Cowboy1968

We will arrive at AMS/ Schiphol from a non-Schengen EU country (Ireland, with Aer Lingus/ KLM codeshare) and connect to a non-Schengen, non-EU country (Thailand, with KLM).
Q: I assume there will be no passport control as we connect airside, but I was wondering if there will be a security checkpoint?
We'll have enough time at Schiphol to make the connection if the flight from Dublin will be more or less on time, but it will be good to know what "obstacles" to expect if we run late.
TIA.

dotheboyshall

There's security at the gates

Cowboy1968

Wow.. that was quick. Many thanks.

Gardyloo

The security checkpoint will be at the departure gate, not at some central location. AMS is huge, so your walk to the outbound gate could take some time (or it could be next door.) The big thing for connections at AMS is where your plane lands. Some of the outer runways feel like you're landing in Rotterdam and taxiing to Schiphol.

Cowboy1968

Right. I've landed on the polderbaan a few times. And it does feel as if you were taxiing from Belgium

travelgourmet

<i>The security checkpoint will be at the departure gate, not at some central location. </i>

Only through mid-2015. After that, it will be replaced with a central security checkpoint.

One thing to keep in mind is that security at the gate means you can't bring liquids onto the plane, even if you bought them in the airport.

hetismij2

Actually transfer passengers can take liquids onboard.
http://www.schiphol.nl/Travellers/At...l/Transfer.htm

If you buy liquids at Schiphol you can have them sealed in a seebuyfly bag, in which case you can take them onboard.

travelgourmet

Doesn't that deal with duty free? I'm talking about buying a water at a kiosk and taking it on-board. Can you just buy some and have them put it in a duty free bag? That would be mildly annoying but certainly better than having to rely on the airline to keep you hydrated.

I really like AMS, except for the security at the gate. The centralized security will be great. Now if they could only refresh the food outlets (esp. on the Schengen side), AMS would potentially leapfrog LHR T5 as my favorite place to connect in Europe.

hetismij2

LHR T5 is horrible. Seriously - you prefer it to AMS? I was there yesterday and it was just awful. Slogging from C terminal to A terminal for transfers, queuing at the bottom of an escalator for security, No gate number available for the onward flight until boarding started- when of course it was as far a way as possible from where people were waiting (by the cafe's and shops). Madness. Both times we have flown into T5 (from AMS going and from SFO returning) the plane couldn't go to it's designated stand because it was occupied, meaning a tour of the airport until stand was available. Peopl on the flight from SFO were worried about missing connections because of that. We landed early but took 30 minutes to get to the stand, nevermind deplane. Then they all had to go to A from C and some then back to C for their flights. Daft.

Flying to London security at AMS was central, not gate placed. So not all non Schengen security is at the gate. I know it is for the US, but it may not be for Thailand.

Why buy water to take on the plane? You can get all the water you want onboard for free. we are not talking Ryanair here.

travelgourmet

<i>LHR T5 is horrible. Seriously - you prefer it to AMS?</i>

I have elite status, so that may change things, but absolutely. Much better lounges. Much better dining options. Much better shopping. No holding pens at the gate. And elite security, at least, rarely takes more than 10 minutes for a connection.

As annoying as the train and elevators are, AMS has some super-long walks.

<i>No gate number available for the onward flight until boarding started</i>

They pad the notices. I'm not eager to get to the gate early myself, so I don't find it a problem to hang out until I know we are boarding. FWIW, if you have lounge access, they will tell you your pier hours in advance. Certainly, I'd rather do that than show up too early for a non-Schengen flight at AMS and spend an hour sitting in an overcrowded holding pen.

<i>We landed early but took 30 minutes to get to the stand, nevermind deplane. Then they all had to go to A from C and some then back to C for their flights.</i>

And if you land on the Belgian runway at AMS, it takes forever to get to the gate too. And walking from, say, E to B (which I've done numerous times) is something over a mile. Both are large airports and long walks and delays taxiing or getting to the gate are simply part of that.

<i>Why buy water to take on the plane? You can get all the water you want onboard for free.</i>

I drink a lot of water when flying. The water runs on the airlines aren't frequent enough for me. Not a problem in biz, since they hand out bottles, but in coach it is an issue.

hetismij2

It took as long from touchdown at LHR to T5, before the grand tour, as it did from touchdown on the Polderbaan to actually getting off the plane.

I drink lots of water too. I take an empty, reusable water bottle, and fill it in the galley, so I always have water.
BA came round regularly with water so I only needed to fill it once on this trip.

You don't need to be in the holding pen for hours. Especially with elite status.

travelgourmet

<i>I take an empty, reusable water bottle, and fill it in the galley, so I always have water.</i>

Not from the sink, right? If so, I'd highly recommend you stop doing so.

During waking hours, I generally average at least 1 liter of water per hour. I'm not even sure they stock enough water on my flights.

Cowboy1968

Thanks again for all the additional input.