Amsterdam International Airport, called Schiphol, is one of the five largest and busiest air harbors in Europe. The annual number of passengers that they pass, is about fifty million people. At the same time, about a third of them follow international directions. As of today, its route network has 313 direct connections. The main carrier here is the Dutch company KLM.
general description
Amsterdam Airport, the scheme of which is located below, was opened in 1916. It is located in the municipality of Haarlemmermer in a southwest direction from the Dutch capital, at a distance of ten kilometers from its center. At present, Schiphol is one huge terminal, consisting of three large halls. The construction of the last of them was completed twenty years ago. The airport is divided into two floors. At the lower level there is a large hall, arrival halls, as well as railway ticket offices and access to passenger platforms. On the second floor there are departure halls and registration desks.
There are five main runways at the airport. In addition to them, there is another one designed for small aircraft flights. It should be noted that plans for further expansion of the air harbor building and the construction of the seventh strip are now actively being discussed. “Schiphol” is located at a height of three meters below sea level. The height of the control tower is 101 meters, which was a record world figure at the time of its construction in 1991.
Halls and piers
As already mentioned above, the Schiphol terminal consists of three halls. All of them are interconnected by transitions. From each of the halls depart special piers, which are marked in English letters. Moreover, “B” and “C” are intended for servicing flights to Schengen countries , and “E”, “F” and “G” are for non-Schengen destinations. The piers “H”, “M” and “D” are mixed. It will help a lot to figure out the necessary direction, even for passengers who are traveling for the first time through the Amsterdam airport, the arrival and departure signs.
Taxi and transfer
The easiest and at the same time the most expensive way to get from the airport to the city and back is a taxi. The real innovation in this type of transport was the use of electric vehicles. The best option would be to book a car on the official website of Schiphol. In this case, the car will be delivered at the indicated time directly to the airport in Amsterdam. How to get to the necessary destination, the passenger does not need to think after that. The situation is similar with the transfer order. It is more beneficial when traveling with a large family or company. The main thing to remember is that his reservation must be made at least four hours in advance.
Railway at the airport
Traveling through the Dutch capital by public transport is a little more difficult, but much cheaper. The railway station is located directly on the territory of Schiphol. Trains that go to the city center depart from the first and second platforms. The interval of their departure, like travel time, is twenty minutes (at night they go in an hour). Tickets can be purchased both at the box office and in special machines. Moreover, in the second case, their cost will be slightly less. Trains in the direction of two other major cities of the country - Rotterdam and Breda - depart every half hour. Even those people who first arrived at Amsterdam Airport should not have problems with travel here. The station board, as well as the official website of the Dutch Railways, will tell you which train you need to board.
Bus transport
The platform, from which buses depart in the direction of the city center, is located directly opposite the "Schihol" and is called the "A7". Driving time to the central part of the city is about thirty minutes. At the same time, when buying a ticket directly from the driver you will have to pay 4 euros, while if you have a chip card, the fare will be 2.35 euros. It is best to use this mode of transport when traveling to the southern part of Amsterdam.
Infrastructure
Amsterdam Airport is simply imbued with a metropolitan atmosphere. On its territory you can meet representatives of almost all world nations. This air harbor is constantly being improved. Currently, among the services provided to customers, one can note a children's room, many restaurants, cafes and six hotels with different levels of comfort (from "economy class" to "five stars"). In addition, there are even such unusual objects for the airport as the marriage registration department and the prayer hall. Recreation areas are quite comfortable and equipped with TVs.
With a ticket, every passenger who arrives at Amsterdam Airport has the opportunity to make purchases in the world-famous chain of stores called See Buy Fly. Here you can find various goods and souvenirs, the number of items which exceeds the mark of 140 thousand.
Baggage check-in
According to the rules that apply at Schiphol, when traveling inside Europe to complete the check-in procedure, passengers must arrive at the airport at least two hours before departure. As for international flights outside Europe, in this case you need to arrive three hours before the time indicated on the ticket.
People arriving at Amsterdam Airport have the right to use the carts on wheels that are designed to carry luggage. By weight, it is limited to three categories. In particular, passengers with economy class tickets can bring things with a total weight of not more than twenty kilograms. For customers traveling in business class, this value is thirty kilograms, and for those who have first-class tickets, forty kilograms. It should be noted that the permissible dimensions of baggage are not specified in the transportation rules, and the restrictions relate exclusively to its weight.
Awaiting Flight
In order for passengers to somehow pass the time while waiting for departure, a number of entertainments are provided at the Amsterdam airport, located under one roof, they are quite easy to find. The main and most interesting among them is the branch of the state museum, located directly on the territory of the airport. It presents original versions of some works performed by Vermeer, Rembrandt and other Dutch masters. In addition to it, slot machines and casinos are very popular.
Hotels
As already noted above, several hotels operate in and around Skiphol, the services of which can be used when the flight is delayed for some reason, or you need to wait a while before the transfer. The most famous hotel at Amsterdam Airport is the Hilton. In addition to him, five more hotels operate on the territory of the air harbor.
Awards
Over the history of its existence, Schiphol has won more than a hundred different prizes and awards. The most iconic of them was the title of the best air harbor in the world, which he was awarded seven times. In addition, from 1988 to 2003, for fifteen consecutive years, it was called the best European airport. As of today, the Skytrax rating for him is four stars. In addition to this rating, only five air harbors of the planet can boast such a rating.