Hope some of you seasoned travellers can offer some advice. We are travelling from the UK to JRO airport via Amsterdam, can anybody tell me how easy the change over is we will have about 2 hrs to spare in Amsterdam and have been told that we will be cutting it fine. So can anyone enlighten me on what happens when we arrive in Amsterdam. Do we have to go through passport control? what happens to our luggage, do we collect it or is it automatically transfered to our next flight?How easy is it to find the gate we need? Sorry to be so green but we have only travelled round europe before apart from Egypt and then we had a direct flight. I'm starting to panic now!!!!!

hi, keah,

we have a 2 hour transfer window in A'dam too, en route to CPT. we've been told that they will help you when you check in or in flight about which gate you need for the onward flight, and there are maps of the airport showing the various routes between gates.

also your luggage should be checked in from you first airport to your final destination. [at leat, that's what we've been told - anyone out there know different?]

can't answer the passport question, but I'm assuming that if we stay airside, we should be ok. [though as we're coming from a non-schenger country, en route to another non-schengen country, who knows].

perhaps there are others who can help us?

regards, ann

Each time I've transferred through Schipol I've had to go through passport control, so don't dilly dally getting to your gate. They are efficient but you may need to hustle a bit; ignore the numerous enticing shops all around you and you should be okay provided your flight arrives at least close to on time!

Are your flights all booked on one itinerary? If so, you should be able to check your luggage through to JRO.

Again, someone who goes through Schipol all the time will be able to explain this/help you better. But I think you'llbe fine if you don't stop and shop.

If you're booked on one ticket UK/AMS/JRO, you should have your bags thru checked; no need to collect anything in AMS. Be sure you get your boarding pass for both flights UK/AMS and AMS/JRO, then when deplaning at Schipol, just check the "departure" screen for your flight and gate #.

Flying from the States, we've always been in the same terminal, though at times the ongoing gate can be at the extreme opposite end from where we arrived.

No need for a security check if you remain airside... in other words withing the boundaries of transiting passengers. Two-hours is more that sufficient for transfer if your incoming flight is on time.

Can't comment "schengen or not schengen"

Leely - Passport control from the US thru Schiphol to East Africa? Tres, tres strange.

Sandi, I know. I thought it was strange too, but whichever terminal we arrived in (can't recall), we had to go through passport control to get to the terminal we were departing for E. Africa for. Not sure why. However, it was nothing like, say, going through passport control at LHR.

keah, you'll make it.

Leely, thanks. Must have been, but sounded strange. But agree that Schipol (vs London) is such a civilized facility... "a toke anyone " Heck, just breath the air!

Like Sandy when we have transfered through AMS from LAX we have never gone through passport control and luggage has always been checked through.
Happy & safe travels
J

Ooops meant Sandi not Sandy!
J

No passport control when flying UK-AMS-JRO as UK is non-Schengen. Nor is there passport control when flying US-AMS-JRO. In both cases, you arrive and depart on the international side and simply walk from your arrival gate to your departure gate (though it could be a long walk). Your luggage will be through checked to JRO. A security check/x-ray screening of your carry on will be done at the gate just prior to entering the boarding area. Two hours is plenty of time.

This is assuming you haven't done something strange like purchased your UK-AMS and AMS-JRO segments as separate tickets with UK-AMS on a LCC in which case, good luck

Leely,
Had you just come from another Schengen country prior to your flight to Africa? I've had to do LAX-CDG-AMS-NBO or vice versa sometimes and needed to go through passport control at AMS, but not when flying directly to/from US.

hi, y'all,

I've certainly found this helpful,

thanks a lot,

regards, ann

Patty, if you and Sandy and Jules (ahem, report, report???) all think I'm crazy for remembering passport control on the way to JRO, I must be wrong. I do recall wandering around quite a bit, doing some shopping, visiting the mini-Rijkmuseum, etc., so perhaps I wandered right out of the correct terminal.

My sincere apologies to both keah and annihig.

Sandi, I have no idea why or how I misspelled your name. Apologies are in order once again.

Leely I totally hear you about a trip report!!! We seem to have been so busy wince we got home that I just haven't found the block of time I would like to sit down and write something! I have been trying to keep an eye on questions that I can provide an answer for though. I will try very hard to get something done "soon". I warn you I am not a diary keeper so I will probably do something no were near as wonderful as some of the reports here.
J
P.S we did have a fantstic trip by the way!

Thanks everyone for trying to put my mind at ease , I am starting to feel a little bit less manic.
I guess I'm just a worrier and I will feel sooooooooooo much better when I am on the final leg until then I will probably be cra.......ping my pants.
Sorry if I offend anyone -don't mean to!
Gosh just 4 weeks to go can't believe it's finally happening.When are you going ANNHIG?

Thanks Sandi & Leely
Thought you would come thro, thats comforting, very glad you are watching the board.

Michele

hi, keah,

we're going the last two weeks of July - so about 8 weeks to go.

perhaps you can post a brief report when you get back before we go, about this topic and others???

regards, ann

Leely -

You is forgiven
Easy enough to get caught up in the Riks... great museum, mini or the big one!

Really nice thing about Schiphol is that even if distances between gates appear long, those moving sidewalks are very well placed... just hop on and off you go. It's so easy to navigate this airport.

Ann,
Will certainly let you know how we got one with the transfer as Leely and Sandi say we will probably be fine just feel better when we've done it.
WOW!! I'll feel like a real international traveller then not just a European package holiday maker, even Egypt was a package.

thanks, michelle - have a great trip!

regards, ann