Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport to compensate air travellers hit by chaos

Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport has launched a compensation program for travellers who missed their flights because of lengthy delays that have plagued the busy European hub for months.

Schiphol’s announcement on Thursday night heads off a possible mass claim for compensation by passengers who saw their holiday plans evaporate amid hours-long queues for security screening.

Schiphol will introduce a scheme for passengers who were at the airport on time between 23 April 2022 and 11 August 2022, but missed their flight due to an exceptional waiting time at security control. Travellers can request compensation until 30 September.https://t.co/GXuHSzt270

- Schiphol (@Schiphol) August 11, 2022

The Dutch airport was one of several across Europe, including London’s Heathrow, that was plunged into chaos by staff shortages and soaring demand as air travel rebounded strongly from two years of Covid-19 restrictions. Airlines and airports slashed jobs during the pandemic, making it difficult to quickly ramp back up to serve the new burst of travellers.

"A lot of people have really been looking forward to their holidays abroad, especially after two years of Covid. We're extremely sorry that some people have missed their flight due to the long security control queue," Schiphol CEO Dick Benschop said in a statement.

"During these special times and circumstances, we must not let these people fall through the cracks," he added.

Good morning. We aim to provide a response to passengers within 6 weeks after filling in the form. Concerning the situation at the airport, we made an action plan to improve processes at the airport, which you can find here: https://t.co/wRV5HNrvH5. ^Sonja

- Schiphol (@Schiphol) August 12, 2022

The program is for people booked to fly from April 23 to August 11 who arrived at Schiphol on time but missed their flight because they were stuck in a queue. It covers costs including rebooking a flight or booking a replacement flight, extra travel costs and accommodation, transport and activities booked at the travellers’ destination.

Schiphol did not say how much the compensation program would cost the airport.

The Dutch Consumers’ Association welcomed the plan.

"We investigated the possibility of a mass claim and then entered into discussions with Schiphol. Our joint efforts have resulted in this arrangement, which has helped a large group of consumers," association director Sandra Molenaar said in a statement on Schiphol’s website.

Heathrow said on Thursday that its cap on the daily number of departing passengers has eased the travel crunch at Britain's largest airport. It apologised last month to passengers whose travels were disrupted by staff shortages.