Unions report aggression against Schiphol staff during snow-related disruptions

Schiphol staff faced aggression and intimidation last week amid flight cancellations and delays caused by snow, the FNV union said. Passengers grew increasingly frustrated due to poor communication from the airport and KLM, leading, according to FNV campaign leader Jaap de Bie, to verbal abuse and incidents where employees were pushed and spat on.

Last week, travelers at Schiphol faced long waits as hundreds of flights were canceled each day. The FNV union said it took too long to declare a state of emergency. “The lack of communication and support turned an already difficult situation into something unmanageable,” said De Bie, describing it as the worst week for staff since the long queues at the airport in the summer of 2022.

Earlier, the union De Unie expressed sharp criticism. Chairman Reinier Castelein described the situation on LinkedIn and in De Telegraaf as “unsafe,” saying that employees were “abused, intimidated, and overburdened.”

The CNV union also reported that KLM staff experienced “serious safety issues,” mostly caused by verbal abuse. “Passengers were furious, banging on ticket counters and even taking it out on KLM employees on the train,” said board member Souleiman Amallah. Aggression toward security and cleaning personnel was reportedly less severe.

KLM acknowledged receiving reports of aggressive behavior. “We understand that passenger emotions can run high during a week like last week. Still, any aggression toward our colleagues is unacceptable,” a spokesperson stated.

The Royal Netherlands Marechaussee called it a “typical week” at the airport. “We intervene in case of incidents or when a report comes in, but there were very few reports,” a spokesperson said.

Schiphol experienced an unusually high rate of flight cancellations, over 50 % on some days, far exceeding comparable airports like Brussels or Frankfurt, where cancellations were around 7‑10 % under the same weather conditions.