking it, but as the article says, accurate numbers are hard to come by because privacy regulations do not allow the airport or others to question the motives of those requesting assistance.

I can't imagine Long Covid contributing significantly to the numbers in need of assistance, even though it has become the flavor-of-the-day go-to affliction for those looking for a suitable diagnosis for their vague (mental) health issues and symptoms.

Johan

johan rebel

Data point:

Colleague with no status arrived ±10.30 for a 14.45 longhaul flight. Took him about three hours all told (check-in, security, immigrations) to get airside.

Update: his flight left 48 minutes late, and arrived 32 minutes late. That left him with 28 minutes to make his connection (D7 to F14 at IST), instead of an hour. He managed, but when he got to the gate he was told that he had been offloaded and rebooked on a flight two days later, the 9th. This despite the fact that plane was still at the gate with the jetway connected. Worse, it left with a 32 minute delay, i.e. an hour after he arrived, and with his checked luggage, which is now at the final destination. He was not offered a hotel, nor food and drink, and as a greenhorn traveler didn't know to ask. Spent the whole night airside. We have now rebooked him via DOH, so he will hopefully get home today.

Johan

pepe C

Is it really necessary to shame people for serious complaints they have after a COVID-19 infection?

CyBeR

I think Johan is arguing that, much like the idiots that fraudulently feign disabilities at AMS to get wheelchair assistance, quite a few people are only pretending to have long covid. Not that people who really do have lingering issues after a covid infection are exaggerating them.

johan rebel

As the sign says:


Fuzzy, but still legible.

Johan

DrMrsDr

Does anyone know if there is still no hindrance to getting into Schiphol from the train platform? Are there people checking the 4 hour advance arrival window once you get off the train?
Also, is there a dedicated security line for business class passengers, or has that been abandoned amidst all this chaos?
We are traveling with only carryon baggage and were planning to take a car to the airport Sunday 10 July, but based on what I’ve read here updated on 3 July, it seems like the train might be a better option. Any current information would be extremely helpful.

CyBeR

There is no one checking people coming off the train, as the train station under AMS is also one of the country's busiest railway transfer stations. I.e., lots of people getting off the train will be leaving again on another train. The train dumps you at Schiphol Plaza for which no entry restriction exists.

I have not found anyone myself checking people going from Plaza to the departures hall but I'm told they do show up from time to time.

Business Class passengers may use the SkyPriority security line. It is not dedicated to J/F pax per se (shared with elite status/privium) but it is dedicated to priority pax.

staili

Johan and TheCam, thank you so much for your help and reassurance! I really appreciate it. I will let everyone know how it all went.

I have a colleague at the same meeting I am in Amsterdam whose flight to Portugal got canceled by KLM for tomorrow night and they put him on a flight with a different airline (Air Europa) tomorrow morning. He is missing half the meeting, but I think his other options were even worse from his perspective.

erik123

I dropped off my kid today (Thursday) at 14:00 for a 16:40 on Easyjet with check-in luggage. Call me brave.

Parked and walked thru Schiphol Plaza no issue. They were checking at the moving walkway but not the stairs and elevator to go up to departures. Departures not busy and the security wait time indicated 15-20 minutes. So we had time to go to the Privium lounge in 2 to get her the eye scan and card (plus me to get a sandwich). No problem as a walk-in (her appointment is end July) as they weren't busy.

My brother flew KL on Tuesday at 6AM in business and it took an hour to check bag (UA to EWR) and about 30 minutes for priority security. Not great but good enough to have time in the lounge etc.

physicsdude

Seems like it's the norm these days, esp for business flyers. A lot of my colleagues and I have been scheduling hybrid meetings just in case we miss a flight so that we can join the meeting at least online.

mpkz

It doesn't seem farfetched to think that a disease that causes absences due to sickness to double compare to 2019 might also be affecting passengers.

Fabo.sk

1. All, or at least almost all, business class passengers have access to Priority. I have not heard a single report that any airlines business pax are excluded from the system in AMS.
2. SkyPriority is a brand of Sky Team. All ST airlines use it to denote pax with priority access and this access level is harmonized.
3. UX passengers will be allowed into SP zone. Air Europa uses same desks as KLM. It is possible that there is a ST airline that is not handled by KLM and you will have to check in elsewhere, but there still will be an SP desk. I believe OK used to be like that, but can't check, because OK stopped flying into AMS. In any case, further SP benefits to apply including priority security and priority boarding.

Checks are carried out on travelators, you can bypass them by elevator. Yes there is priority security. With all respect, you could find all that in the wiki at the top of the thread and saved yourself the trouble.

I've long had a policy of traveling the night before to any time-sensitive event and it's been more strongly in place than ever before.

The disease that causes absences to double is a fairly contagious airborne virus with potentially life-endangering effects. Majority of absences are first, to limit potential exposure of colleagues to the virus and acceleration of spread, second, to give the body a chance to spend energy on fighting the virus, not on daily tasks.

Long covid is a real thing and I know also personally several people who genuinely suffer from it, but I agree with Johan that it's more than likely a significant number of unscrupulous people are citing this reasonably plausible ailment to gain preferential treatment. I expect that a large portion of this is the same people who, two years ago, started citing non-existent respiratory ailments in order to get out of the requirement to wear face masks Without seeing the obvious irony in the fact that people with respiratory ailments were the highest risk category, and would not dare to be in public without some level of protection, if daring to leave home at all.

Solevita

Symptomatic COVID or asymptomatic but positive test can give grounds for not going to work at short notice. In such a case as a pax you shouldn't be flying but likely get away with it these days. This shouldn't necessitate assistance though - "hey I've got COVID, I'd like to book assistance".

Long COVID from an employer POV may give extended, but plannable absence. As a pax it may be grounds for requesting assistance.

Only a fraction of COVID cases end up with long COVID so to compare employee absences with pax requesting assistance is completely non-sensicle.

Ardecos

I joined the queue at 9 am last Thursday (30th June) and it was rammed all the way back to Het Paleis. It took 50 minutes to reach the passport check booths. I have a UK passport so no e-gate for me, at least not last Thursday. However, it was definitely getting quieter closer to 10 am. As a Brucie bonus I went down with Covid three days later and I suspect that was due to being in close proximity to the same people for so long.

mpkz

If COVID is severe and prevalent enough to cause a 100% increase in sick absences, then it is not implausible that long COVID might also cause a 35% increase in passengers requesting assistance.

Yes, I realize that the two facts are not directly connected - the absences are for different reasons - but the idea is that various aspects of COVID (live contagiousness as well as aftereffects) can increase various health outcomes.

And only a fraction of COVID cases end up with long COVID, this is true, but only a fraction of passengers need extra assistance in the first place.