KLM ground crew strike ends after 90 flights canceled

Flights are being restarted at Schiphol Airport after KLM employees who laid down their work Saturday morning have called off their strike. However, many flights have already been delayed or canceled.

In total, 90 flights were canceled on Saturday, a KLM spokesperson told the NL Times. She confirmed this was largely due to the strike. On Friday, another 48 flights were canceled because of wind issues and runway maintenance. 

"It's a shame, of course, we were looking forward to sitting on a terrace tonight," a woman whose flight to Spain was canceled told NOS on Saturday. "Now we're going to do something else, at home."

Travelers in Schiphol Airport experienced unusually long wait times after KLM baggage handlers began a sudden strike around 6 a.m. The employees took issue with the airlines' decision to outsource some labor to another agency, and, as a result, planes could not be loaded or unloaded.

Soon, crowds of holiday makers began to pile up in the airport's departure and arrival halls. "It's very busy and the gates keep changing, so we had to walk back and forth a lot," a traveler told NOS.

By late morning, the airport requested travelers with flights leaving before 3 p.m. on Saturday not to come, citing safety concerns. The A4 exits at Schiphol were also closed for safety reasons.

The KLM employees agreed to return to work after a meeting with the management, where it was agreed to discuss further how their workload could be reduced. In addition, the retention of jobs will be discussed, KLM said in a response. KLM has promised to get travelers to their destination as much as possible.