Amsterdam airport Schiphol has extended a compensation scheme for travellers who missed flights due to security delays between 12 August and 31 October, 2022.
The temporary scheme, initially introduced to compensate travellers who missed flights during the chaotic summer period (23 April and 11 August), has now been extended by more than three months since, according to the airport, “queues were still very long during that period due to a shortage of security staff”.
Travellers who incurred costs in this period as a result of missed flights can submit a compensation claim to the airport until 30 November. Costs covered by the scheme include those incurred due to rebooking a flight or arranging a replacement flight, alternative transportation or additional travel expenses for returning to Schiphol or travelling to another airport.
In a statement the airport said it has now recently taken “extra measures to tackle the queues resulting from staff shortages”, including a recent pay agreement with unions and security companies that will see security officers paid an additional €2.50 per hour as of November.
The move follows the recent appointment of Ruud Sondag as interim CEO of the airport’s parent company, Royal Schiphol Group. Sondag took over the day-to-day management of the Amsterdam hub on 1 November, following the resignation of former CEO Dick Benschop after months of airport delays, flight cancellations and the introduction of passenger capacity limits.
In a statement Sondag, whose priority is “to swiftly bring operational processes” back up to standard, said “structural improvement is essential. For travellers, for airlines and for the Netherlands”.
He will remain in the interim role until the end of the summer 2023 season.