Schiphol travelers line up under the sun, but airport says 'no problem'

Long lines of travelers wait in the full sun at the entrance of the terminal at Schiphol Airport on Saturday afternoon, but despite the heat, a spokesperson said there are no problems.

"We provide water where necessary and luckily the rows continue well," said the spokesperson. Schiphol is once again experiencing a busy day in terms of crowds. Approximately 174,000 arriving and departing passengers are being processed.

Lines have been formed outside to regulate access to the airport terminal. Some of the lines are covered and offer protection from sun and rain, but at peak times the queue with waiting travelers is longer. No incidents have occurred, the spokesperson said.

On Twitter, travelers shared pictures of long lines and crowded moving walkways in the airport, with the hashtag #schipholchaos. Many reported that, although the lines looked concerning, they often moved more quickly than expected and people generally stayed in good spirits. One traveler said she stood in a line "longer than the busiest Disneyland line without the cute entertainment along the way."

Just another day in Schiphol. #schipholchaos #Schiphol pic.twitter.com/zdF5d080rt

— Cees Jan van der Leek (@cees_leek) June 18, 2022

However, tweets from later on in the afternoon told a different story. One traveler spoke of four hours in line with no access to toilets or overhead canopies. Another said he missed his flight after waiting in a line that was over a kilometer long. 

Geen tent, geen toiletten. Vier uur in de rij. # Schiphol pic.twitter.com/PODY6ZVhfl

— Wim Braakman (@WimBraakman) June 18, 2022

Losing my flight today after waiting in on a line that was more than a kilometer (hard to track distance with all that zigzaging)… what a disaster and lack of planning. Don’t fly to/from Amsterdam for the next months @Schiphol #schipholchaos #schiphol #disasterairport #amsterdam pic.twitter.com/6340er8eXb

— Pablo Rodriguez (@pablojazzviolin) June 18, 2022

One of those waiting on Saturday was the Dutch ambassador to Malta, Frank Keurhorst. He was one of the travelers who posted pictures on Twitter of the queues, which sometimes required more than three hours of patience. "Good to see that everyone is patient. Respect for the security personnel who have to do their job under these difficult circumstances. #schipholchaos," he wrote.

Flying back this morning to #Malta from #Schiphol. In queues for over 3 hours, got introduced to different parts of the airport! Good to see patience with everyone. Respect for the security personnel doing their job under these difficult circumstances! #airmalta #schipholchaos pic.twitter.com/RHiCYXHwtH

— Frank Keurhorst (@FrankKeurhorst) June 18, 2022