The Schiphol mess

It sounds like its still an absolute disaster in AMS. Missing flights after arriving in the airport 3.5hrs early?

The summer peak travel season is over, and months more have passed to give time for hiring etc, theres no excuse for this to be ongoing.

I've witnessed KLM staff twice huff and puff over Dublin delays, insinuating it doesn't happen anywhere else

Schiphol's CEO resigned today - mostly because of the mess over the last couple of months:

"There is a lot of attention, and also criticism, for the way in which Schiphol tackles the problems and for my responsibility as CEO. I make room on my own initiative to give Schiphol the space to make a new start. I do not want the attention for my person to become an obstacle for Schiphol. 

The situation at Schiphol and what that means for our travelers and employees is close to my heart. I've done my very best, but we're not there yet. I do hope it gets better soon. I love Schiphol. Managing this company was a great honor for me."

Had the displeasure of transiting through Schipol on Friday evening. Arrived from the middle east and was transiting through to Dublin with hand luggage only.

The Transfer desks in the arrive terminal were closed. I was told to sit in a specific seat and told that someone would personally walk me up to the Transfer desk. Having waiting 45 mins, 10 of us were walked 25mins through the back corridors in the airport to another Transfer area where we were just dumped. there must have been 4,000 plus people queuing.

2 hours of queuing at security in order to transfer and I had only made it a third of the way. Priority lanes were closed so ended up chancing my arm about feeling unwell and was brought up to the front the queue - must have skipped 2,000 people in the queue.

Bag scanning was a complete mess. Took about 45 mins to get through ~15 people in the queue in front of me. 5 G4S staff members tending to one workstation to examine bags that needed an additional check. My bag sat there for 20mins while they rebooted the single terminal that was causing "issues". G4S staff sat around not giving the slightest damn and looked bemused when I asked whether they could physically search my bag a a fall back as opposed to waiting for an image to view.

Got to the gate in time and the flight was boarded largely on-time. Swissport staff weren't checking passport incidentally.

After boarding, and having sat there for ~45 mins, the pilot announced that the luggage from the arriving flight was still on the plan and the luggage for the departing flight hasn't been loaded yet. Proceeded to give passengers the choice to wait up to 4 hours for a luggage crew or depart with the arriving flights luggage and no departing flight luggage.

When they finally made the decision to abandon the luggate, they were unable to get a tractor to push the flight back. That took another 45 mins.

I have travelled extensively and experienced airports in developing economies. I can honestly say that I have never witnessed dysfunction like it anywhere else. Everything was a mess with the exception of that both airlines had control over.

He discussed it with passengers and debated whether he would have to made the decision in conjunction with passengers or whether Aer Lingus Ops would make a decision on it.

We departed Amsterdam with the luggage from the arriving flight on the plane. And zero luggage for departing passengers loaded. Well, except for 5 prams.

Ordinarily yes, yet approval can be given. As for the fired comment above, this is a grown up forum.

This happened in the madness of early summer in Dublin too more than once.

Thats an absolutely shocking report. How are they still so short staffed / badly operating heading towards the end of September? It was problematic in DUB and loads of UK airports in June but that was at least understandable, if frustrating. There can't be any excuse for ops still being so badly run now in late September though.

It happened friends flying from Schiphol to Dublin in July too. Their bags arrived the next day

By all accounts, logistics descended into complete chaos.

Their daily passenger cap, already lowered in July, has now been reduced by a further 18% and will be in place until at least November.

Unless over the age of 60, experiencing mobility issues or heavily pregnant, no one appreciates the arsehole in the queue who deems himself/herself more important than the other 2000 people in front of them, all with their own flight connections.

All for helping anyone who may have a gravely ill parent at the end of their journey, are best man at a wedding in eight hours etc but not someone who walks past others, faking an illness, simply to make it home for his/her Friday night.

Plenty of people are used to not having to queue at airports, myself included, yet thankfully not many think they are entitled to it.

Was also there last week having previously sworn never again after a disaster earlier in the summer.

If I had known it was that easy to skip the queue, would have tried the old batting eyelashes routine! 

I'm looking at flights in November, The options are a 90 minute transfer in either schilpol or CDG, should I even be considering schipol?

I wouldn't go near either with a 90 minute transfer. I'd be hoping for 2 hours minimum.

Only takes a small delay on the inbound flight to turn into a big slot delay on the outbound and then you've missed your connection. Both airlines are pretty good for rerouting if that happens tho.

Before 2022 I'd also have always said AMS. As it is now, if theres no lengthier connection option than 90min at either airport, I'd probably book based on the availability of the next flight to your destination after your intended one. Account for the worst case scenario of if you have to get rerouted to the next one.