Fewer flights, still busier than before corona: 5 questions about the May holiday at Schiphol

During the May holiday of 2019, Schiphol was overflowing with a staggering number of 5.4 million passengers. It probably won’t be that many this year, but during peak times it will be busier than three years ago. Travelers will have to brace themselves for long queues at check-in counters, security and passport control.

How can it get busier than ever when the number of flights is still less than in 2019?

This is mainly due to the shortage of staff. Whether in security, flight handling or check-in counters, there are too few employees everywhere to allow the large number of passengers who want to go on vacation or business trips to move through without too much delay. In addition, during peak hours many flights depart or arrive at the same time, so it can be even busier.

When are those peak hours and where do I stand in line?

It is especially waived if you check in at night or very early in the morning for your holiday flight with Transavia, TUI or Corendon. The first twenty Transavia flights depart between 05:00 and 07:00. Thousands of passengers must check in to Departure Hall 1 for their flight, then shuffle upstairs to pass through security. Check-in for TUI or Corendon takes place in Departure Hall 3.

Many holidaymakers fly to a destination within the Schengen area of ​​Europe. This means that they do not have to go to the Marechaussee for passport control. According to the Marechaussee, extra staff has been deployed for the May holiday. However, it can also become very busy there if many flights depart or arrive at the same time, or if there is a technical malfunction, such as this morning.

A malfunction at the automatic gates of the Marechaussee caused this chaos this morning. The Royal Netherlands Marechaussee emphasizes that it can also be busy without disruptions. Article continues below the tweet.

What is Schiphol doing to avoid crowds as much as possible?

The airport has tried to recruit as many new staff as possible in recent weeks, but is still short of thousands of employees to avoid long queues. Tomorrow Schiphol will announce how they will pull out all the stops to prevent as much chaos as possible. This will mean that travelers are asked to prepare as well as possible.

What can I do myself?

For a flight within Europe you have to be at Schiphol two hours in advance. Three hours for an intercontinental journey (ie with passport control). Make sure all travel and corona documents are in order and don’t take too much hand luggage (there are size and weight limits, and large bottles of liquid are still prohibited).

If you are traveling with children without a partner or ex-partner and if you are flying intercontinentally (including to Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao and Sint Maarten), the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee will want to view a number of documents, including a consent form from the other parent. If you do not have one with you, they must check that the child is not being kidnapped. There is a good chance that you will miss your flight and the people behind you will have to wait even longer in line.

Are there any corona measures that I should take into account?

They certainly are. Many countries still require you to show the Digital Corona Certificate (DCC) before checking in and want you to have completed a health declaration online in advance. The Netherlands also wants you to have such a statement with you when you arrive at Schiphol. If you do not have those documents in order, check-in can take much longer.

Face masks are still mandatory at Schiphol from the moment you scan your boarding pass to go to security. Travelers no longer need to wear face masks on KLM, Transavia, TUI and Corendon flights.

Last summer it was also very busy at Schiphol. The airport made many preparations, but could not prevent chaos: