From this Friday, Schiphol will launch a pilot project whereby only passengers scheduled to depart within four hours will be admitted to the departure hall. In addition, Schiphol requests passengers to bring as little baggage as possible. Schiphol is taking these measures to reduce crowding at the check-in desks and security control and to speed up passenger flow.
During the May holidays, we immediately started with the development and implementation of measures to tackle the long queues at the airport. These measures are part of the previously presented action plan for the summer, and aim to ensure a pleasant experience at Schiphol. Simulations have shown that this is the most efficient way to speed up passenger flow through security control. We will of course keep a close eye on the situation.
By only admitting passengers scheduled to depart within four hours to the departure hall, the airport wants to prevent passengers queue up too early for the check-in desks and security control. The experience in recent weeks has shown that some passengers arrive more than four hours before their scheduled departure time. This leads to longer queues, while their check-in desk has not even opened yet.
In consultation with the airlines, Schiphol requests passengers to bring as little baggage as possible. We ask passengers to place their hand baggage into their hold baggage or to bring only one piece of hand baggage. Passengers with hand baggage only who have checked in online may pass straight on to security control.
Schiphol expects that passenger numbers in the lead-up to the summer holidays will be similar to those in the May holidays, including at the weekends. Schiphol will make every effort to keep waiting times as short as possible. Therefore, the current measures, such as deploying extra personnel, including members of our office staff, will remain in place.
Action plan
Last week, Schiphol presented its Summer 2022 Action Plan. The plan comprises four lines of action: recruiting staff, making working at Schiphol appealing, optimising passenger flow and making operations feasible. This plan features actions on the part of Schiphol to ensure effective management of the high volume of travellers expected over the summer.