1-hour layover in Amsterdam -- problem?
 

On our return from Rome next Sept. we fly KLM (Delta) to AMS and then to SFO, with only an hour's layover in AMS. Is this going to be a problem, with these new security regs in place? I just realized that the KLM flight from Rome to AMS may not do the security check for transit to the US, and we will have to do it in Schilpol and miss our flight to SFO.

Will we be more likely to make it because we are in Bus. class?

You will need to go through passport control at AMS to exit Schengen (no priority lane for business class that I've seen). Security for the flight to SFO will be at the gate where there should be a priority lane for business class. Who knows what security procedures will be in effect next Sep. I wouldn't worry about it right now. There will probably be schedule changes before then anyway.

thanks, Patty, that sounds like you know the ropes there. We have not been thru AMS since about 1997, so we had no idea what to expect.

I have flown through Amsterdam many times and you have a BIG problem. One hour is not enough time to transit from one part of Schiphol to another, no matter what the airlines or travel agents tell you. I have never felt safe there with less than 2-3. I have more than once had to RUN across the airport, and since those times, have never let myself get a schedule with only one hour between flights. Security there takes a long time, and will be worse now. I would change flights now if you can, to be safe.

Hello charnees, like DerViking I once had to run through the airport at AMS as the plane from Venice was held up due to heavy fog. I even ran on the people mover thing. I did make my flight from AMS to SFO but barely. This was all on KLM. And it was just a few weeks before 911. The "saving grace" was that there were a lot of cruise passengers on the Venice flight that were taking the flight to SFO also and consequently KLM held up the AMS flight SFO or didn't close the gate when they normally would have, I don't remember which except that the gate agent told me I was lucky that there were huge amount of cruise passengers taking my flight.

I would sure contact the airlines and try my best to get a later flight. As many Fodorite's have suggested in the past if you talk to someone that tells you it can't be done tell them "thank you" and call a bit later and keep doing that until you reach someone that will help you. P.S. I would mention that you two are senior citizens and "can't move real fast"..don't tell them what great shape you are in, lol! And best wishes to you.

LoveItaly: "P.S. I would mention that you two are senior citizens and "can't move real fast"..don't tell them what great shape you are in, lol! And best wishes to you." LOL for sure!!

I wonder if we could reschedule for a flight to AMS the night before and stay at Schilpol. Thanks for all the input.

Well anyone that can do hula dances like you can is sure in better shape than I am, charnees, trust me!

Your idea of staying the night before at AMS is a great idea, especially if your flight from Rome leaves early in the morning. I remember my daughter and son-in-law had a real early flight (KLM) Rome to AMS to SFO a few years ago. And the flights from Venice are always real early in the morning too. Flying into AMS the night or early evening the day before you fly from AMS to SFO would sure make that very long flight more liveable. Something I had never thought about doing. In that you have business class tickets I hope you can do that. Again, if one person says "NO", keep trying. You have lots of time to work on this which is good. And please let me know if you got it worked out. I will keep my fingers crossed for you.

Yeah, LoveItaly, I am also thinking about grabbing a really good rijsttaffel before we go home. DH lived near AMS for a year as a teenager, and speaks Dutch. It would be fun to go back even for a day.

I don't know what a rijsttaffel is, charnees, but after I last posted to you I remembered that that your husband is Dutch. Maybe you could work out flying from Rome to AMS in the morning the day before your flight to SFO and take the train from AMS (the station is downstairs at AMS) and spend some fun time in Amsterdam.

I remember one awful time at Schiphol going into the (then-)Northwest club to relax and when the man at the desk saw my flight to the U.S. he yelled at me to get to the gate immediately. I can't remember how much time I thought I had, but he swore it wouldn't be enough to allow me to even use the bathroom at the club: "HURRY!" And I did wait on two very long security lines because after a gate change, I went through security a second time. My next European trip I'm going via CDG.

LoveItaly, Rijsttaffel is a "rice table", a big Indonesian dinner based upon a plate of rijst (rice) with all sorts of yummy things piled on it.

DerViking, I think I am getting your message. Funny -- other people seem to think Schilpol is a good airport. But I will take your thought seriously. (BTW I despise CDG.)

Thanks charnees, Rijsttaffel sounds very good!

Regarding Schilpol, it is a very user friendly and a comfortable airport in my opinion. I have never beem been to CDG but from stories that various friends have shared with me I never want to use CDG when I had another flight to take. Just try to to either get more than an hour between flights at AMS or as you mentioned see if you can fly in a day earlier.

Well, I like CDG only as the lesser of two evils because I studied French so long and have been in France so often. Maybe I'm prejudiced thereby. It's really probably not much better than Schiphol, but I do think that the signs in Schiphol are harder to follow and make sense of. Of course, that may also be due to my having had bad experiences there! I actually have also bene rushed at CDG (mais en francais et c'etait un peu plus charmant).

My favorite European airport was Tegel in Berlin, small, easily managed, though who knows what it's like now. On my next trip I fly direct back from Berlin to JFK, stop at CDG on the way there.

Even on domestic flights, since I do so much business flying, I now set things up to get there the night before I need to be there, so that I'm rested, and the inevitable scheduling snafus haven't affected my plans.

Charnees, I've been hoping to have rijstafel on my long layover (almost 9 hrs) on the way back next month too. Can anyone recommend a restaurant not far from Central Station that doesn't have a 2-person minimum?

DerViking, LOL, yes, everything's <i>un peu plus charmant</i> in that language, but isn't it torture to arrive at CDG and not go out?

I find Schipol big but very easy to navigate. An hour would probably be just enough time if your flight arrives on time and you don't dawdle buying little dutch shoes filled with candies in the airport or anything. At this point I would follow Patty's advice and not worry too much for a flight in September.

Schiphol is, perhaps, the best airport in Europe. Aside from the dire food situation, it is almost at the level of the SINs, HKGs, and ICNs of the world. Connections are easy and the layout is very simple, though walks can be longish. Much, much, much better than CDG, and I am most decidely not a CDG-basher and do not hesitate to connect there. I mean, it isn't even remotely close. The ONLY advantage to CDG is that it has better high-end shopping in T2E, if you must buy your Dior bag.

One hour is enough at AMS if your flight is not delayed. I would try and give it a go, rather than spending the night.

Well we won't panic right now with our arrangements, but I must say that now that we think about it, it would be fun to be in A'dam for a day. DH being Dutch (native) and all.

But how do we give up a day in Rome?

From what I heard on NPR today, charnees, AMS is really starting to hand pat down passengers flying to the US, going through their carryon's etc. and that is slowing down the security lines. Of course who knows what the situation will be like by September.

<i>From what I heard on NPR today, charnees, AMS is really starting to hand pat down passengers flying to the US, going through their carryon's etc. and that is slowing down the security lines.</i>

But, remember, you clear security for the AMS-USA leg at the gate, not a centralized screening area. As long as you are at that gate 20 to 30 minutes prior to departure, I think you should be fine.

Charnees, when in Rome do as the Romans do, when in Amsterdam, well, make it up as you go along, eh?

Mademoiselle Fifi:

Je n'ai jamais souffré à CDG comme à Schiphol.

Amitiés,
DerViking

Keep checking for schedule changes. My return flight just got changed, and Delta hasn't bothered to email me. The 9-hour layover in Amsterdam turned into less than 6 hours. I assume that's no longer enough time to go into the city as I did 2 months ago?

Six hours is probably enough time to go into the city, but you wouldn't have a lot of time. I would think it would take just over 1 hour to go from the airplane to the city center. If you are connecting onto a US-bound flight, then you would probably want to leave the main station a bit more than 2-1/2 hours before your departure. Let's call it 4 hours of out of the 6, leaving you a couple of hours to head into the city for a bite to eat. You might also try one of the escorted tours that leave directly from the airport.

Good morning, charnees. Here is a just posted thread by our Fodorite Palenque who just returned from AMS yesterday and what he experienced. I thought I would post it here FYI in case you haven't seen it on the Europe Forum.
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...long-waits.cfm

I actually think Palenque's experience doesn't change much. The strategy is the same as always - wait until the line is almost gone before getting in it. Whether Palenque showed up 2 hours before or 20 minutes before, he would have taken off at the same time.

The point of Pal's thread is that he was told he HAD to show up at 12:30 in order to board the plane that had a departure time of 14:10 so he did consequently.

I wasn't there, I am NOT going to debate the subject, I just posted Pal's thread for charnee to read if she chooses to do so.

<i>The point of Pal's thread is that he was told he HAD to show up at 12:30 in order to board the plane that had a departure time of 14:10 so he did consequently.</i>

I know that is what they tell you, but that doesn't mean you need to do it, and I was trying to shed some light on how the process works in practice. I fly through AMS maybe 15-25 times each year, and there are some tricks to making your trip more comfortable. Chief among them is not going through security for US bound flights until the last minute.

As AMS does security at the gate, once you pass screening, you are stuck in a little room until you get on the plane. It becomes a big game of hurry up and wait. Since you can't take water or any other drinks through, showing up 2 hours early kind of sucks. Even if they let you board early, as they did with Pal, you are still stuck in a cramped airplane.

The better strategy is to wander over to the gate and gauge the line. If the line is as long as it was in Pal's case, why get in it? You aren't going to get to your destination any faster. Just wander around the airport and wait until the line only has a dozen people or so before joining it. You will spend less time standing in line and less time in the holding cell or on the plane.

They tell you to show up early because they need the time to clear all of the people on the plane. There is no reason, however, why you need to be the person taking one for the team and being at the gate 3 hours early.

One more thing, even if you are really late, they will call you. It is quite a thrill to hear your name in the ubiquitous late boarding call:

Passenger travelgourmet, traveling to DTW, you are delaying the flight. Immediate boarding, please, at gate D47 or we will proceed to offload your luggage.

All in that flat Dutch accent that makes it seem like it is being spoken by a computer.