StuckOnSegments

Flying AMS-OSL, boarding starts 30 minutes prior to departure. I board the bus. We arrive at the plane approximately 15 mins prior to departure.

We then proceed to wait 30
minutes in the bus, without an update, packed like sardines. Finally, the pilot boards the bus and informs us that there is an issue with the aircraft. We wait another 15 minutes and then finally arrive at our new plane.

In total, we were on the bus approximately 50 minutes, in Tokyo-subway like conditions, with no ventilation. I know bad things happen, and I don’t even mind a minor delay(looking like 50 minutes at this point). However, sticking 50+ people in a bus for 50 minutes is ridiculous, especially with a pandemic. If the aircraft is not ready, they shouldn’t begin boarding the bus. That seems relatively simple to me.

KLM needs to do better. That is a ridiculous experience to inflict on a customer.

irishguy28

I had a polar opposite experience yesterday. The first bus trundled off, not even half full. As it was raining heavily, the driver aligned the front door with the end if the steps, and only the front door was used for boarding. It was the most civilised bus boarding process I have ever seen, from KLM or any other airline!

But I know Johan recently reported a bus experience like the OP's in the "Mess" thread.

mfkne

It may shock you, but people commute by train, metro or bus and experience this every day.

That would unnecessarily delay things and you'd be waiting at the gate. Probably like 90% of the time the plane does not have a malfunction - why should you wait until the plane is absolutely positively ready for departure (i.e. fully catered and configured for departure) to start boarding?

The real news in this report is that they found a new plane in such a short time.

KLBGO

What pandemic?

johan rebel

I should hope that most of them at least have decent ventilation/airco, which seems to be a problem for those fancy "solar-powered" green-washed electric buses they use at Schiphol. Wouldn't at all surprise me if the drivers have been instructed to use as little power as possible in order to lengthen the time between visits to the charging station.

Johan

b12e

Copenhagen's Metro does not have ventilation or AC as far as I can tell. It becomes very hot very fast and people during rush hour are crammed in it like sardines, despite the frequency they run (2-3 minutes for the next one).

Let alone when there's a concert like the ginger pop icon's 4 concerts in Amager, where I had to let 7 metros pass until I could get crammed into one (with a shoe spoon, I might add)

johan rebel

Eeks!

When waiting for a train from Ørestad to CPH one nasty winter's day back in February, I popped up to the Metro station just to have a look. The cold and windy platform was packed with passengers, who were just being told over the loudspeakers that the service had been disrupted. Looking in the direction of the Royal Arena, I could see a train at a dead standstill on the tracks, with no apparent intention of going anywhere anytime soon. I suspect that those waiting pax might have preferred sharing each other's body heat in a cosy metro carriage to waiting on that platform.

Johan

b12e

yeah, metro line 1's "high above the ground" metro stations are actually a pain in winter. Same for some of line 2's stations. I'm lucky enough mine is "below ground level" but still in open air. No nasty cold wind in winter, but still a nice fresh breeze of air when coming out of the waaay too hot trains in summer.

GUWonder

Clicked on the thread about bus boarding at AMS and found a thread about public transport for Copenhagen.

….. and not a word previously about Movia buses in Copenhagen having AC but the drivers not using the AC as much as possible during the warmest days of summer.

b12e

I never take a bus here 😅

johan rebel

That an expert on Movia buses and their (lack of) air conditioning should turn up here surely proves that serendipity is still alive and kicking.

Now I know nothing whatsoever about public transportation buses in Copenhagen. I don't think I've ever been on one, so I shall do the sensible thing and refrain from expressing an opinion or offering advice. To me, buses are vehicles that take me to or from aircraft every so often. Fortunately, this thread actually is about such buses, and unfortunately, I have quite some experience traveling on them. My Schiphol bus adventures lead me to the conclusion that I would prefer to avoid them, if I could. But since I'm not in charge of gate allocation, I cannot.

How about you? What's your experience with these buses and the whole busing process at AMS? Positive? Negative? Hot? Cold? Sweaty?

Johan