Queue chaos at Airports
Discussion
bodhi said:
Quick question - if I'm taking off from T5 at 6 45 on Friday morning to Geneva, have already checked in and have carry on only, do I still need to worry about getting there 3 hours before? As I've got a 2 hour drive to get there, and the old normal of getting there 1 HR 30 before the flight seems far more appealling at that time of morning .....
No, I would say 2 hours will be plenty once you enter the terminal doors....that is 30 mins for security (tops) and 30 mins (tops) for passage to the departure gate (i.e. if you have to use the little train) - that gives you an hour for a quick coffee and a mooch, which obviously soon flies by. However, do take into account your parking arrangements....could quite easily be 15mins of faff using short stay, finding a space and then walking over to terminal, negotiating others. If mid/long stay, i'd probably allow a good 20 mins in case you just miss a bus.
targarama said:
Has anyone noticed a theme lately? UK airports appear to have sorted out the majority of their issues, but larger European airports are still in a pickle. How can Amsterdam still be such a cluster f
k? I used to love transiting there (to avoid LHR).
It's because they've fk? I used to love transiting there (to avoid LHR).ked up the pay deal with Schiphol security staff, leaving them with a shortage of staff. I think they've sorted a new pay deal now but then they'll still need to recruit and train new staff so it's not going to be fixed for a while.Two hours is enough now. I flew from T5 two weeks ago. I checked in and printed my boarding pass online and had a bag to drop.
I arrived three hours before take off, but was told the DIY bag drop for our flight was not open, so had to kill one hour?
Then the bag drop, security etc was just a walk through, simple. The only queue was at Costa.
I arrived three hours before take off, but was told the DIY bag drop for our flight was not open, so had to kill one hour?
Then the bag drop, security etc was just a walk through, simple. The only queue was at Costa.
Old Merc said:
Two hours is enough now. I flew from T5 two weeks ago. I checked in and printed my boarding pass online and had a bag to drop.
I arrived three hours before take off, but was told the DIY bag drop for our flight was not open, so had to kill one hour?
Then the bag drop, security etc was just a walk through, simple. The only queue was at Costa.
Yet I bet your boarding pass said bag drop opens 3 hours before.....? I arrived three hours before take off, but was told the DIY bag drop for our flight was not open, so had to kill one hour?
Then the bag drop, security etc was just a walk through, simple. The only queue was at Costa.
The reason I ask is that we flew BA from T5 in August with boarding pass that that said 3 hours before (as did a little advice email from BA on the night before), yet the heathrow 'customer service experience' tried to stop us bag dropping through as we were 'too early.
We were travelling with 2 kids, so it is fair to say I didn't even engage with said people and proceeded straight to a bag drop desk and into security with no issues (from BA) whatsoever.
MattyD803 said:
No, I would say 2 hours will be plenty once you enter the terminal doors....that is 30 mins for security (tops) and 30 mins (tops) for passage to the departure gate (i.e. if you have to use the little train) - that gives you an hour for a quick coffee and a mooch, which obviously soon flies by.
However, do take into account your parking arrangements....could quite easily be 15mins of faff using short stay, finding a space and then walking over to terminal, negotiating others. If mid/long stay, i'd probably allow a good 20 mins in case you just miss a bus.
Ah perfect, thank you. I've booked Fast Track Short Stay parking (was cheaper than normal Short Stay, but still 60 quid for a day....) which the website claims is a 2 minute walk from the terminal. However, do take into account your parking arrangements....could quite easily be 15mins of faff using short stay, finding a space and then walking over to terminal, negotiating others. If mid/long stay, i'd probably allow a good 20 mins in case you just miss a bus.
Woohoo, I get a lie in until 2:15.....
abzmike said:
generationx said:
Has anyone been through Frankfurt (to fly internationally) recently? We're doing FRA -> LAX next week, but travelling business so I guess that will ease the pain.
Take some stout walking shoes - some of the transfers can be epic. AMS has always been bloody useless. Anybody who thinks otherwise never had to use the place as their domestic airport every week.
Out and back to Vienna this week. At Vienna the EU line and auslander line moved at equal speed, much to the amusement of my colleague and I. Both old school veterans of European short haul biz travel - ah just like it was back in the day when it didn’t matter which passport q you were in
Flew back into T2 LHR on tues eve and it was rammed! Still, they had 95% of the E gates working and the q moved itself through very very well. For all the faults that LHR has, it still has the best implementation of E gates that I have come across anywhere in Europe.
Out and back to Vienna this week. At Vienna the EU line and auslander line moved at equal speed, much to the amusement of my colleague and I. Both old school veterans of European short haul biz travel - ah just like it was back in the day when it didn’t matter which passport q you were in
Flew back into T2 LHR on tues eve and it was rammed! Still, they had 95% of the E gates working and the q moved itself through very very well. For all the faults that LHR has, it still has the best implementation of E gates that I have come across anywhere in Europe.
[quote=DeejRC]AMS has always been bloody useless. Anybody who thinks otherwise never had to use the place as their domestic airport every week.
I spent several years weekly commuting between Schiphol and Gatwick. Gatwick was always a nightmare until they sorted out thier new security hall 6 or 7 years ago. Only had a problem at Schiphol a handful of times, always with the queue for passports on the way in. I'd usually turn up an hour or so before my flight and have time for a sandwich before I boarded.
I only had 2 cancelled flight in all that time, one due to fog and one due to the (possibly non existent) drone at Gatwick. Even the time I got off the train at Schiphol and was ushered out of the door ASAP due to some nutter with a knife, the police showed up and shot him and we were all back in the airport 5 minutes later
I spent several years weekly commuting between Schiphol and Gatwick. Gatwick was always a nightmare until they sorted out thier new security hall 6 or 7 years ago. Only had a problem at Schiphol a handful of times, always with the queue for passports on the way in. I'd usually turn up an hour or so before my flight and have time for a sandwich before I boarded.
I only had 2 cancelled flight in all that time, one due to fog and one due to the (possibly non existent) drone at Gatwick. Even the time I got off the train at Schiphol and was ushered out of the door ASAP due to some nutter with a knife, the police showed up and shot him and we were all back in the airport 5 minutes later
I had problems with AMS every week. They changed the damn security gates and routing every week as they were rebuilding the place. Used to drive me nuts! By the time I left NL I think I knew every route thru AMS from the flight pan to the train station.
I’ve not been thru since 2018 so they may have finished rebuilding the place now.
I’ve not been thru since 2018 so they may have finished rebuilding the place now.
generationx said:
abzmike said:
generationx said:
Has anyone been through Frankfurt (to fly internationally) recently? We're doing FRA -> LAX next week, but travelling business so I guess that will ease the pain.
Take some stout walking shoes - some of the transfers can be epic. My flight from Thesaloniki to Schiphol in a couple of weeks has been cancelled, blaming reductions on flights in to Schiphol. Transavia's flights the day before and day after cancelled as well. 
On the plus side my outbound and the later return are now both Rotterdam instead of Schiphol which should be easier.
On the plus side my outbound and the later return are now both Rotterdam instead of Schiphol which should be easier.
Edited by RizzoTheRat on Thursday 29th September 20:06
bodhi said:
Ah perfect, thank you. I've booked Fast Track Short Stay parking (was cheaper than normal Short Stay, but still 60 quid for a day....) which the website claims is a 2 minute walk from the terminal.
Woohoo, I get a lie in until 2:15.....
Just to follow up on this if anyone is interested - I parked the car in Fast Track at 5:20 and was ordering breakfast by 5:35. If you're just doing a day trip I'd highly recommend the Fast Track parking, you leave the car down by where the hotel buses leave, so is less than a minute from the terminal. Woohoo, I get a lie in until 2:15.....
parabolica said:
generationx said:
abzmike said:
generationx said:
Has anyone been through Frankfurt (to fly internationally) recently? We're doing FRA -> LAX next week, but travelling business so I guess that will ease the pain.
Take some stout walking shoes - some of the transfers can be epic. I used to hate having to transit via FRA, whichever idiot designed that needs shooting.
DeejRC said:
That Olympic speed! Did you use the annoying mini travellator belts that keep stop starting, or ignore them all together?
Nearly went flat on my face on the first one I came to so avoided them after that. Was looking at the terminal map to try and remember my arrival and departure gates but not 100% sure; I just remember having to get that train thing in the middle of it all. I was aching for days after!!
just in Heathrow T3 right now.
Mayhem to get through security (luckily I have fast pass) but its the first time I have had to line up outside the security entrance. The main security was snaking up and town the terminal and looked like passengers would be there for a while.
Fast track took 40 mins to get through - I had arrived at 11am.
I am now sat in my lounge and the plane cannot get onto its normal stand as the departing plane is apparently waiting for all its passengers!!!
But 3 weeks ago, no lines and easy to get through the airport.
Certainly busy here today and not enough ground staff to deal with it.
Mayhem to get through security (luckily I have fast pass) but its the first time I have had to line up outside the security entrance. The main security was snaking up and town the terminal and looked like passengers would be there for a while.
Fast track took 40 mins to get through - I had arrived at 11am.
I am now sat in my lounge and the plane cannot get onto its normal stand as the departing plane is apparently waiting for all its passengers!!!
But 3 weeks ago, no lines and easy to get through the airport.
Certainly busy here today and not enough ground staff to deal with it.
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