Schiphol to give passengers with no hand luggage priority at security checks

Schiphol airport plans to reward travelers who check in their luggage with shorter waiting times at security checkpoints. From next week, people traveling without hand luggage can join the 'no trolley queue', where security checks are expected to be much faster, RTL Nieuws reports.

One reason for longer waits at security checkpoints in the airport, is the increasing hand luggage that needs to be checked. Last year the tariffs to check-in luggage increased at many airlines, according to the broadcaster. As a result, travelers want to save money by not checking their luggage in. Which in turn led to stuffed bags as hand luggage, which need to be checked for suspicious items at security points.

In an effort to reduce waiting times at checkpoints during the summer period, Schiphol is therefore introducing the 'no trolley queue' for travelers who do check in their luggage. This queue is expected to move much faster, because the security employees will have fewer bags to check.

The 'no trolley queue' experiment starts next week, according to the Telegraaf.

The peak in travelers during the May holiday caused havoc at the airport. Dozens of passengers missed their flights due to long queues at security checks. Other flights were deliberately delayed so that passengers could still make them, causing a snowballing effect in flight delays. The airport is implementing a number of measures, including extra personnel and opening extra gates, to prevent similar problems this summer.