BobTL

Well no I am not so sure about that. When you depart at ZYR and then continue to CDG and XYZ, you need to pick up the train ticket, because you can not check in online. This is with the TGV. This also used to work like this with Thalys, you have to pick up the train ticket at the desk. If not then it counts as an unfulfilled leg and the ticket gets canceled. However the other day I was traveling from BLL via AMS to ZWE and i got a boarding pass. I went to the Thalys desk in AMS anyway just to be sure and the agent told me that rules have changed since 2 months. No more pick up of train tickets, a boarding pass will do. But that is in a case where the itinerary starts with a flight and then the train leg.
Train, when AF/KL coded yields XP's and miles.

dldmfll

Thanks for the data point--really helpful for my planning!

I'm on DL out of AMS in J/Business Class on Sunday, November 13 and am/was concerned about making the flight even with my intent to get to the airport 4 hours before departure. Your info brought me some calm!!!! Sure hope the Sky Priority Line is open--LOL

If anyone has more first hand info the coming days, would be grateful to get continuing info.

johan rebel

AMS pax numbers in September were 17% down on 2019, yet they still managed to make a monumental mess of things.

Johan

johan rebel

Report to follow.

​​​​​​
- airport not very busy mid to late morning.

- nobody in the tents, not really much of a line at the T2 regular access point either. What passed for a line was moving along at a decent walking pace.

- No line at back door priority access, which was supervised. A colleague took that route and was in lounge 25 just 18 minutes later. I decided to use the T1 Privium access point.

- a friendly agent opened the tensabarrier for me. I had another Privium pax right behind me, apart from him no other pax in sight. Once upstairs another friendly agent directed me to a priority line with direct access to the closest checkpoint.

- nobody in line there, there was even a vacant loading bay!

- just as I was going to count my blessings a character in a Schiphol vest who would probably have preferred another kind of uniform (Sturmbannführer or so) started barking, ordering me to join the line at the nearest regular checkpoint. I still had my Privium card in my hand, but he said he didn't give a hoot, and encouraged me to file a complaint. This was obviously not a fight worth picking, so I left it at that. But . . .

- to my utter amazement the Privium gent who had been right behind me walked straight up to the loading station I had just been prevented from using, without Mr. Field Marshal saying a word. When I pointed this out to him, he suddenly became stone deaf.

- The agent supervising the loading stations for some reason held back my trays, which I had loaded at lightning speed, let the lady who arrived after me take plenty of time to load hers, and then sent them through first.

- the good news: none of my trays went to secondary. The bad: the whole process was nevertheless excruciatingly slow. The body scanner agent made me adjust my feet repeatedly until I stood exactly on the yellow gum shoes. The bag scanner agent paused the belt for each and every bag and stared at his screen for ages​​​​​​. Good Lord.

- I know the job sucks. I know pay is awful. I feel sorry for them. But the whole thing is a Muppet show. If only they could bring the operation up to speed then a lot of those lines would vanish as sneeuw voor de zon.

- Privium Express Lounge busy, but not packed. Same for Crown Lounge 52, as far as I could see as I walked past.

- Flight packed and delayed (what else is new?). Boarded on time, took four busses to get everybody to the plane, the last bringing only two pax. It was the checked luggage what done it. Again. FlightRadar24 informed me of the departure time well before the captain did, and was more accurate to boot.

- arrived late, missed train, par for the course. My last on-time KL flight was in early January.



Johan

HadesNL

johan rebel : WoW!
Are you sure you are not on a Banana Split hidden camera show?
Maybe Ralph Inbar + Patty Brard will come surprise you in the lounge exposing the joke of Privium denials

was all for some new John de Mol's Talpa reality TV-show...

pjs

Four of us flying back from a safari in KLM biz NBO-AMS-ATL in mid-January. We have a redeye from NBO-AMS arriving around 06:30. We will likely check our larger bags all the way through and store our backpacks in the lockers at AMS during the layover so we won't need to check bags at AMS, just grab our backpacks from the lockers. We plan to take the train in and visit the Anne Frank House when it opens (will get tickets). Then perhaps brunch before heading back to AMS. Of course some of this is weather-dependent, but unless it's a blizzard, we're not going to sit in a lounge for 9 hours. Our flight to ATL is at 16:50. What time would we need to be back at AMS given we are flying biz (I'm also Sky Priority if that matters)? Thanks!

malmostoso

Have brunch and get back to Schiphol around 2pm, it'll be fine (unless the situation really goes down the drain by then).

JeffersonCampervan

I keep reading that Monday is busier than other weekdays. In late January I have a AC flight back to YYZ on a Monday, which I could change to Thursday. Normally I fly carryon only, but this time I'll be checking our dog (in the hold). Generally is there a significant difference between flying Monday vs Thursday? I'm mainly concerned with the dog, not my own inconvenience.

BobSafari

Report from this morning (Friday October 14) at Schiphol. Arrived at SkyPriority check in at 6:50am, bag checked in at 7am, through security and immigration by 7:35am, and sitting almost alone on the 'mountain' of the busy but pleasant Crown Lounge 52 at 7:45am.

Pau3590

it has been chaos in Amsterdam for a long time. I don't want to consciously prolong that chaos by deliberately putting prohibited items in my hand luggage.

for a creative hobby use in tweezers with a point, or a lancing device. will security let this through? Or do I have to unpack my things and then hand them in? in that case I do not hobby on the road because then I can also vacation 3 weeks not my hobby.

see foto for the items

SkyteamEP

Transferred Non-Schengen to Schengen this morning (October 14th) around 10am. I only went through passport control, automated gates were closed, only two booth opened (one of which reserved for Privium). About 10 people in front of me in the non Privium lane.

johan rebel

Eh? There are no Privium booths. Members use the two automated iris scan checkpoints on the far right, so they don't need to queue at a manned booth. If both checkpoints are out of service, or in case of a rare random spot check, Privium members are directed to the adjacent manned booth, cutting in front of the regular line.

Johan

SkyteamEP

Both checkpoints were out of service and there was no way to access the right most booth from the tensa barrier snake.

justindstern

I am looking to travel next week ORD-AMS-WAW with a 2 hour connection. Should this be OK or would you suggest booking with another airline? Will I need to go through another security check upon landing in AMS? I don't have status with SkyTeam but I will fly in the new Premium Comfort Class, which appears to give me access to SkyPriority.

AnaTFN

It sounds like what I encountered in the S->NS transfer some weeks ago (iris scan out of service), although in that case there was no booth for Privium. That said, a week later the two iris checkpoints in the NS->S direction were operational.