The Netherlands: Chaos at Schiphol Airport continues, staffing issues will take time to fix

he meivakantie - typically one of the busiest times of the year for Dutch airports - kicked off with an unexpected strike amongst KLM baggage handlers on April 23, leading to a number of flights being severely delayed or even cancelled, and leaving families disappointed about disrupted holiday plans.

Even once the strike was called off and unions appeared to reach an agreement with KLM management, the chaos at Schiphol Airport continued. With the airport suffering from considerable staff shortages following the coronavirus pandemic, management called on airlines to scrap flights over the weekend to prevent excessive crowds. At Schiphol’s request, KLM cancelled at least 47 flights, while other airlines - including Transavia, Tui and Corendon - rerouted flights to other airports in the Netherlands.

Holidaymakers face long queues and delays at biggest Dutch airport In spite of these scheduling changes, travellers continued to face excessive queues and long wait times over the weekend. On Saturday, some passengers faced queues of up to two hours for security, while others had to wait outside for their baggage after landing. Firefighters handed out bottles of water to passengers queueing to check in for their flights.

“It was very busy at the airport all afternoon,” a spokesperson said on Sunday, “but the crowds are and were manageable.” The airport expects large crowds on Monday too, but is confident that the worst is over. "It will still be a holiday on Monday, so it is very likely that it will be busy again and people will have to wait longer than usual."

Mark Harbers, State Secretary for Infrastructure and Water Management, has recognised the issues staff and travellers currently face at the Netherlands’ biggest airport, but says it’ll take some time before these will be resolved: “Staff shortages are a problem that extends beyond the aviation sector, and which cannot be solved 1, 2, 3."

Read more at: Chaos at Schiphol continues, staffing issues will take time to fix

The Netherlands -Airport Security: Test at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol: quick and easy boarding using facial recognition

Together with KLM, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol has started a trial with voluntary ‘biometric boarding’, involving boarding without having to show your boarding pass and passport. Passengers can board quickly and easily via a separate gate that identifies passengers using facial recognition.

Schiphol and KLM are assessing facial recognition technology with this trial, testing the speed, reliability and user-friendliness of the system. The boarding process and passenger experience will also be evaluated. The ultimate goal is to make the boarding process as easy and quick as possible for passengers. The trial period will last at least three months.

The trial will take place at a selected gate at the airport. To use facial recognition for boarding, passengers must register first. There is a special registration kiosk in the waiting area at the gate. KLM staff will assist with the procedure.

To register, passengers must scan their passports and boarding passes, as well as their faces. To ensure privacy is protected, the personal data will only be used for the trial. The data will automatically be deleted after boarding.

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The Netherlands: Power failure closes Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport

Passengers using Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport have been told to expect major delays after a total power failure overnight led to the airport being closed.

Although the problem has been fixed, there were long hold-ups with some people abandoning their cars and heading to the airport on foot.

An airport spokesperson said: "It`s one of the busiest days at Schiphol airport. And then something like this happens. A power outage which knocks out your check-in systems. It goes downhill from there. But the safety of the passengers comes first. It is an unfortunate decision to close the airport."

The power outage, shortly before one o'clock on Sunday morning required Schiphol terminals to be evacuated. Passengers have been talking about their experiences.

Read more: Power failure closes Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport | Euronews

Netherlands- Border Controls: Netherlands Freezes Border Control Negotiations with US

"We ain't scared of big barking US bullies"

Local Dutch news reports that the Netherlands has frozen negotiations with the US on cooperation between the two nations’ border control authorities, which were aimed at allowing people traveling to the US from the Netherlands International Schiphol Airport to pass through US-authorized border control at that Airport to avoid waiting in lines once they arrive in the US.

The Dutch government said it did not see the possibility for continuing talks in light of the travel ban imposed on seven predominantly Muslim countries by the Trump administration – a policy which the Netherlands Government considers discriminatory.

EU-Digest

EU Airline Industry: KLM will remain 'full division' of Air France-KLM multinational - 10 % of workforce to be cut

Dutch flag carrier KLM will remain a full division of the integrated airline Air France-KLM, despite planned changes in the company structure, new chief executive Alexandre de Juniac says in Wednesday's Financial Daily..

De Juniac, who takes over from Jean-Cyril Spinetta on July 1, plans to run the company more as a multinational, the FD says. This means giving more power to the holding above the Air France and KLM operations, which are currently largely self-managing.

Centralisation in Paris led to fears in the Netherlands that the position of KLM and Schiphol airport would be weakened, but this is not the case, De Juniac told the FD in an interview.

The new organisational structure will not lead to extra job losses. The airline announced earlier that the workforce is being cut by some 10%. KLM employs 30,000 people in the Netherlands.

'We are currently a French-Dutch company but we have to become a multinational like Heineken or Unilever,' De Juniac told the paper.

Read more: DutchNews.nl - KLM will remain 'full division' of Air France-KLM multinational