It will be very busy on Saturday at Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands. There are very long lines outside Departures 1 and 2. Firefighters hand out water to waiting people. Departure boards showed 12 flights canceled and 14 delayed by mid-afternoon. The day started on Saturday with long lines at the check-in counters.
According to an airport spokesperson, the crowds are not causing any problems for the time being. Schiphol employees try to steer the passenger flows in the right direction and have to process many questions from people. Extra office staff are also walking around to help people on their way.
Schiphol already warned on Friday that the airport would be very busy this weekend and asked airlines to cancel flights to relieve the workload among staff. Due to the corona pandemic, the airport is suffering from major staff shortages. People lost their jobs during the pandemic because of fewer flights for nearly two years. And not everyone has returned to their old job. The May holiday, when many people want to travel, puts extra pressure on the current staff.
KLM already announced that it would cancel at least 47 flights for Saturday and Sunday. “There have been no cancellations,” a spokeswoman said. In addition, some flights from TUI and Corendon have been moved to Rotterdam The Hague Airport for Saturday. With the request to cancel flights, Schiphol wanted to ensure that there would be 3,500 fewer passengers at the airport. That has been “nearly” successful, it was already reported on Friday.