[CheerUp]

Returned from AMS last night.

Queue for security snaking across the upper tier of the concourse, and closeto making way down the stairs.

Estimate 2.5-3 hours of waiting. Check in desk queues looked just as bad.

One particular irate passenger on flight home suggested he was stuck in queue and missed earlier flight – mentioned waiting for 5 hours.

Never been so pleased/fortunate for security fast track – through and cleared ppt control within 20 minutes.

BA lounge closed ‘for exciting developments’ – making Aspire lounge next door incredibly busy.

1 user thanked author for this post.

DerekVH

[FrequentTraveller]

[postquote quote=1234110]

Incorrect. On GWR at least a full refund is not given for delays of just 15 minutes. The compensation is a sliding scale depending how bad the delay in reaching your destination. The amounts also vary depending on whether a single or return ticket was purchased. For single tickets a delay of at least 60 minutes is required to get a 100% refund, on return tickets a delay of at least 120 minutes is required to get a 100% refund.

For further details see
https://www.gwr.com/help-and-support/refunds-and-compensation/delay-repay

I can’t comment for other rail operators.

[Tom Otley]

Thameslink is excellent at paying by Delay Repay.
It is because they have had plenty of practice!
I often claim using the app before I have even finished my (delayed) journey

[AMcWhirter]

Hello FrequentTraveller, I hear what you say but I have written a couple of articles on Delay Repay in the past few years regarding Delay Repay.

I realise the rules differ from TOC to TOC and therefore I did use the word “some” rather than “all”.

Certainly in the case of an EMR journey I made in early 2020 (just before the pandemic) my train was late by around 16 or 17 mins. This was the fault of poor line control which had allocated a path to another (probably late running) train.

Anyway I had booked direct online with EMR. I applied for Delay Repay and the compensation was paid into my account a couple of days later.

[rferguson]

I have a trip coming up on KLM Madrid – Amsterdam – Mexico City with a 55min transit in AMS which I am a little anxious about. My booked flight is departing MAD at 11am although there is a departure at 6am also. I’m tempted to reach out to KLM to see if they will rebook me on that savage departure time. Or, are things relatively back to normal for AMS transit?

[TimFitzgeraldTC]

[postquote quote=1235796]

I believe transit is much calmer (Hopefully somone on here with 1st hand knowledge can reply). It is for those wanting to board at AMS and clear airport security that is the big issue. However given everything going on I’d say no harm at all in seeing they’ll put you onto the earlier flight

1 user thanked author for this post.

rferguson

[ViajeroUK]

Transitted Schiphol last month Non-Schengen to Non-Schengen very smoothly, no delays.

Potential hurdle for your trip will be passport control from Schengen to Non-Schengen. Staffing issues could mean that only a limited number of passport ‘gates’ are manned, although there is usually one line for people with short connection time, with airport staff on hand to assist.

1 user thanked author for this post.

rferguson

[rferguson]

Out of interest….

Does EU261 apply during missed connections due to the chaos at the airport?

I mean I guess on the one hand KLM could argue its a situation outside its control.

On the other, the airport could argue KLM is unrealistic in allowing 50min transits at the moment.

[AMcWhirter]

In fact Schiphol’s MCT for Schengen-Schengen is 40 mins.

Its MCTs have not changed for many many years. Certainly not by much, if any, since that single terminal opened in 1967.

I suspect, as we have reported before in Business Traveller, that some European hubs maintain these short MCTs because they receive a better display in GDSs and therefore enable them to compete better with certain long-haul rivals who seek to tap their traffic flows between global regions.

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Swissdiver, rferguson

[AMcWhirter]

A few days ago a KLM flight arrived at Birmingham and passengers found that none of their luggage had been loaded at Schiphol.

One of the KLM onboard team was quoted as telling passengers en route “I’m very sorry but your baggage will follow after. This isn’t the usual service expected of KLM but it is due to a shortage of ground staff [at Schiphol].”

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/birmingham-airport-klm-chaos-none-25285518

[AMcWhirter]

KLM is blaming staff shortages and the Schiphol capacity cuts.

In total it’s reported that’s almost 700,000 seats.

It will remove almost 3,000 flights from its schedules between October 30 and December 31.

These include many flights to both London Heathrow and City.

Most affected flights have already been removed from KLM’s inventory but it’s just as well readers check their flight status during the above period.

Report is from Luchtvaartnieuws.nl [NL]

https://www.luchtvaartnieuws.nl/nieuws/categorie/2/airlines/klm-schrapt-bijna-3000-europese-retourvluchten-in-de-komende-twee-maanden?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

[GivingupBA]

My wife transited through AMS 5 days ago. She was on KLM in economy for the whole flight (which was NCL – AMS- Seoul). It was about 3 PM in AMS. She told me getting through AMS was smooth, and quick with no problems. Hope this helps.

6 users thanked author for this post.

tomwjsimpson, AMcWhirter, CheerUp, Jacob, rferguson, Tom Otley

[CheerUp]

[postquote quote=1237758]

Good to hear, presumably she would however have stayed airside, and therefore likely to not have experienced the security/check in issues?
Hopefully problems are starting to diminish.

1 user thanked author for this post.

tomwjsimpson

[AMcWhirter]

[quote quote=1237758]My wife transited through AMS 5 days ago. She was on KLM in economy for the whole flight (which was NCL – AMS- Seoul). It was about 3 PM in AMS. She told me getting through AMS was smooth, and quick with no problems. Hope this helps.[/quote]

Many thanks for the feedback.

It makes sense.

As an airport terminal originally designed for transit travel there is *normally* less of a problem changing flights (especially if non-Schengen to non-Schengen) provided travellers allow ample connecting time.

Good that the time was noted as congestion can depend on the time of day, day of the week and so on.

1 user thanked author for this post.

tomwjsimpson

[TominScotland]

So I flew GLA-AMS-SVG Sunday evening and back last night with dire warnings online from KLM about delays and offering re-booking options. Sunday was a breeze through passport control as the e-gates were fully open and my EU passport a boon, given the queues faced by others (ie. the Brits). Last night, all e-gates were closed and only 2 desks were open for a snaking queue of all nationalities. Very slow because all non-EU passports need to be stamped. Just a quick glance at mine….

As an aside, I was in Lounge 52 in the run up to the Wales – England game and lots of folk anxious to watch. At about 3 minutes to kick-off, coverage of the game was replaced by Gridiron (Dutch sense of humour?) to the evident consternation of many people. It took a few minutes to get authorisation to switch back…

2 users thanked author for this post.

Tom Otley, AMcWhirter

[Author]

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