It seems that Heathrow is not the only airport that suffers from passenger caps, with Amsterdam Schiphol extending a cap for passengers.
Enjoy the queues at Schiphol – Image, Economy Class and Beyond
The caps will continue into September and October, with a maximum of 67,500 local departures per day.
Schiphol expects this cap to be sufficient for most days, however, in October the capacity number will be breached with up to 69,500 per day, with autumn holidays being a peak point for the airport.
According to the airport, the purpose of setting a maximum is to ensure the safety of passengers and employees and to create a reliable process at the airport. All efforts are focused on keeping the consequences for travellers to a minimum. Based on the capacity made available by Schiphol, the independent slot coordinator (ACNL) will consult with all airlines to ensure that the number of passengers is appropriate in relation to the security capacity.
In the meantime, more security is being organised, with about 200 new security guards being recruited starting in August, and the expectation is that another 80 will be added starting in October. The deployment of so-called ‘security coaches’ is also helping optimise the flow in the terminal.
The airport notes that by having a maximum number of departing passengers will allow them to cope with operational changes, such as a delayed flight arrival or departure with virtually all parties at the airport being understaffed, and any unexpected changes can result in delays to the entire airport process at Schiphol.
Going through Schiphol? Don’t arrive more than four hours before your flight.
If you are planning to depart Schiphol, you are advised to go to the airport Schiphol at the time indicated by the airline, but no more than four hours before the departure of the plane.
Travellers who arrive earlier than four hours will wait because check-in counters or baggage drop-off points are not yet open. They are advised to wait in Schiphol Plaza until the appropriate time if they arrive early.
Expect some service adjustments
Well, if it is not one airport, it is another. Expect airlines to adjust capacity as needed as Schiphol adjusts its operation, along with those travellers in October maybe finding some flights might be changed.
But it does show how hard airports and their suppliers pruned during the past few years and failed to retain the talent they need to operate a viable service.
Especially in Europe.
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