Many problems arise when passengers buy tax-free liquids at their departure airport that are collected again at Schiphol. This regularly leads to rude comments, heated arguments and in some cases intervention by the Military Police.
For years, passengers at Schiphol were allowed to carry more than 100 milliliters of liquid per package, but that is now the limit. And that takes some getting used to for many people. It took a lot of getting used to, says Maas: “Because the airport suddenly had to return to the old European rules, there was confusion among passengers. And that really causes more aggression.”
Often business class passengers
It is striking that business class passengers seem to be involved in incidents more often, says Maas. “Discussions with the security guards revealed that these travelers systematically, not only around the liquid rules, cause more incidents. It seems that they are less willing to comply with the rules, while they have always been the same for them as for other passengers.”
Schiphol itself says it has not received any signals that the number of aggressive passengers has increased due to the new rules, but ‘we strongly disapprove of aggression against staff,’ says a spokesperson. “One incident is one too many.”
The rules had to be adjusted because Schiphol was too far ahead of other airports with its modern liquid scanners, which cost millions. European regulations require all airports to use the same standard.