They sit together, somewhat defeated, outside on a planter, just in front of the main entrance of departure hall 2. Ronald, a red-headed fifties, and his son, an adolescent, are scrolling on their smartphones at the same time.
Father and son would go to Bonaire for two weeks. They were at Schiphol Airport well before half past ten. They stood in line for hours. And when it was almost their turn, the luggage counter closed.
Yes, they could fly along, but not their luggage. Ronald points to a wall of four large suitcases stacked next to him. “Computer says no, you may go”, he laughs. “I understand a lot, but this … this is difficult.” They went to the counter to rebook the tickets. But there was little to book. Advice: go home. Ticket prices, meanwhile, are exploding. Two one-way tickets now cost them 5,900 euros.
On Saturday morning, a wild strike by KLM’s baggage staff caused a heart attack throughout Schiphol. On one of the busiest days of the year – the May holidays have started in some parts of the country – around 150 employees unexpectedly laid down their jobs, resulting in long queues and canceled flights.
According to Joost van Doesburg, Schiphol campaign manager at the FNV trade union, the airline’s platform staff is “furious” about their employment conditions. They fear for their position because of KLM’s plan to outsource part of their work to an independent handling company.
A4 exits closed
At half past eleven, Schiphol called on travelers not to come to the airport because of the crowds. Around noon, the exits to Schiphol on the A4 were closed in an attempt to control the crowds somewhat.
Schiphol employees close departure halls 1 and 2 with red and white ribbons on Saturday morning to channel the crowds. They are almost attacked by desperate travelers who don’t understand anything anymore.
Travelers are especially frustrated about the varying advice they receive. Nicolai Kiepe is waiting with his family in a corner between the rows. Their body language betrays that the flight has already been missed. Yet they remain at the airport. “Yes, you can leave,” says Nicolai, “but then I lose all my rights.” He is an experienced traveler, but “he has never experienced this”.
Like many others, it eventually became clear to him that after hours of shuffling in a crowded hall, the flight to Miami would no longer be successful. “We were all referred to the rebooking desk.” There he and his family again stood in line for nearly an hour until it became clear that he should have taken a number. He shows on his phone a message from 11:15 am that it is his turn in 79 minutes. It is now half past three.
Also read: Collective Labor Agreement for baggage employees to avoid ‘race to the bottom’ at the airport
Problems before
But there’s more to it than a wildcat strike. The American Kathlyn Guigui was also in this row with her daughter on Friday. The flight to New York with KLM was eventually canceled for unclear reasons. First she would be late, then she heard that the flight was ‘overbooked’.
Many foreigners seem to know absolutely nothing about the strike. According to them, that was not announced in the morning.
The flight of publisher and magazine maker Carolien Vader was canceled for the second time this week on Saturday. First on Thursday, for reasons that are unclear to her. She had been waiting for the flight to Bilbao for five hours on Saturday morning when it was announced that boarding would start in 15 minutes. “Cheers in the hall. But moments later it was said that the flight was cancelled.”
‘KLM does not communicate’
Father is particularly annoyed by the poor provision of information. “We have been working all day with four adults to get in touch through the most diverse channels. I know that KLM is struggling with staff shortages, but there is no communication with them. The chatbot is silent, the webcare on Twitter no longer responds. Messenger via Facebook is dead, let alone the phone. Total radio silence.”
She left without a suitcase. Her luggage was already taken when the flight was cancelled, but she doesn’t know how to get it back. “The problem is manageable for me, but your mother will just be dying.”
After noon, ground crews resumed work, but the chaos continued for several hours. KLM said in a statement that it understood that “these disruptions at the start of the May holiday have a major impact on passengers and colleagues”. The airline promised to “do everything possible” to “get everyone at their destination.”
Carolien Vader understands the actions of the staff. “That is sick of the particulate matter, their safety is at stake, while the KLM management receives millions of bonuses.” She does have some advice for the airline. “Maybe KLM could put that money into staff.”
Mmv Flori Hofman