Short air connection in Amsterdam

[khuselid]

Hi. We booked O business class from VCE-PDX. Our flight have been changed from what I originally agreed to. Now our connection at AMS is just 55 minutes which folks tell me will be tight (I don't know if this is accurate as I haven't flown out of AMS before but it is of concern). Oceania tells our TA that there would be a charge for changing the flights now.

 

Any advice on how to handle this with O. Or what is your experience at AMS?

 

Thanks, Kim

[avalong]

The airport is huge. I remembering having to walk a very looooong way to make our connection. That walk was, in and of itself, pretty time-consuming.  It's been a few years so I no longer remember which airlines were involved. 

[basor]

Have your TA check and see if the airline considers this a legal connection......if not, then there is no charge to make a change to the itinerary.  Also, when there is a schedule change, you have the right to accept or not and ask for a different schedule with a longer connection at no charge.

 

Have your TA contact the airline and see what options are available and then have the TA call O air armed with the information.

 

[lj77346]

At Schiphol airport in Amsterdam, if you are connecting from a flight within the EU to a flight to the USA, after disembarking the EU flight you have to go through security and passport control to get to your flight to the USA.  Most likely the EU flight and flight to the USA will be in different terminals.  If memory serves me correctly, there is a fast track lane you can use if you have a tight connection, if your flight is listed on the monitor.  However, a 55 minute connection time even if everything goes smoothly would not make for a stress free connection.

[Cliff-FLL]

At AMS, it's not unusual to arrive at the gate and find another level of security screening.  It's essentially the same thing as the initial security checkpoint but, nevertheless, can be quite time-consuming.  If you miss this screening and it closes down, I don't know if they'll let you on the flight.  Fortunately, I've never been in a position to find out.

[khuselid]

30 minutes ago, Cliff-FLL said:

At AMS, it's not unusual to arrive at the gate and find another level of security screening.  It's essentially the same thing as the initial security checkpoint but, nevertheless, can be quite time-consuming.  If you miss this screening and it closes down, I don't know if they'll let you on the flight.  Fortunately, I've never been in a position to find out.

Thank you all. My TA call Oceania again and they changed us back to our original itinerary which goes through Munich and has a longer connection time and is on Lufthansa which we prefer anyway. So it surely pays to have great TA and to squeak!

[basor]

19 minutes ago, khuselid said:

Thank you all. My TA call Oceania again and they changed us back to our original itinerary which goes through Munich and has a longer connection time and is on Lufthansa which we prefer anyway. So it surely pays to have great TA and to squeak!

Squeaking is always important !!!

 

[FlyerTalker]

15 hours ago, lj77346 said:

At Schiphol airport in Amsterdam, if you are connecting from a flight within the EU to a flight to the USA, after disembarking the EU flight you have to go through security and passport control to get to your flight to the USA.  Most likely the EU flight and flight to the USA will be in different terminals.  If memory serves me correctly, there is a fast track lane you can use if you have a tight connection, if your flight is listed on the monitor.  However, a 55 minute connection time even if everything goes smoothly would not make for a stress free connection.

 

A couple minor points:  There is only one "terminal" at AMS - a large sprawling building.  What you do have are two sections - one for flights within the Schengen area and one for flights outside Schengen.  There is passport control and security to pass between the two sections.  There is a fast track as mentioned above...applicable flights are on a monitor.   One important thing to remember -- don't dawdle.  AMS is large and there is frequently subsequent screening at the gate area.  I highly recommend that anyone going through AMS look at a map of the airport to get an understanding of the layout.

[Hawaiidan]

Classic example  on why you should  book your own flights and control them.   Should you miss a connection , your airline will take responsibility for getting you  a flight to your destination, even on another airline, NA if that dosen't work   Get you a hotel and meal till you can..     

Having a 3rd party ticket ( Oceaina buying the ticket or Priceline etc)., really complicates things.   These are contract  prices subject to all sorts of restrictions.  and NEVER ever buy a business class seat from O  as you will pay far more than you could have....    

Edited March 12, 2022 by Hawaiidan

[khuselid]

Just now, Hawaiidan said:

Classic example  on why you should  book your own flights and control them.   Should you miss a connection , your airline will take responsibility on getting you  a flight to your destination, even on another airline, NA if that dosen't work   Get you a hotel and meal till you can..     

Having a 3rd party ticket ( Oceaina buying the ticket or Priceline etc)., really complicates things.

True. This is the first time I have done cruise air. I only did it because it was substantially less expensive than I could do myself....which was a first!!

[FlyerTalker]

45 minutes ago, khuselid said:

True. This is the first time I have done cruise air. I only did it because it was substantially less expensive than I could do myself....which was a first!!

 

Ah yes....the old "it was cheaper".

 

Ask yourself - why was it cheaper?  One answer is that you aren't buying the same ticket as you would from the airline directly.  You get different fare rules, different processes if there are changes and more.

 

TANSTAAFL

 

 

[khuselid]

40 minutes ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

Ah yes....the old "it was cheaper".

 

Ask yourself - why was it cheaper?  One answer is that you aren't buying the same ticket as you would from the airline directly.  You get different fare rules, different processes if there are changes and more.

 

TANSTAAFL

 

 

Perhaps. But I got BC with a better route than I could find alone. One of the difficulties this time is that we now fly out of PDX which is only a hub for Alaska. I did so much better when we were near SFO. I am please with the result. 2000 dollars is a lot us just now.

[KirkNC]

19 hours ago, lj77346 said:

At Schiphol airport in Amsterdam, if you are connecting from a flight within the EU to a flight to the USA, after disembarking the EU flight you have to go through security and passport control to get to your flight to the USA.  Most likely the EU flight and flight to the USA will be in different terminals.  If memory serves me correctly, there is a fast track lane you can use if you have a tight connection, if your flight is listed on the monitor.  However, a 55 minute connection time even if everything goes smoothly would not make for a stress free connection.

Yes and we have had huge lines at the security/passport control in AMS.  I would do everything I could to get some more time.

[welshfamily]

Good choice.

We are flying into and out of schiphol in the summer with Oceania and have taken a 3 hour layover to ensure we catch the connecting flight.  We know this airport well and unfortunately things can be very slow. We have paid the deviation. This was the only flight available which didn’t leave between 6-7am and take 7hrs or more. Not Oceania’s fault as we had the choice of all schedule airlines. A pain as both flights are only approx 1 hr-15 mins but safer than missing a connection. 
we have done this for 2 reasons

1. just before the pandemic we choose are own flights ( booked though our TA ) and it took 144 days to get all our money back including our Cruise.

2. The 45 mins minimum window for this airport is really tight. Just a 10 minute delay taking off and a long queue at passport control as the uk is now a Non Schengen departure point as is the US and you have no hope of making your connection.

Whilst the world and covid still mean uncertainty we are willing to spend more and experience inconvenience rather than stress.

[LaCroisiereS'amuse]

I've just done Glasgow to Bangkok via Amsterdam in KLM Business Class & only had an hour.  AMS is by far the easiest airport in Europe to transit - there is a fast track line at security & I sailed through.  There is one single terminal & there's no changing buildings, with everything well signposted.  I even managed to get ten minutes in the KLM lounge for a complimentary Heineken.  Any other airport I would say no, with the AMS & KLM punctuality record this is a viable option.  From someone who spent 30 years in the industry with a major competitor at Heathrow!