Corendon selling holidays from Germany over Schiphol chaos

Travel agency Corendon started selling flight holidays departing from German airports due to chaos at Schiphol. Bookings for 100,000 new flight holidays begin today, with departure dates from May 13, the company said in a press statement on Friday.

"Holidays are being booked en masse, and in order not to have to say 'no,' we are continuously expanding our offer. In recent weeks it has become clear to us that expansion from Schiphol is not an option this summer. It is also not possible to expand on a large scale in the short term at regional airports in the Netherlands. That is why we started looking across the border," Corendon founder Atilay Uslu said.

The new holiday packages include popular destinations like Antalya and Bodrum in Turkey, Mallorca, Ibiza, Las Palmas, and Tenerife in Spain, and Crete, Kos, and Rhodes in Greece. Flights will depart from German airports just across the Dutch border, including Munster, 30 minutes away from Enschede, Weeze, 20 minutes away from Nijmegen, Dusseldorf, 30 minutes away from Venlo, and Cologne, 40 minutes away from Heerlen.

Staff shortages in security and baggage handling combined with May vacation crowds have resulted in chaos at Schiphol these past two weeks. Travelers spent hours waiting in line, and dozens of flights were canceled or delayed. Claim organizations have already received thousands of requests for compensation.

Last weekend, the Netherlands' largest airport asked airlines to cancel flights to prevent overcrowded departure halls. This weekend airlines are already diverting to regional airports as much as possible, awaiting a similar request from Schiphol.