browserden

This is probably more for the TS/S forum but more people in the KLM forum will be familiar with AMS.

Was staying overnight at Hotel West (Mercure Schiphol) which is located upstairs in departure hall 3. Checked into the hotel fine, paid for the hotel and got a receipt. Was told if leaving the airport I'd need to come back in through the Schengen checkpoint in departures 1 as that's the only checkpoint that's open 24 hours, I'd need my passport to get from Schengen departures back to the hotel which is in the non-Schengen zone.

There was two of us, both Privium members and we both had our passports, he also happened to still have his boarding pass for the connecting flight with him and I made sure to take the hotel invoice to show why we wanted into the airport at such an odd hour.

Arriving at the checkpoint (this was sometime after midnight but before 1am) I noticed that the Privium lane was still open so we both used that. At this point someone with 'Team Leader' on her badge (no one had name badges) started shouting "Where are you going? This is closed?", I held up the hotel invoice up and said "we're staying in the terminal hotel" she said "You're not the boss here, I'm the boss, get out of the checkpoint" pointing back out of the checkpoint area. She then looked at us and said "I know you're very angry at the moment but unless you follow my rules you're going nowhere" (neither of us said anything about being annoyed, I thought being calm was the best approach but I think she was trying to provoke us).

Anyway, I explained again about the hotel and showed her the invoice again. She said "anyone could have printed that, do you have your reservation confirmation?", "no I booked on the phone so all I had was an email confirmation which is easier to fake than an invoice on headed paper". Then she asked for my boarding pass, I said it was safely in the hotel as I wanted to carry the bare minimum around with me. My friend had a boarding pass so this point she let him through the checkpoint, I said "he can collect my pass" and she didn't look too amused but accepted that this was an acceptable solution (if I had been thinking more clearly at the time I'd have remembered that I could have picked one up at the KLM self service desks without a problem).

At this point she asked one of her colleagues to keep an eye on me to wait for the boarding pass to arrive and she then vanished. This guy was a lot friendlier and we started talking. He said the reason she got so annoyed was the Privium point was supposed to be closed and we just walked through. However, there was no sign that it was closed, the machine was still showing the welcome message and the privium lane signage was still lit up. He asked me how security in Schiphol differs from other cities I've visited.

When my boarding pass arrived they let me into the checkpoint to get screened, they never actually looked at the boarding pass. I think if I'd not run into the 'boss' first I'd have been fine getting through.

What's annoying was the treatment before she knew I didn't have a boarding pass, seemingly just for using the Privium lane in her checkpoint which if it was closed then someone should have set the system to say so.

As for needing a boarding pass to enter the secure area. I can see the following scenarios where Hotel West guests may not have a boarding pass:

- Connecting pax who do not have an onward boarding pass for whatever reason and need to wait until the transfer desk opens
- Arriving pax with no onward connection (as far as I know this is allowed at this hotel but I'm not sure why you'd want to)

Also during the day when the airport is fully open it's trivial to get into the departures area without a boarding pass, when I go through with Privium there's no one to ask and back before Privium I can't remember passport control asking for a boarding pass. Next time I'll save the trouble and take the boarding pass, but they're not exactly pocket sized when you're not wearing a jacket.

KLouis

Small correction; you wouldn't have been able to collect a BP at the ss-desk: remember, your BP was in your room and no airline would ever issue a second one!

HeathrowGuy

Airlines issue dupe BPs all the time -- I do this as a matter of course in cases where I believe it likely that I will have to submit a BP to the airline for manual credit.

browserden

Also the KL self service checkin machines now print out paper boarding passes with barcodes just like the home printed versions. You can print as many copies of the PDF that you want so I can't see why they'd stop you printing an extra self service pass (but I never did get to test this theory out).

What I'd like to know is:
Is a boarding pass essential to enter airside at Schiphol if you've got evidence of another valid reason to be airside (i.e. staying at the Mercure)?
Has anyone encountered anyone at AMS that sounds familiar to this woman?

Mofomat

Have you ever been to a KLM lounge?

PJK

I usually check in online on KLM.com and print out my boarding pass. Then when I get to the airport I often get a printed one from the machine as well with the right gate on it. The machine doesn't know whether I have a printer at home. It just happily gives me a new one each time I ask for it.

browserden

Yes, never had any problems there. But I've never done anything out of the ordinary there.

Then again, I seem to have better luck than many (except for this incident), I got a "yes, that is possible" from KLM groundstaff once and outside of KLM I've even dealt with helpful Alitalia groundstaff (supposedly an impossibility if you don't speak Italian).

johan rebel

I stay at Hotel West a couple of times a year, the last occasion was a few weeks ago. As usual, I took a stroll around the almost deserted airport late evening. In the E-pier/concourse I came across a battery of these self-service transfer kiosk, and played around with one for a while. I was not tranferring from anywhere, but it happily issued me a second boarding card for my flight the next morning. It may well have printed me more had I tried, because the question that appeared on the screen was something along the lines of "would you like a new boarding card?".

Browserden, have you dropped Privium an e-mail? I've always had the impression that it is very important to them that their customers are treated well.

Johan

patgarrett

.....

johan rebel

True, but it so happens that I lived there for 15 years, a pretty long soak by any standards. Furthermore, I travel very light, so when flying to JNB I do not bring any clothing or footwear suitable for an evening in AMS at this time of year.

Johan

KLouis

Well, since everybody says I'm wrong, what can I say: I'm wrong. To my excuse, though, in the pre-machine/pre-online times in FRA, I remember my wife "loosing" her BP and getting hell from the lady at the check-in desk when she asked to get a new one. She was told that she would have to wait till last to board, using a hand-written BP. Needless to say that we located the "lost" one upon arrival at our destination...

Zembla

I understood from a lady at the Privium office that there are recently many reports of Privium members crossing the check point just to bring someone to the plane etc...
This is a potential security risk. the airport police and security are reinforcing the rules. You'll lose your Privium card for life if you're cought.
This case is of course slightly different. But I think it does make sense when a security person insists you have a boarding card.

jetfan

Correct, I believe it is one of the Privium rules that you must be in possession of a valid boarding pass.
Also, when re-entering The Netherlands on the non-Schengen side the Immigration may ask you where you're coming from. Lying to them and naming some random flight is risky and an offence of course.
And indeed, the kiosks re-issue a boarding pass without any hitch as they re-check your passport before entering the shoot to the plane anyway.
As to the question of the OP, they do close the non-Schengen entrance in hall 2 at around 23:00 hrs if I am not mistaken.
Not too sure about hall 3 though as there are many Martinair flights departing at un-Godly hours. I would also imagine hall 1 (Schengen) and the airside checkpoint from Schengen to non-Schengen remain open.

GUWonder

This is a "security risk" to worry about? No. Anyone landside at AMS who can buy a ticket and print out a boarding pass can get into the terminal upon passing the Schengen passport control or Privium. Whether they have a legitimate boarding pass in their name or not doesn't make for a secure airport.

Zembla

Disagreed. Anyone with a stolen or 'borrowed' Privium card can enter the Schengen terminal. The name on a boarding card is linked to to someones ID/name on Privium Card.
It would make it much easier for someone with a stolen or 'borrowed' Privium card to enter the terminal anonymously if no boardingcard is necessary. (Thinking about black listed persons etc...)


EDIT: Wait a second...they coukld still buy a ticket with the name of the Privium Card holder on it ....guess you're right!