Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, which long had a reputation as an efficient transfer point for long-distance travel is now earning a new mark, as the airport most likely to throw cash at problems caused by its now-chronic baggage and delay issues.
The airport, which is struggling to get its backlog of baggage and passengers under control, has been ordered to reduce traffic until it can, and will now pay airlines €350 per passenger for every flight canceled, at least for a time, as a stop-gap measure to induce airlines to go along. The goal is 9,000 fewer passengers a day for the next few weeks.
The problems began in the spring when traffic picked up again after the pandemic, but the airport was still shortstaffed after layoffs and job changes by many baggage and security personnel. A temporary clear-up was finally achieved with the beginning of a wave of new hires and €5 an hour bonuses.
With the expiration of those incentives at the beginning of September the situation has worsened again. Union officials representing the airport workers have suggested that extending the bonuses and temporary hires might be, in the long run, cheaper than paying airlines to stay away.
