Bogwoppit

So cute silver lining, as the long line passed the “oversized bagged” window. The man there was handing out Snickers chocolate bars randomly. Clearly just something he does to lift the mood. I was a lucky recipient.

we also noted that the security staff in general were in good moods. Considering the job they do, we were impressed. Even in normal times the Montreal (home airport) security staff can be decidedly gnarly.

HadesNL

Just in:

Unannounced strike by cleaning staff!

These are the ones cleaning the aircraft,
cleaning the lounges,
whom are ineligable to receive the summer bonus extra offered by Schiphol.

This summer bonus was agreed upon by Schiphol with unions FNV/CNV to be:
- months: june, juli en august € 5,25 p/h extra added to their wages (before taxes)
- max €840 a month extra (before taxes)
- for all staff working at Schiphol airport
- to make Schiphol an attractive employer

https://nos.nl/artikel/2433377-wilde...rs-op-schiphol

https://www.telegraaf.nl/financieel/...ol-uitgebroken

https://www.ad.nl/binnenland/fnv-wil...w.google.nl%2F

https://www.nu.nl/economie/6207571/w...reizigers.html

https://www.luchtvaartnieuws.nl/nieu...en-op-schiphol


* add this to the improbability factor of Benschot remaining firmly seated at his Schiphol throne....

jerry_greece

Interesting! So there is a checkpoint there? Do they check your status or your BP?

Bogwoppit

boarding pass, it has your status on it.

CyBeR

Interesting, I have never been stopped by an employee at those stairs when coming from the SkyPriority check-in desks.

They must have been instructed specifically to stop non-priority pax from tagging along with priority pax now that it's extremely busy, keeping the priority line a reasonable length.

atflyer

Another data point: arriving from the UK from LCY this morning (Monday 20 June ) after a horrible experience in Heathrow T3 where a late arrival of DL3 and the need to go through security there again made me and at least a dozen others made me miss my connection to AMS. Bus drop at D. Immigration from D again seems to be open, but they were stopping people before the escalators in some square area indicated with liners - I had the impression at least 50-75 people waiting there. I quickly looked at the non-Schengen-Schengen immigration and long queues there too. I then recalled there is another way out near the E-gates, there you could go directly down to the passport control area, and that looked as on the picture below. They had the electronic passport check boots closed 'since the duty officer has to have lunch too' as the one poor support person managing the crowd explained (it was 11.30 at that moment). The line for EU passports took me 20-30 minutes. I estimate the line for non-EU double that time. Due to 1-2 very irritated persons not a nice atmosphere too. Luckily the KMAR checking my pass was in good spirits.

Anyone considering to visit Amsterdam during a 4-5 hour stopover should be aware of this. If lines are so long, best stay airside.

Heathrow experience here, Status of Air France-KLM at LHR Terminal 4, post 16

johan rebel

I should hope so.

I sent the pics I posted here (#843) to Privium's head honcho, who forwarded them to those in charge of queue management. They replied that they would supervise that access point to the extent that staff resources allowed.

Johan

Digicola

Queue to passport control had to be stopped (I believe because it was too crowded downstairs) leading to this mayhem. It was backed up all the way up to the first D gates.





No photos but the queue for the transfer desk in the schengen area was also backed up to the seats by gate C5.

Delayed departures at gate C9, 11 and 13 meant disgruntled passengers were absolutely everywhere in that part of the pier. Nice chaotic day.

odie11

Same thing happened to my husband and I in April with AA Platinum status. There was not a single person in the priority security lane but the other lane snaked round and round and was being held up at the bottom of the stairs but the woman refused to let us both through the priority security - only the one with status.

It cracks me up because my Dutch friends all love to tell me how efficient the Dutch systems are, far superior to ours in America. I sat there laughing thinking, "Oh how very efficient." Meanwhile watching handfuls of locals cutting under the line holders, around people standing in front of them and literally jumping over the barricades..

mediator

Are arriving flights affected by the long wait? Will arrive on TP from LIS early afternoon, no checked bag.

UVAhoo06

I'm scheduled to fly in early August from MAD-AMS-HAM, and when I checked my reservation, my AMS-HAM shows as cancelled. What's strange, though, is that when I go to the KLM website in search of alternatives, I notice that the cancelled segment is operating. Can anyone make sense of this discrepancy? Is this KLM's horrible IT infrastructure, or is a money grab where they're taking people's money and then making them jump through hoops to get it back?

johan rebel

According to Luchtvaartnieuws, Airport Coordination Netherlands has ordered KLM to cut the number of departing AMS pax by an average of just under 7,000 per day in July. In any which way, that's up to the airline.

Needless to say, while ACNL is dealing with this crisis, their CEO is in Seattle attending a W22 scheduling conference. Guess he must've taken a leaf from Benschop's book.

Johan

etiene

I mean if you didn't qualify for access then it's not about efficiency, the agent would be correct. That said I thought oneworld benefits applied to companions on the same itinerary?

odie11

Exactly and we tried to tell her that but she turned around and pointed to the big patch on her back that read "SCHIPOL" and said, "Do you see this? Only the passenger with status can go through today. The lines are too long." Right...the line she made us go into, the other line was empty.

atflyer

What time was that Digicola? As described above I passed that queue at D for going down to passport control when it was still just 50-100 people at 11.20 am or so, and then it was still doable to get out in 30 minutes via the E-gate passport control. But this would have been absolute horror, glad I had a morning flight.