I am looking for flights for my trip next spring, and I am considering flying home from Rome to Boston via Amsterdam. Does anyone have experience with this airport? Is a 1 hour and 40 minute layover doable?
This is my first international flight in awhile - would I have to go through customs or immigration at all in Amsterdam just to change planes? I assume I wouldn't have to do that until I land in Boston, but just wanted to check!
You go through passport control in Amsterdam. They will stamp your passport showing that you left Europe specifically the Schengen zone. Then in Boston you go t through US Border control and then customs.
That connection In Amsterdam is doable otherwise the airline would not be able to sell it. If you miss the connection the airline is liable to put you on the next flight available. If you don't feel comfortable with it simply don't buy it.
You’ll also go through security again before your onward flight to the US.
Some people will have done this easily. I, personally, would not. Your flight to Boston may start loading 50-60 minutes before departure time. If your Rome departure is delayed any you may not make the connection. Is there another flight to Boston later in the day? Is there an earlier flight you can take from Rome?
I promised myself last time I flew home from Italy I would not take a crack of dawn flight to get to AMS for a connection, lol but would stay the night before in Amsterdam. I’m very risk averse though so it might not bother you.
I've connected at AMS twice in the past 18 months, one trip to/from Italy (Delta/KLM). It is my preferred airport to connect Europe and PDX. On both trips we found KLM ground personnel near the arrival gates, ready to guide passengers to connecting flights. Staff at the entrance to passport control will fast-track passengers with short connection times. When we reached the gate for our US-bound flight we initially thought we were late, as we expected to have 1 1/2 hours until departure but passengers were already lined up to board! Turned out we had nothing to worry about-Delta was just getting started with an additional passport check and security questions. Both posters above make good points-the bottom line is that you have to be comfortable with the length of time for your connection.
Reported as spam — the post just above mine.
Thank you everyone! Hearing your experiences has been really helpful!
Judy B - Thank you for reporting the above post as spam; I reported it as well.
Reported as spam — the post just above mine.
No! I was just about to contact them (-:
As to the OP, that time frame seems perfectly fine. I've made connections through Amsterdam from France to the US a couple of times in the last few years, and while the airport is big, it's run very efficiently.
Schiphol is a great airport. I will start with that!
Next, make sure your flights are on one itinerary as opposed to separate tickets because if they are separate and you miss your transatlantic flight home, you will have to buy new tickets for a transAtlantic flight on the spot.
Transatlantic flights can close 30-60 minutes prior to departure so if your inbound flight is late, you might miss the connection. You will have to wait for another flight in which there are seats and that could be the next day or the day after.
I personally stay overnight in Amsterdam (or towns nearby) before my flight home as the flights to New York on Delta typically leave in the morning and I always allow 3-4 hours for overseas connections. That makes flying into Amsterdam the same day to connect to a flight home practically an impossibility. If your flight departs for the US later in the day from AMS, then same day flying could very well be an option for you.
AMS is a good airport. I've exited the EU there 3 times since March (last time in November). There have been a lot of changes over the last few years -- nearly all have been for the better. Passport control is much more efficient now with the addition of numerous automated facial-recognition lanes, including for US passports.
You’ll also go through security again before your onward flight to the
US.
This has changed. Since March, everyone who exits passport control is funneled past 1-2 airport employees who randomly select travelers for security/baggage screening, sending "the chosen" to the right; the vast majority of travelers walk straight past the airport employees to go directly to their gates (most don't realize a selection is happening). For those selected for the security screening (me in March), the line is short, and the process pretty quick.
The only screening at the gates now is just some rudimentary security questions as your passport is scanned (e.g., Did you pack your own bag? Has anyone else had control of your bag?), unless you have the dreaded SSSS on your boarding pass. No more D1/E1 security gate mess (ended in March). No more baggage screenings at the gate (ended 3-4 years ago).
I was able to go gate-to-gate in about 30 minutes all three times I departed the EU through AMS this year; two of those had connection times of 90 minutes (including the one where I was selected for the post-passport-control security screening), and I made it to my departing gate well before boarding began.
My biggest problem with getting through Schiphol quickly are one or two stunning gift shops with everything Vermeer, Van Gogh, Delft and tulip related. I almost missed a flight this fall because I wanted just 5 more minutes to look.
It is a large airport and there are many opportunities to get distracted. Make sure to head towards the general area where you will wait for your Boston flight after you deplane from the Rome leg. Take into consideration that in addition to the normal security screening US bound flights do a pre-boarding security check. Leave time for that. You will have more then enough time for your transfer as long as you are not delayed out of Rome.
