Amsterdam Schiphol Airport review by Anna Coleman
15 October 2006

Having arrived at Schipol airport on a TAP flight from Lisbon nearly 2 hours late we were already stressed out and counting on missing our connecting flight so it was with great surprise and pleasure that we were met off our flight by a charming airport staff lady with transport, who took us right to the boarding gate (passport control on the move!), just in time to catch our plane. We're not VIP's but were very grateful for the VIP treatment, and thankful we didn't have to walk what seemed like miles through the huge airport as we would never had made it on time. As far as we're concerned Schipol deserves 5 stars.

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport review by Steve Ward
16 September 2006

Efficient and clean airport. EasyJet checkin desks and gates seem to be a long way away, so expect a long walk if using this airline. Taxi-ing times can be long. Otherwise good, with good shops and food outlets. However, final departure Gates are grim with very limited facilities.

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport review by C Macdonald
30 July 2006

Having transited through Schiphol almost weekly for the past 5 years, it is still by far the best option from NCL (other options being LHR, CDG, BRU and DUS). My only real complaint now is the number of bus boarding flights and in particular the disgrace that is gate D6. It seems that most of the UK flights depart from one of its many doors; there are no facilities, it is the wrong side of security and it is woefully undersized. Still it's a whole lot better than Heathrow.

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport review by Eric Simpson
24 July 2006

As a first time transfer passenger I initially I found Schiphol to be a little confusing, everyone seemed to be walking in the opposite direction to me! After orientating myself I found it very easy to locate departure gates and retail facilities. I was surprised to hear the vast majority of announcements in English and particularly having flown in from a “smoke free” Scotland to be advised that smoking was permitted in the various food courts and bar areas. The airport was busy and in some areas seating was at a premium. The staff I encountered were pleasant and helpful. I enjoyed the views of the apron The process of undertaking security screening at the gate seemed to work well. Returning through Schiphol was a similarly easy and pleasant experience and I would not hesitate to consider using it as an alternative transit point to Heathrow for future long haul flights.

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport review by Ed Kaflinski
5 July 2006

You know you're at Schiphol when you spend more time taxiing than you spent in the air from London. However, Schiphol Airport ranks top on the list of airports I've visited. Excellent layout, (though sometimes one has to walk very far if the moving sidewalks aren't working) great shops, superb tarmac views and good signposting. There are some down sides though. On a recent flight from London it took me exactly 3 minutes to get from the plane, through immigration (Dutch passport) and to baggage reclaim. Despite my bags being priority checked it took 45 minutes to get them back. (the same amount of time spent in from pushback to landing). Maybe if I flew KLM this would be better as they have their 'own' dedicated terminal. Too bad such a bad airline is stationed at such a good airport.

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport review by Andrew Baxter
24 June 2006

First time to Schipol and very impressive. Clean, spacious, efficient. Definitely one of the better airports.

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport review by Moises Menendez
1 June 2006

Schiphol Airport is the best airport in Europe when it comes to comfort, shopping areas, friendly, and helpful people, clean, and very quiet. The people working at the airport were very cordial, friendly and helpful. At the end is the people that counts! I will return to Amsterdam again!

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport review by Laurie Dalton
18 May 2006

One unique thing about this airport that I have greatly appreciated is the 2nd floor 'quiet' areas. I'm usually traveling to an unfrequented country (Georgia) and tend to have long layovers. Spending 8 or more hours at an airport that actually provides free, comfortable lounge chairs in a quiet, darkened area, is a godsend.

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport review by Ray Laing
20 April 2006

I usually fly with KLM and so arrive in the main terminal area. The Passport Controls are usually fast and painless. Last night, however, I came in on BMI Baby which meant a totally different arrivals area. The queue at Passport Control was horrendous with just 2 desks open and I expected to be standing there for at least an hour. Give them their due though, within a couple of minutes there were another three desks opened and I was out of there within about 10 minutes. Certainly better than Cardiff!

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport review by Nick Biskinis
30 March 2006

Clean and relaxed with polite multi-lingual staff. There is a good variety of shops, yet the layout means that the airport terminal isn't over cluttered. For spectators the viewing terrace offers quite close views of parked aircraft. Information about departures is clear - though there should be more public announcements as not everyone reads the boards for information. It's a very efficient airport: much better than Paris CDG or London Heathrow. Indeed it's airports like Schiphol that make you realise just how out of date and run down London LHR currently is.

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport review by Tim Trinam
26 February 2006

I commute LGW-AMS nearly every week so am well aquainted with Schiphol - agree with the ranking that puts the airport ahead of LHR so, I guess 4 stars is about right. It is a huge airport, well run but the staff don't really respond that well to problems and/or requests outside the norm. Plus points include the overall efficiency, clean presentation and lots of facilities. Downpoints include the use of the remote runway (20 minute taxi to terminal - crazy for a 45 min hop from UK); staff can seem a bit brusque at times but it is probably no worse than anywhere else; the security scanners seem to be turned up to the maximum (I got caught with a 20c coin last week). Watch your bags (esp laptops) and watch for pick-pockets around the rail station and on the trains to Amsterdam / The Hague / Rotterdam.

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport review by S Dowideit
19 February 2006

I am frequently flying in and out of AMS and I wonder how they managed to get a 4-star ranking. The queue at the security check is usually long, it sometimes took me nearly half an hour to get through. The staff is quite rude and seems to me well unorganised. In the meantime I guess they got a few complaints and the security check set-up was changed. The situation improved to the better but the rudeness remains. Same is valid for ground staff, they are usually quite unfriendly. Especially how some of them deal with their costumers because of the constantly delayed flights is annoying. The KLM-Lounge (Schengen area) became really nice, but it can get crowded at times.

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport review by Jonathan Ellis
11 February 2006

Schiphol in my opinion is pretty good. There are loads of shops, a good deal of bars, coffee shops and restaurants, and a lot of places to sit. It has wireless networking (for a small fee). It's large, cool and easy to get around. My flight is delayed today and I have spent my time here looking at the excellent, if a little small, Rijks museum paintings on display, and I had a little flutter in the casino which is also on site (only in Holland!) - airlines continue to disappoint, but at least being delayed in Schiphol is just about bearable.

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport review by Kay Kintzing
7 February 2006

I was on a delayed return flight from Schiphol to London Stansted, and thus had to spend about 7-8 hours waiting in Terminal 3. The terminal was big and airy, at least where I spent a lot of my time. I was pleased to find smoking bars and cafes, and an array of other travellers with time to spare. I was most pleased to find a food and wine store (near Burger King), and promptly wasted time filling up my bags with more Dutch food that I could only previously find at the Albert Heijn. Ladies, however, may be surprised by male cleaning staff in the female toilets, as I was. It was fairly late during the day, and although it didn't bother me, others should take note. I was 16 at the time of this trip, too. Overall, Schiphol seems clean, staff are friendly and it's haven for meeting other travellers from all over the world.

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport review by Jamie Carr
6 February 2006

I would say AMS is an excellent airport - I travel there once every two weeks or so from LGW, and the contrast between the two is amazing. Never had any problems with security staff or immigration, however I would like to know why you have to go through passport control between gates A/B/C and D/E/F/G, when you have just been through passport control already ? Nice to see they have abandoned the 2 hand luggage checks, now just one at the gate itself.

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport review by Therese Crisp
27 January 2006

Schiphol is the smelliest, smokiest airport I've been in in more than 15 years. If you are a non-smoker, get ready for an assault on your senses stepping off a flight at Schiphol. Flew from Japan and after 14 hours was looking forward to some fresh air. What a disgusting smoke-laden smell as you entered the building. Really, the recycled air is just thick with the smell of smoke. You can smoke in bars or restaurants so smokers must order a beer then smoke 17 cigarettes!! The ceiling vents I looked at were yellowed with nicotine. Being stuck in this environment for 6 hours to connect to another flight was pure hell. The airport staff couldn't recommend an area with fresher air other than "outside the airport" and I wasn't willing to go through immigration etc. Schiphol needs to get with the times - in many developed countries fewer than 30 % of people smoke now. I for one, will fly via an airport which offers fresh air as part of the travelling experience next time.

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport review by Mark Thomson
21 January 2006

On a recent trip we were in and out of airports at BNE, CNS, SIN, LHR, AMS, BKK and SYD. SchipHol AMS was as good as any. What stood out for us was the convenience of a cheap, easy and efficient train service between the terminal and Central Station. The terminal at Schiphol is big, bright, airy and clean. There's a large variety of good retail and food outlets; and 4) baggage collection and immigration was quick and efficient. For leisure travellers such as ourselves, flying in and out of Schipol was a painless experience.

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport review by Vera Tyler
2 January 2006

I've been through many airports but Schipol takes the biscuit for rude unhelpful staff. When needing to rush to catch our link flight I asked for assistance explaining that my husband was unable to walk very well. Answer - "It's not far." Thus we missed our flight and stood in a melee of other stranded passengers, where no priority was given to parents with young children or anybody else, for over 3 hours. When we eventually got to the front we were told rudely we 'might' get on the next flight. The delay wasn't their fault the disastrous attitude and lack of organisation was.

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport review by John Oram
30 November 2005

AMS is an airport that does not live up to its own hype. Many of its shortcomings are highlighted in previous postings. The potential for long walks is considerable. Example on my return journey TLS-AMS, remote parking B stands and the walk to the baggage hall has to be seen to be believed. Security is probably no more obnoxious than elswhere but the Dutch staff often make it seem so. The two supervisors to whom I complained were well trained though and handled it well. The main bone of contention though remains the use of RW 36L/18R. I do not know anybody who does not think this is insane. Particularly so on my journey AMS-LHR when we were taxied via the north side of 18C. Does some Dutch environmental nut (or several of them) really think that the noise made by an A319 out of 1000' at the end of the runway and climbing needs to be displaced at the expense of 20mins fuel burn at taxi speed?

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport review by D Chambers
6 November 2005

Very nice airport. Some general impressions: Great views. Clean public areas and hallways. Nice eateries and wine bars. Excellent shopping. The national train system stops directly in the airport and goes right downtown's Central Station, or on to Belgium and points south. Roll your bags directly to the Sheraton hotel next door (100 meters) without going out into the weather or taking any stairways. This hotel is especially nice for exhausted transatlantic arrivals, or those flying out early after their European stay. There is no "Terminal" system in the usual sense, meaning that you need not take a bus or step out in the (rainy) weather when connecting to another airline--all gates open out onto the same (sometimes Long) concourse; essentially one giant single terminal. Connections at London Gatwick or Paris deGaulle have you up and down steps even to get to immigration, but not AMS. Now that Air France and KLM have merged, there is no longer any need to fly through the hopeless mess at CDG.

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport review by Peter Whatley
25 October 2005

Birmingham (UK) to Stockholm via Amsterdam. As usual, an horrendous experience at Schipol. Very long walks to/from gates, a series of chicanes through the shopping centre that predominates at this airport and hopelessly slow immigration (to/from EU Schengen area) and security lines. This is a classic example of an airport that has grown organically with no real planning of the overall transit arrangements. Avoid at all costs!

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport review by Max Schmitt
1 September 2005

AMS is nice, efficient, easy to get to with plenty of shopping and food. All in all a pleasant place to arrive at an depart from. Immigration at AMS however, is the worst I've seen in the EU! Nowhere else not even at the dreaded LHR have I seen longer queues and slower progress. Generally 2 or 3 stations are manned in early evenings with multiple flights arriving from all over the place. Waiting times seem to get worse each time I go to AMS, making it the only EU airport where my luggage is usually on the belt before I it's even my turn at immigration. The officers are usually friendly, sometimes too much so. A friendly chit-chat with each passenger is not really appreciated by the few hundred people still waiting in line. Last time they asked a friend of mine what he was doing in the "EU" line and where his Visa was despite it being over a year ago, that Hungary, his home country joined the EU. More training, more efficiency and defintely a lot more staff is what AMS immigration needs.

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport review by Frank Mauseth
9 August 2005

Arriving at AMS from TRD/OSL used to be a nice experience. Now when arriving, you have to wait almost 30 minutes for your luggage to appear on the baggage band (might be because I didn't fly KLM but SAS?) Also the walking distance from gate to baggage belt is quite long. When going trough security control on the way back, security staffs was grumpy and rude. Doesn't matter if you speak Dutch and are caucasian.

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport review by William Agius
4 August 2005

Transferred in Schiphol on our way from Zurich to Tallinn, flying on KLM. The viewing gallery they have is superb. As a passenger though, the airport is rather an inconvenient design. Some of the runways are so far away from the terminal area that once the plane lands, you still have a taxi of about 10 minutes ahead of you until the plane finally reaches its parking position. Secondly, some of the docks are really long, which in theory is good because they're roomy. Unfortunately though, there are only check-in and transfer counters at the very beginning of the dock. The facilities aren't bad either although they really could do with more seating areas. What's convenient about Schiphol, is that the airport is very close to the city and links to Amsterdam by train are fast and frequent.

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport review by Richard Talbot
28 July 2005

The airport is large and spacious. Inbound the passport control is very ineffective and you generally have to queue in a small area. They only ever open more booths when there is a large queue. The shopping mall on the outside of the airport is really good and open till quite late. there are decent rail connections and bus connections into the city. Outbound, it can be confusing because the departures shopping mall is split between the schengen area and the rest. All the smoking areas are in the restaurants and bars which is not good if you wish to eat. Some of the gates are a long walk from the main departures area.

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport review by A Obeke
22 July 2005

I have travelled through Schipol airport many times and found most of the journey's hassle free. However there are the odd occasions where I have experienced trouble as a non caucasian traveller. This is particularly so at the security desk where although smartly dressed, the security staff are rude. Also should the machine beep expect a rough manual search which is bordering on assault. I have considered complaining, but fear reprisals by the security staff who I believe will invent a story to cause further distress. The moral of the story being, remove everything to avoid setting off the detection setting and if it goes off be aware that the search may be rough.

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport review by A Hoskote
8 July 2005

Schiphol is a very good airport. It's one building concept is traveller friendly. The information counters have polite and responsive ladies. Unlike in Paris, English is understood by everyone. However, there are some areas of improvement. The sales persons at many outlets are a bit rude if the colour of your skin is anything other than white - surprising in Netherlands which is known for its tolerance. The immigration personnel are the worst. I work for a reputed Dutch electronic company which has it's presence all over the world and have to travel to Netherlands often on business/official work. I wonder why they ask me for an invitation. Do you require an invitation from the company for which you work? Do they not trust the Consulate General who has taken adequate (or more than adequate) precaution while granting the business visa? One of them even had the audacity to ask me if I have a credit card and whether I had enough money to stay for 6 days in Netherlands. Schiphol would do all the non-white travellers a big favour if it can train it's immigration personnel to treat people with respect.

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport review by Kim Dammers
4 July 2005

I cannot agree about the signage. I found it one of the more confusing airports I 've been through (though not as bad as Frankfurt). I kept asking how to find some-thing and kept getting told to go to X, which was not visible. Going in and out of controlled areas is confusing. The shops are very expensive. Travel to the city is not cheap. There seems to be no free Internet for the public (as opposed to, at, say, Frankfurt), but the price charged is acceptable. On the other hand, almost all the non-Dutch customers I saw seemed baffled with how to use the services. The place is clean. There is a very small branch of the Rijksmuseum open free of charge. It's hard to find (specifically looking for it, I walked by it three times and only found it after I'd given up), but it is very worth while looking for.

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport review by Han Maenen

18 May 2005

Schiphol is a grand airport and now you can self-check-in. KLM even makes it possible to check in on your own PC the evening before you fly through its website. The train services to Schiphol will be improved from the beginning of next year as the link to the airport from Utrecht t from the main line Utrecht-Amsterdam Central to the main line to Schiphol and Leiden at Duivendrecht will soon be completed. It is a long ride when the plane has to take off from or land on the Polderbaan, which is 7 km from the terminal. Plans for a new airport on reclaimed land on the coast have been cancelled, so they had to build this new runway. As for the smoking in restaurants: the food court beyond customs on the first floor has good non- smoking and smoking sections. But many restaurants and pubs at Schiphol are independent premises and they can set their own policy. The Dutch hospitality sector is hospitable to smokers only; meaning that in these independent eateries and pubs there are ash trays on all tables and non smokers have the choice of boycotting them or being smoked out. I boycott them.

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport review by Glenn Penner

28 April 2005

When is Schipol going to learn that there are some people who like to eat or drink without the smell of cigarette smoke.

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport review by Steve Fenton

21 April 2005

For a major international airport handling many thousands of people every day they are lacking in basic amenities such as showers. You simply cant get one and even as a platinum card holder of the dreaded KLM it is even now proving difficult with them and they offer their platinum card members showers which used to be 3 cubicles in the lounge but now you have to go in the Mercure hotel. It appears the use of these showers is now becoming a lottery as they are only so many for KLM customers and you end up having to wait. The amount of flights that leave from a remote gate are growing weekly and this is becoming a real joke as it adds a huge amount of time to your journey and increases the risk of baggage not making connections. Over the last 5 years I have had countless lost baggage claims all of which are via Amsterdam. Be warned, travel light if you can and dont check baggage through. I have even resorted to checking a case in at Newcastle UK. collecting it at AMS and then walking on the plane to Taipei with it knowing full well they will either let me take it on board or put it in the hold giving me peace of mind I know I actually have my luggage.

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport review by Vince Danz

12 April 2005

I think AMS is one of the better European airports. It has recently undergone some much needed fixing-up. The small exhibition of works of art from the Rijksmuseum is rather nice. As far as the lack of diversity in shops, well who really go "shopping" at an airport anyway? There are enough places to sit and relax, the lounge chairs are great if you can find an empty one! The views of the planes on the tarmac are simply great. The restrooms are generally clean. However, some of the smaller eateries don't seem able to keep their counters and tables clean. What makes AMS a top-notch airport in my opinion is the terrific viewing terrace, which is free of charge. Also the train station makes it easy to get just about anywhere in the country. AMS is not perfect but it is definitely an airport close to the top of the list.

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport review by Owen Dawson

6 April 2005

Schiphol is basically a shopping centre, and the endless parade of not-particularly-nice shops that line the walkways can get a little tedious after a while. How many overpriced coffees and gift packed cigars does one need?! However, considering its huge size, the signposting is very good and the views of the activity outside superb. The thing I most like about Schiphol is its fluidity. Whereas LHR is (I feel) quite "boxed off" and "segmented", Schiphol is a "corridor" airport, where people from all corners of the world pass each other for a few brief seconds on their way to wherever. It has a certain romance about it, that even the functional decor cannot completely subdue.

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport review by A Mwakisunga

30 January 2005

I have enjoyed and continue to enjoy my connections at Schiphol on route usually ORD-AMS-DAR and back! Big, you can say that again probably by far the Largest airport I know. Taxing, does take time, but when one considers the size of this airport and the traffic that runs through it on daily basis - I really can't complain much. Schiphol handles passengers coming from all corners of the globe - and they do it in a rather smooth and effective manner day in day out. There are smaller airports with far far less traffic, that can't even operate nearly as good! Plenty of places to eat shop while you are their in transit; and yes what an entertaining outside view of all the world carriers coming and going. Airport staff has always been pleasant and helpful.

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport review by John Oram

13 December 2004

Schiphol is indeed an over-rated airport. The introduction of the Polderbaan has been a disaster. Taxi times are absolutely ridiculous especially after short flights from neighbouring countries. AMS has several runways but, due to outrageous pandering to the noise lobby, can not use these in an operationaly intelligent or flexible way. It is rare for a landing runway to be anywhere near the parking gate. Just think about this in overall environmental terms - how does three seconds of noise from a departing but not very noisy and fast climbing a/c (say A319) compare to a 15min taxi fuel burn to reach the Polderbaan for departure? Security too, on my most recent flight, was baffling. I was scheduled AMS-LGW on EZY. Now I am not in favour of being held up by the ever increasing numbers of lightly trained security staff but what they did at gate D10 was particularly annoying and calls into question their very procedures. The preceeding flight to LTN had been dispatched and all left he gate area. People already waiting for LGW patiently waited outside but, as a potential boarding time approached, began to drift in - there was no obstacle or notice to prevent this. When the security staff did return to service a flight whose lateness had been announced late and then exacerbated by landing on the Polderbaan they cleared the gate area and made everyone stand in line to be checked. Two points about this; as there had been nothing to stop anyone going into the gate area, they had to perform a check around the room (perfunctory) before re-admitting anyone. Furthermore, pax had already been through screening on entering the terminal. Due to the bizarre arrangement of having EZY check-in at Row 19, T3, you come in between E & F gates and then - in great AMS tradition - have to walk all the way back to D. The second check is supposedly because of the re-introduction of metal cutlery in the commonly accessible public restaurant(s). Can it possibly be the case that a major airport employs even more security staff than they need to perform these second checks simply so we can use metal eating implements?

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport review by Dave Stanley

17 September 2004

I travelled through Schipol quite frequently a few years back and had good experiences. I used for the first time in many years this week and was not so impressed. I have a growing dislike of large airports and Schipol is a very large airport. It took our aircraft 15 minutes to reach the terminal when it arrived (the flight was only 40 minutes). On the way out, the check-in was chaos. The printers for the baggage tags stopped working. After the only lady on check-in had been on the phone for 15 minutes trying to find someone to help, she discovered that whoever was responsible for fixing them had gone home and was in the centre of Amsterdam. Luckily they started working a little later, but we wasted a lot of time queuing.

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport review by Iain Mottram

9 July 2004

A great airport to use. Plenty of reasonably priced places to eat. Good variety in the shops. Most importantly in my opinion, clean, comfortable and easy to navigate.

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport review by N Sen

28 June 2004

Although I love Changi (Singapore), I think Schiphol is equally just as good of an airport. In my personal opinion AMS desrves a five-star ranking. And that is based on one of the most important criteria often not measured by ranking systems: the diversity of passengers handled by the airline/airport staff. Schiphol juggles passengers arrving from all points of the planet (Americas, Europe, Asia and Africa) due to its strategic location and rather easily transfers them to forward destination flights without much hitch. That is a huge accomplishment. The competence of Schiphol group who runs Schiphol airport is further evident in the fact that their operation at Terminal 4 at JFK in NYC is of first-rate! Those of you who remember the "old" international terminal at JFK will certainly appreciate the much improved Terminal 4 at JFK. As a result, I am in favor of ranking Schiphol with a five star! Overall I find the atmosphere at Schiphol much more cosmopolitan than Singapore's.

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport review by Alex Taylor

25 June 2004

Schipol is a great clean airport, spacious with superb facilities, however three times I flown there this year and three times I had problems getting baggage. On all three visits baggage has taken an age to come out and on two visits baggage didn't come out at all!! Also what is with the 15 minute drive to runway 5? It felt like we were driving to Rotterdam airport to take off, over canals and motorways we drove through fields - and so on until eventually the plane fired up and took off. The pilot told us on boarding it was a 15 minute drive and I didn't appreciate his comments until we finally got to lift off.

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport review by D Larkin

16 June 2004

Connecting at AMS is a pleasure. Although its massive size sometimes causes walk times to be a bit long, the airport is very clean, and signs are everywhere so you're never lost. If you're flying in the KLM network, transfer desks are never far away, making tight connections easy. However, I agree with the 2003.8.12 poster - depending on the concourse, taxi time from the runway to the gate can take up to 15 minutes. (I believe the remote gates are the longest) Immigration can be confusing - I found myself having to go through a couple of checkpoints just to go to McDonalds! Despite this oddity, the checkpoints are fast, usually not taking more than five minutes.

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport review by Rick Crowther

9 May 2004

I agree with the comments about user friendliness. Compared to CDG for example it's a revelation. I travel Birmingham UK to US destinations via AMS to avoid London every time.

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport review by  J Benedicto

28 April 2004

I echo other passengers' experience about the efficient signage, shopping, and cleanliness at Schiphol. I also agree that those who carry passports from countries needing a Schengen visa usually get treated very shabbily by the immigration police. A number of times, I've been asked to produce documentation such as return tickets, hotel reservations, client business cards, etc. when no one else ahead of me who had a passport from the EU, the US, etc - no matter how grungy looking - was asked to produce the same. It's a first impression that doesn't do justice to the famous tolerant attitude of the Dutch or to the friendliness I've generally encountered once through passport control.

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport review by  Ziggi Peters

12 February 2004

My job requires me to travel a lot which gives me the chance to see many different airports. However AMS is one of the nicest airports in the EU. Also airport instructions are clear and easy to follow esp. when you are in a hurry to catch your next connecting flight. The selection of restaurants, snack bars & pubs is quite good.

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport review by  Gary Jones

12 February 2004

Recently passes through Schiphol on the way to Birmingham (UK). Very impressed by the fact everything is to be found under one roof. The viewing area is the best I have seen at any airport, and the facilities in the departure lounge are good. The only problem was the 15 minute taxi out to the new runway!

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport review by  John Fitzpatrick

16 December 2003

I have just returned from Schiphol and found it as near perfect as any airport I've been to. From the quality of restaurants, shopping (airside and landside), the courtesy of staff, the ease of transport to/from city, the fact that luggage carts are provided airside (much missed on my arrival back into LGW), well lit terminal, internet facilities (that can be used comfortably, sitting down) and the general ambience. This is the airport to beat and given the downward quality of London's airports, I have to say AMS is an airport I'll go out of my way to use in future. I agree with a previous comment about taxiing times; I calculated, very roughly, a distance of five miles from the gate at the D pier to the new runway 36L. But it is nice to see that AMS is able to plan for future growth, unlike LHR.

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport review by  Liam Coughlan

9 November 2003

An excellent airport, probably the best hub in Europe. Easy to get around, adequate smoking stops, friendly and courteous staff and long walks not always required. Never lost baggage going through AMS.