A summary of a day trip to Amsterdam Schiphol courtesy of KLM. By Eddie Allen
My Thoughts
Before even departing Heathrow it’s clear to see that Skyteam transfers within LHR Terminal 4 look super simple. There is a transit desk placed right in the middle of all the gate areas and the Skyteam lounge with its living wall it’s a short walk.
Our KLM flights were good, very quickly out of the gate and down the runway with little wait. Inflight service was swift, the aircraft – a boeing 737-800 – was clean, comfy and even at 6″1’ I had plenty of leg room. We did however land on the 5th runway which required a 20-minute journey to the terminal. KLM in their defence say they have factored this into their flight times though. I guess some days its quicker some days you get a lap of the airfield.
US flights with KLM/Delta have extra security before the gate for visa
and electronic item checks.
There are transit machines around the terminal which have information about your next flight and include walking time between gates. If your inbound flight is late KLM aim to have you rebooked onto the next available aircraft by the time you reach these machines from your plane. Don’t worry though, there’s an actual transit desk too if you’d rather chat to an actual human.
If your layover at Schiphol is a long one then Marriott and Yotel have day rooms that start around €46 and €55, for 4 hours. Marriott also offer shower rooms starting at €18.00. If you have an onward sector on a train the connecting onto train is easy. Once you are clear of customs and baggage reclaim you enter the Schiphol Plaza which is recognisable for the red & white cube – a popular meeting point for taxi pickups and more.
Directly opposite this cube you will find the train ticket desks. Simply take your flight itinerary/ticket/boarding cards to the desk and they exchange for a rail ticket. Trains then depart from one level down to many places across the Netherlands and Belgium. The station is 4 minutes’ walk from arrivals, and the train into central Amsterdam is around €8. When headed out of Schiphol the crown lounge is available to high level Skyteam members although bear in mind for any UK bound flights the KLM lounge is quite a trek from the gates.
Once in the lounge though it is huge, bright, very spacious (even at peak times) and well stocked.
