Traveling DUS -AMS via KLM (Delta) and connecting to Delta flight to DTW. I only have 1 hour 15 min layover and I was trying to check out the route through the airport on an airport map. The KLM flight seems to arrive at an A pier but I cannot find any airport map that even shows an A. Does an A Pier exist? If so, where is it?.
Posted by
Green Bay
20987 posts
I am going to surmise that it is obsolete and been repurposed. Google satellite view shows a building parallel to Pier B, but no airplanes there. Is your information outdated perhaps?
The Schipol website does not show arrival gates, but does show departure gates. For tomorrow, all KLM flights to DUS go from Pier B, so I am willing to bet that is also where they arrive.
Posted by
Los Angeles
1077 posts
A gate 'A' indicates that a transfer by bus will be required from your remotely parked plane to the terminal. The larger concern is that you are arriving in the Schengen area of the terminal and must pass through immigration to reach the x-Schengen area for your departing flight to the States. So a long walk may be required in addition to the line at immigration.
When the line is short you may be able to reach your departure gate in 30 - 40 minutes. If the line is long there should d be a separate line for short connections.
Posted by
OP
Stillwater, NY
94 posts
Thanks markcw. I see! I have done that kind of take the bus to the plane transfer before, only going from AMS to DUS. It will be at 7:30 in the morning so maybe immigration/passport control won't be too bad going from Schengen to non-Schengen. We only have an hour and 15 min layover till the Delta flight to DTW.
Posted by
Washington, DC
47 posts
Be ready to hustle, especially if there are any delays (autumn weather can often cause low visibility conditions at AMS which can slow things up a bit).
Passport control from Schengen to non-Schengen is a mixed bag. I went through there yesterday (Oct 1) around 10:30am and it was fairly quick. That said, there are quite a few who were having problems with the biometric scanning lanes (mostly folks from non-EU countries for whom these stations are still a new thing) so I ducked over to an old-school staffed station and was through in less than 2 minutes.
And yes: there are lanes for those with tight connections, and plenty of airport staff who can help you in a pinch.
Note that your flight to DTW is likely going from Pier E which is a long schlep from the A/B area - wear good walking shoes and be prepared to have some spring in your step if you can.
Good luck!
Posted by
Salem, Oregon, USA
2624 posts
You can check how busy Schiphol is anticipated to be about two weeks before your scheduled flights at https://www.schiphol.nl/en/my-travel-day/today You can also download the airport's app for your phone which shows similar information. Just because the Dusseldorf flight used one gate today doesn't mean they'll use the same one the next day. You can use a website like Flight Aware to check flights for the past 14 days or so to see timeliness and typical gate usage - it looks like the DUS flight mostly uses A gates but there was at least one C gate.
Unfortunately a morning arrival time does not mean the airport will be less busy, Schiphol is always very busy, especially in the morning. Definitely confirm you're checked in to your DTW flight and have a boarding pass when you leave Dusseldorf, as it's quite likely they will have already started the boarding process as you are landing at AMS. If you're checking bags make sure you take important/valuable things with you in your carryon in case your bag doesn't make the transfer.