Schiphol has informed airlines and travel organizations that an average of 3,500 local departing passengers per day are expected to be too many in and around the two weeks of the autumn break. A solution must be found for them, such as moving their flights to regional airports. Rotterdam The Hague Airport has already announced that they have no space more.
“The aim of setting a maximum is to guarantee safety for travelers and employees and to create a reliable process at the airport. All efforts are aimed at minimizing the consequences for travelers. The independent slot coordinator (ACNL) will consult with all airlines on the basis of capacity made available by Schiphol.
The airport continues: “The number of security personnel that can be deployed continues to increase. It was previously announced that approximately 200 new security guards will be recruited from August, and another 80 security guards are expected to join from October. The deployment of so-called ‘security coaches’ also helps to optimize the flow in the terminal. However, the maximum number of travelers per day is slightly lower than in August. This is due to the so-called seasonal effect: travelers use more bins at security control after the summer, because they wear more clothing, such as jackets, mountain boots and vests. As a result, it takes a little longer before all hand luggage and the traveler are checked.”
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Transavia says it is “doing everything it can” to allow as many people as possible to travel. What the exact impact will be is as yet unknown, more clarity will follow in a week and a half. TUI also states that it is currently unknown what the consequences will be for travelers. For example, the slots at Schiphol for that period are not yet known. Still, the spokesperson is confident that autumn holidays can continue. “We can do it in the summer, so it should also work in the fall.”
ANVR director Frank Oostdam says he is “disappointed” in Schiphol’s decision. He had hoped that the airport would have solved the problems during the summer holidays. “We see that Schiphol is making progress, for example by hiring extra security guards. It is disappointing that the problems seem to continue to fester until November. This again creates hassle with customers who will be disappointed.”
Monday, the first day of August, there were again long queues at Schiphol. Travelers complained that they missed their flight even though they were at the airport four hours in advance. On Tuesday, the situation at the airport appears to be a lot more ‘manageable’.
