Next month I will be traveling on KLM to Barcelona. I have one hour and five minutes to make a connection at the Amsterdam airport. KLM says that this will be sufficient time to go through border patrol and customs and make my connecting flight. However, I am still concerned. I would appreciate any comments or suggestions that you could give me if you have had a similar experience.
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23626 posts
Time is sufficient if everything is on time. A couple of years ago we had carry on only but still missed that connection time simply because a number of things went wrong. We will plan a little better next time. Our plane was about 20 minutes later getting to the gate. Unfortunately we were sitting in the far back corner of the plane opposite side from the door. Another 20/25 minutes to get off the plane. Try to get a seat assigned near the exit doors. Try being close to the first off instead of last off. Immigration lines were long but there was a short line for close connections. We didn't see it right away so we lost another ten minutes or so. Look for the line - use it. For us it was the far left hand side. Amsterdam is a big airport so move quickly. Hit a long security line for the next flight but this time quickly found and used the short line for connections but still lost more time. Finally relived that we found the gate fifteen minutes prior to departure. Gate closed. Because the passengers were be bussed out to the plane for boarding the gate closed 15 minutes early. We missed it by two or three minutes. So we lost about three hours waiting for the next flight.
Posted by
169 posts
If you booked this directly with an airline and it was a "natural" connection then the airline is saying there is enough time. Generally they wouldn't book you on a connecting flight if there wasn't sufficient time.
What you might want to do is check the flight numbers and see the percentage of on time arrivals and departures. You can do this, or you can call the airline and ask them. Although there is no guarantee that your situation would be the same the day of your flight, you can at least get a sense. Some flights are always late, etc.
You could also see if they can put you on a later fight now that would give you more time because of the tight connection - hopefully without them charging you a fee.
Other than that, check now to know when the next flight is just in case if you miss yours. Be prepared with that information in advance f you miss the connection and have to rebook.
Posted by
Seattle
544 posts
My Delta flight from Seattle had a one hour delay last summer and they had already rebooked me on a later connecting flight before I landed in AMS. I scanned my boarding pass at the first transfer desk I saw and it printed a new boarding pass. The border control was really fast, they just stamp your passport and let me skip the line since I was running late, even for my new later flight. My bag didn't make the flight change, but was delivered to my hotel around 3pm the next day. I was happy that I had a change of clothes and my toothbrush in my carry-on bag.
Posted by
Used to be Steilacoom, now it’s Las Vegas
2296 posts
We flew from Seattle to Barcelona in May, connecting through Amsterdam. Our layover time between the Delta flight from Seattle and the KLM flight to Barcelona was 1hr.15min. Like you, I was concerned about this being enough time, but it turned out to be plenty. It's a very efficient and well- marked airport. Unlike other airports, they make allowances for passengers that may be delayed and have tight connections. Previous posters have given good directions. I hope this helps ease your mind!
Have a great trip!