Northern holidaymakers, who will soon be traveling out of Schiphol, are bracing themselves for the horrors of nightmarish queues, delays and cancellations. Many are still trying to get seats on planes that depart from other airports, the Dagblad van het Noorden reports. Travel organization ANVR said Wednesday that a growing number of travelers are trying to fly out of any airport other than Schiphol. The Eelde and Düsseldorf airports are emerging as new favorites for northern travelers.
Long queues at check-in, security, and passport control have become a regular feature in recent weeks at Schiphol.
A number of factors have been blamed, including staff shortages, a lack of border control officials and the spike in demand for travel as Covid-19 restrictions were lifted in the Netherlands and further afield.
Travel agencies confirm travelers can potentially face hours of long queues at Amsterdam Airport. “We are frequently asked whether departure from any airport other than Schiphol is possible,” says a spokeswoman for travel agency TUI in Groningen.
According to an ANVR spokesperson, there is a lot of anxiety among holidaymakers. “People are concerned about large crowds. Schiphol is no longer perceived as the beginning of a pleasant holiday. It is now more of a hurdle that you have to overcome.”
The Schiphol airport website stated that travelers are facing long queues today for check-in and security. Passengers are also experiencing travel disruption with cancelled flights and long queues to collect their baggage.
In the meantime, trade union federation FNV threatened “large-scale” labor action on June 1 because the workload of baggage handlers and security officers at Schiphol “remains too high”.
