Very busy again in Schiphol: long queues and complaints from travelers also in Eindhoven and Düsseldorf | Instagram

“It’s a very busy Sunday in Schiphol,” a company spokesperson confirms. This results in long queues, as evidenced by the reactions of infected travelers on social media. Post after post shows that several hundred travelers are waiting. There are long lines outside. Some people complain that they queued for more than an hour and were taken away again. It’s also busy at the check-in counters.

For example, one passenger said via Twitter that she should get on board in an hour, while she is now standing at a sign that says it will take more than 90 minutes from there to security.

According to the spokesperson, there is no doubt about a chaotic or tense mood at the moment. According to her, the lines continue. About a month ago, the Marechaussee had to intervene because security personnel at Schiphol felt threatened by passengers who were afraid they might miss their flight. “There is no such situation,” she says.

The airport has been experiencing occupancy issues for some time and has taken measures to keep crowds somewhat under control. For example, Schiphol asked passengers not to arrive at the airport four hours before departure.

People who think they can avoid the chaos in Schiphol by flying from a regional airport are disappointed. It is also occupied elsewhere.

For example, there were long queues for departing passengers at Eindhoven Airport on Saturday morning. According to Judith de Roy, a spokesman for the airport, overcrowding there is not only due to a lack of staff. According to her, the problem is that too many people come to the airport too early. , sometimes five to six hours before they fly. Then you have to deal with a double load of passengers.”

About 20,000 to 25,000 travelers come and go every day. The height of the crowds also led to a lot of complaints on social media. “Thick lines for people who want to fly from #eindhovenairport,” says Ewa Maria Kobierowska. “Airport nightmare,” Mike NRW wrote on Twitter. One of the tweeters also criticized people who come to the airport too early. “At Eindhoven, there are people in line whose flight doesn’t leave until 4pm….just get those people off the line.”

According to a spokesperson for Eindhoven Airport, it can be a little busier at one moment than the other. By about 10 a.m. Saturday, the long streak had already been halved. It’s not very exceptional.

The previous day was also very busy which led to very frustrating and annoying reactions. Justin Voss, 30, and his nine teammates from the Friends of Spakenburg FC Stantock watched the plane take off while still standing at the gate. As a result, they lost the football championship in Madrid, which they were really looking forward to. They just have to see if they can still get the money back somewhere. The annoyance was great: “We live half an hour from Amsterdam and have deliberately chosen Eindhoven to avoid Schiphol,” an annoyed Voss replied (30).

At Germany’s Dusseldorf Airport, which has become popular with many Dutch in part because of the chaos in Schiphol, the situation wasn’t much better this weekend. There are also long lines of angry and sad travelers. According to the German newspaper picture Some travelers are only informed by text message at the last minute that their flight has been cancelled.

At least 1,000 passengers were stranded on Saturday in Dusseldorf. There are also major problems at the airports of Bonn and Cologne due to the lack of staff. He concludes, “Travelers thought they were going to holiday paradise but ended up in airport hell.” picture†

To keep crowds under control, many airlines have had to cancel flights. For example, Lufthansa canceled five flights from Düsseldorf on Saturday, subsidiary Eurowings already canceled sixteen flights on Friday and canceled four more on Saturday, and the Austrian sister company kept the flight on two.

Not only were there a lot of cancellations, there were also delays. In a number of cases, baggage has already been delivered. Then there was a big bang in the luggage sections – which also suffered a malfunction – as angry passengers quickly wanted their bags in an attempt to take another flight.

Among the victims is German Lisa Mieich (30) from Dortmund who was stranded with her grandmother, Christine Jarisch (69), in Düsseldorf: , the flight to Rome suddenly did not return on the plane. We were told at the desk to carry our bags. When I got there I was told the flight had left. Our bags were on the plane but without us.” picture†

According to the airlines, the problems are due to a shortage of staff, especially in baggage handlers and flight crew. Verdi’s airline union also points the finger at the police and private security company DSW, which do not have “sufficient control” over security controls.

The German Consumer Association confirmed this weekend that consumers are entitled to compensation for cancellations and delays, but that airlines will try to avoid this, according to the consumer organisation. They deceive their customers, offer onerous alternative flights, refuse refunds or accept lawsuits.

Watch all of our videos about the chaos at Schiphol here: