​​​​​​
Oh ok. I guess that's good news for us if the data is actually true

Before the pandemic, I always shopped around and bought from whichever agent was willing to sell the ticket the cheapest.

Since the pandemic...not so much!!

Transavia has announced that pax with tickets for flights departing from AMS may opt to depart from RTM or EIN instead. For free, as long as the new flight is on the same day and to the same destination.

Johan

I've been automatically rebooked onto FlyBe the next morning out of LCY but opted to fly KL from LHR the same day instead… where everything was of course a giant mess so I could still collect my EUR 350 voucher. Best of both worlds really.

Nothing beats the ability to just walk across the skybridge from your hotel to the terminal but I have stayed at hotels in Hoofddorp when the Hilton has been too high and I wasn't arriving or departing at extreme hours - then I would stay at the Hilton, no matter the price! There's a brand new InterCity Hotel that has rates going for about €75 per night and seems to be less than a 5 minute walk from the station. The frequent train is only one stop and is (I think) €4. Good luck and please report back!

The walk to and from the Sheraton is shorter by almost 1 kilometer. You also get the slightly quirky/millennial Citizen M, which should be more affordable than the Hilton or Sheraton. You do need to go outdoors to get there, but the walk is almost entirely under cover.

Johan

I did the Yotel airside this past week. It's expensive for what you get but I slept well enough - arriving 22:30 and leaving 07:45.
Odd feeling waking up inside the terminal.

Did they reopen T1A? Last I've seen, LH Group was operating from T1 checkin row like 3.

Flights today show check in 1-3, so unless it's a workday only change, it's still Departures 1. (and frankly, good riddance. If dropped off by car, it was ok-ish, but from train you're looking at a loong walk to T1A to drop off bags, then a loong walk back to either Privium or *A/A26 lounge, then a looong walk to B gates...)

Depends on how much you value 30 extra minutes of sleep in the early morning. It's not a problem to arrive at the airport from Centraal by train (every couple of minutes), but on-site hotel means you either can sleep longer, or sleep the same and arrive at the airport before the worst of the morning peak starts.

I'd always expect that they are cancelling because they know there's almost 0 chance someone will want to ride from the airport to the city at 4:30 in the morning. So they have to return empty.

Citizen M has a shower in the middle of the room, and a tablet to control everything. But it works. Hoofdorp has options. I'm partial to cheap hotels by Amsterdam Sluiterdijk station -- think Hoofdorp, but towards the city. Yes, you lose maybe 15 minutes vs. the Hilton.
On the other hand, hotels served by a shuttle are not ideal at AMS. Some of those serve five properties and take half an hour. Either go walking distance, or take Hoofdorp/Sluiterdijk.
(Okay, I remember a Mercure once that was served by shuttle and wasn't bad. Just know what you're getting into).

If you are price conscious then Hoofdorp, Sloterdijk and Zuid are all perfectly fine locations with very easy access to Schiphol- as others have said, you might lose around 15-20 minutes compared with the Hilton and Sheraton, which is a minor inconvenience, especially as the chances are you will need to leave loads of time anyway for the Schiphol security and passport control circus.

So I actually spoke with BA regarding this ticket. To change the destination it was coming out to $10k per person :D

I even asked about moving the AMS flight a day later so I could short check the bags to LHR, and they quoted me a measly $8k per person fare difference. What a steal :p

For what it's worth I've once had a vaguely similar situation a few years ago where I wanted to short-check a bag to LHR. In my case I checked in with AA for my first leg, and they wouldn't do it, but it wasn't any issue at all having the bag pulled at LHR. I just asked at a BA help desk in LHR after deplaning and my bag showed up on one of the belts within half an hour. If you have lots of time between arrival and the first LHR-NCE flight anyway...

Plus I wouldn't be surprised if BA let you short-check it even without an overnight connection, in my experience they are more flexible about that sort of stuff than US carriers.

Amen.

Given all the issues with Schiphol right now, is it best to check one's luggage or strictly use carry-on? I have a flight in mid-August from AMS to ORD at 11:00 am. Will not get to Schiphol until 8:30 am. From what I am reading, this may not be enough time to check-in and go through security. Flying Business Class with United if that makes any difference.

Does anyone know if it is best to check luggage or use carry-on luggage for flights from Amsterdam to the US? We are flying Business Class with United in mid-August from AMS to ORD. The flight is at 11:00 am and we will not be able to be at Schiphol before 8:30 am. From what I have been reading about this airport, I have concerns that we will not make our flight and want to try everything possible to expedite our way through the airport. Any assistance will be greatly appreciated.