Had a 10 hour layover in Schiphol on Thursday and with this sort of time, I would normally head into town for some lunch and a beer. However, seeing the queues for exit and going into the Schengen zone, thought it best just to stay and enjoy the lounges.

One thing that did stand out and make me shake my head was going through the security check after our Delhi flight landed. Picture the scene, up to the scanning machines with their 4 (I think it’s 4) different sections where the trays come out below, you fill them up with your bags, put them on the upper belt and they go through the x ray scanner.

There we’re a family of 5 at the very end one who did not have English (or Dutch) as a language they knew and were obviously not frequent flyers as they did not have a clue what to do. However, the lady security person would not let the other 3 people waiting (me being one) put our filled trays onto the (empty) belt for screening until she had sorted out the family at the end. As I was not in a hurry, I was not really too concerned but one of the other gents waiting was and started telling the security lady his feeling in Dutch. Perhaps her power had went to her head and she called over another security guy to converse with the customer who was not happy. Spent over 3 minutes waiting for the end family to get their sh#t in order and finally get all their stuff on trays and the belt moving but in this time quite a queue had built up behind with no other trays being permitted to be scanned by her.

Not sure what the actual rules are for the security person monitoring the belts but if similar is done at other security locations, no wonder there are big delays going through.

Schengen to Non-Schengen right now..!
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...dc4358293.jpeg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...0d796a1c6.jpeg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...ea76045f8.jpeg

You've just posted the perfect Privium ad!

Johan

I have never seen that! what is that extremely long line? is it the one for the passport scanning machines?
Well, we always tell people here that the problem with AMS is security, not for connections, but this certainly looks like a very long connection transit time :eek:

Yes, it’s the line with EU passport users who can use the egates to exit Schengen.

But there was a big, more densely-packed crowd that was in the line that also serves those non-European passport users who came in with say a Schengen tourist visa and need a Schengen exit stamp.

Any recent feedback about lounge 52 situation these days ?

I have a 5h S->NS transfer coming up this week… which used to be more than enough but sounds just about OK given the horror pictures posted above.

In the past I stayed as long as possible in lounge 25 to avoid the crowded seats and F&B queues of lounge 52, but it looks risky these days. Do we still have to wait 15 minutes for a sandwich, and 10 more minutes to grab a drink afterwards in lounge 52? Are empty and clean seats still a rare commodity ?

Not quite sure what that's even supposed to mean, but it certainly doesn't make sense.

All the people in both those lines are passport "users", And whether they or their passports are European or not is not the criterium that determines which line they are entitled to use. A citizen of, say, Moldova is not a "non-European" passport "user", yet may not use the eGates. Citizens of Hong Kong and the United States are definitely not EU passport "users" (except for a tiny minority with dual nationality), yet they may use the eGates to exit Schengen as long as they have a biometric passport.

For those who need to figure out whether they may use the eGates or have to go to a manned booth, the facts can be found here. The rules are clear and simple: you must have a biometric passport, and the country where the passport you are traveling on was issued determines eligibility. It may or may not be a European country, it may or may not be an EU country, those are not defining criteria.

In short: the manned booth may be used by anybody and everybody, the eGates only by those eligible.

Johan

5 hours has been more than enough this morning too to clear the Schengen exit passport control at AMS, speaking of some who are doing KL CPH-AMS-US on US passports and also some adults who are on the same flights with EU passports.

Additional datapoint:
Had a ~8 hour NS > NS layover this morning (Saturday), so decided to roll the dice and take a quick trip to Leiden. Arrived from US, passing through exit immigration, taking 15 mins at 7:30am. Returned to AMS at 11am and used SkyPriority security at checkin 1-2. Initial security was 20 mins. Took a quick left to enter Non-Schengen using eGates on a US passport for an additional 10 mins.

The worst part of the excursion was the train. Many cancelled departures due to track work. Train was stuffed so full at Leiden that passengers were left at the track.

Guess that explains why KLM poached their CEO from NS : she knows how to make a mess of things. Or, more charitably, at least she knows a mess when she sees one.

Johan

So how long exactly was the wait? Were the eGates open? Did they use them?

Data points with precise information are a lot more helpful.

The whole Schiphol experience is like a roller coaster, except that when your are riding the real thing you know exactly when you are in for an uphill battle, and when things will go downhill real fast. At the airport the element of unpredictability poses a real challenge. Lines pop up and then vanish again all over the place, seemingly at any time of day.

There are only two sure-fire ways of making things easier: travel HBO, and make sure you are eligible for priority, if at all possible.

Johan

Data point: arrived today by train at 13:20. Took back door (thanks Johan) where only a visual check of BP took place; nobody in line. Stairs upstairs then turned left. In queue for 35 minutes to pass security.

Now in Lounge 25 which feels quiet. Two hours to kill, which I will spend facing the death stare of my significant other.

True. Upgraded my significant other to Economy Flex so that she could use SP today.

Should have left your SO in the non-SP line then :D

I'm in 52 right now. I had a long layover (12h) but decided not to leave the airport when I heard of the chaos outside.
It was crowded this morning until about 1300 and since then has thinned out. I've been sleeping in the Blue Bar upstairs which was quiet and had plenty of space. Some friends were in earlier and looked after my bags while I took a stroll round the airside area, checked out the mini Rijksmuseum etc.

But it was a bit crazy in the morning, including a long queue just to get in