Schiphol: First day of May vacation running smoothly

The first day of the May vacation is running smoothly at Schiphol Airport, a spokesperson for the Amsterdam airport told NU.nl. Schiphol expects about 70,000 departing passengers today.

The airport said it is well prepared for the May vacation and does not expect problems like last year. A shortage of security guards and baggage handlers caused hours-long queues, many passengers missing their flights, and thousands of suitcases staying behind. The chaos started on the first weekend of the May vacation and plagued the airport for the rest of the year.

In the meantime, Schiphol has hired about a thousand new security guards. “Some are still in training, but a few hundred more are working now than last year. In addition, the handling companies and airlines also hired more people,” the Schiphol spokesperson said. “Travelers are checking in very early, and it all goes smoothly. People only have to wait a few minutes at security.”

Schiphol expects between 66,000 and 70,000 departing travelers daily during the May vacation. Last year, the airport processed about 58,000 travelers per day during the period, NOS reported. The airport expects that there will be queues, but nothing like last year.

Travel agencies’ association ANVR is also optimistic. “I have high hopes that this year will go much better than last year,” chairman Frank Oostdam told NOS. “Then, people arrived very early at Schiphol to fly, sometimes up to eight hours in advance. Especially that led to extra congestion, and that is really unnecessary. Follow the old advice: arrive two hours before flights within Schengen and three hours outside Schengen.”