Schiphol Airport has launched a compensation program to reimburse travellers who missed their flights because of lengthy delays that saw passengers’ holiday plans ruined due to hours-long security screening queues in recent months.
The program heads off a possible mass claim for compensation and is for passengers who were booked to fly between 23 April to 11 August 2022 and arrived at Schiphol on time but missed their flight because they were stuck in a queue.
It covers costs including rebooking a flight or booking a replacement flight, extra travel costs and accommodation, transport and activities booked at the travellers’ destination.
Schiphol did not say how much the compensation program would cost the airport.
The Dutch airport was one of several busy European hubs, including London Heathrow, that was plunged into chaos by staff shortages and soaring demand as air travel rebounded strongly from two years of COVID-19 restrictions.
Airlines and airports slashed jobs during the pandemic, making it difficult to quickly ramp up to serve the new burst of travellers.
Schiphol Airport CEO Dick Benschop said: “A lot of people have really been looking forward to their holidays abroad, especially after two years of COVID.”
“We’re extremely sorry that some people have missed their flight due to the long security control queue.”
Via AAP