evol

If am flying in on KL from Berlin and have a separate ticket on UA to USA and I am NOT CHECK BAGS. If I check in online with UA and have a BP on my phone will I be able to transfer from within the secure areas of the terminal?
Is there a Fast Track for *A elites to move though to S>NS screening process?

I had planned to check my luggage on both flights but have reconsidered for obvious reasons!

GUWonder

Without checked luggage, you should be able to make your way airside to the Schengen exit passport control and get to the UA gate without having to go land-side and/or re-clearing general passenger security at AMS. No fast track passport control based on *G status at AMS.

FlyingFrZ

I had this exact same situation last year. BER-AMS on KL and then transferring to AA AMS-DFW on a completely different reservation. I didn't even have my boarding pass and I had no issue checking in and having it printed right at the gate after making my way through exit control airside.

mitellic

Haven't departed from AMS before and am due to on a Tues early Aug on a 7.15 AMS-FCO flight in J on KLM. After seeing the queues and messages one would think that it is necessary to arrive 3-4 hours before your flight, but for a 7am departure this seems like madness.

Does anyone have experience of how busy the queues are around 5-6am at the moment?

robert4travels

Since a lot of charter flights leave very early it can get very busy early morning, but it's difficult to say this far out. But if you are in J (European business class) on KLM, then you get Sky Priority and have access to the priority security line. As per the wiki on top of this post, arriving 1.5-2 hours before departure time should be enough time.

KLflyerRalph

That was probably Schiphol personell then who are often clueless about status. Next time he should go for the main entrance which is staffed by KLM agents.

Brendan88

Last weekend, the guy at the back gate also checked my and another persons boarding pass when comming from the sp check in desk. So depending on who is at the back gate this will not always work.

KLflyerRalph

That’d also mean that companions of Skyprio pax are sent back? Can’t imagine Plat/Gold flyers that take their family on holiday are thrilled about this.

FlyingBlonde89

Agree- after this a few weeks ago the preference was definitely to queue rather than risk another mini drama.

FlyingBlonde89

So you both had entered thorough the front of SP and before heading up the escalator for security your boarding passes were checked? Never seen this. Wow. They must be locking it down.

FlyingBlonde89

I can't imagine this happening... there's been a few times when I've had questions about my companion not being SP but a simple 'we're travelling together' has always resolved it. (That said if it were a family of 5+ it's a bit different to one adult travel companion being waved through.)

etiene

There's a boarding pass scanner [and a Privium gate] at the start of the security line upstairs isn't there? There are one-way gates at that back entrance - the one way being out of the SP area. Silvers who check-in are presumably meant to exit via that and head for normal security, but if they head upstairs should get bounced by the gates and sent towards the normal line [approaching from the other side to general passengers].

On the information you've given so far, your other half was correctly rejected [as were all the other Silvers]. No Silvers have priority security solely as a consequence of their status. Admittedly the priority check-in but not security is a somewhat awkward and potentially confusing distinction - but it was applied correctly.

FlyingBlonde89

I'm not debating whether or not it's the correct procedure (which I think is pretty clear from my comments) my point is that it's a strange setup (versus CDG where there is mostly a true split between SP in security and priority check-in) and odd way to spend resource if people are actually being bumped from inside the area (policing internal SP area versus policing the back gate of SP).

Seems like I'm not the only one who thinks the approach is odd.

Also a bit strange that I have never (when was silver 4 or so years ago) been asked to leave the SP area after checking in or seen anyone ever asked to leave the area for being Silver-can't imagine Silver passengers being bumped from the area being considered a good user experience... makes far more sense to just have them use a priority lane at regular checkin to avoid drama and awkwardness.

dubistokay

I can confirm that I was checked before entering the SP check-in area AND after going up the SP escalator passing through the Privium gate upstairs. Many people turned away, presumably Silvers who made use of the SP check-in.

Does anyone have experience with getting access to SP check-in and security by showing their ST E+ status with another airline? I understand from this forum and the ST website that this is indeed a benefit, however am yet to see any real-life reports. In my case, I'd have FB Silver on my boarding pass and be able to present a separate ITA ST E+ card.

CyBeR

The scanner gate does not reject silvers or for that matter anyone with a valid boarding pass. Normally (i.e. outside of meltdown times) people coming from the SP check-in area aren't checked by staff either, so while priority security isn't a perk of FB silver, defacto it is as they just walk up the stairs after checkin in at the SP desks.