According to Schiphol, a smooth course of the May holiday will be a ‘major challenge’. Too few staff are employed, employment agencies cannot meet the demand for temporary employees and there are many reports of sick leave. Schiphol warns against long queues, delays and cancellations, and calls on travelers to arrive on time.
A smooth course of the May holiday will be a challenge for Schiphol – NH Nieuws / Doron Sajet
The airport is counting on 174,000 travelers per day for the next two weeks. The busiest times of the day are between 7am and 10am, and at 2pm. There are still fewer flights than before the corona pandemic, but during those peak times the terminals can be fuller than ever before.
“Removing flights is not the best solution. Ultimately, the Netherlands just wants to go on holiday”
Security companies are preparing for waiting times of up to 45 minutes. Flight handling companies do not have enough staff to load and unload suitcases on time, for example.
Extra busy this weekend
It will be even more busy this weekend. Many participants leave the Invictus Games, who, for example, are in a wheelchair due to a disability. In addition, fewer runways are available due to maintenance and unfavorable wind direction. As a precaution, flights will be canceled and delays are insurmountable.
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Despite the expected crowds, flying holidays have been booked en masse. Schiphol and the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee call on travelers to prepare well for the May holiday. “We notice that many passengers arrive at the airport quite late,” says Operations Director Patricia Vitalis of Schiphol. Vitalis emphasizes that a minimum of two hours should be allowed for European flights within the Schengen area.
More than three hours in advance at Schiphol
For intercontinental flights, where travelers also have to go through passport control, arriving three hours in advance is necessary. Schiphol will ask passengers to arrive even earlier at very busy times.
“People are no longer used to going on vacation or business trips,” said Colonel Elwin van der Molen of the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee. “That’s what we see in the behaviour. They come late, they don’t have things in order and that is something we now ask a lot of attention for.”
Not structurally cancel flights
Schiphol has not responded to the call from the FNV trade union to structurally cancel flights due to the staff shortage. “In the end, the Netherlands just wants to go on holiday. The flights are full,” says Vitalis. “In that sense, removing flights further is not the best solution, I think. It piles up in the other flights that are there.”