World City Guide

Getting There By Air

Schiphol International Airport (AMS)
Tel: (0900) 7244 7465. Fax: (020) 604 1475.
E-mail: schiphol@xxlink.nl
Website: www.schiphol.nl

Schiphol, located 15km (9 miles) southwest of Amsterdam, is the fourth largest airport in Europe, with over 100 airlines flying to over 200 destinations. Schiphol ranks fourth behind London Heathrow, Frankfurt and Paris Charles de Gaulle, and has repeatedly been voted ‘Best Airport in Europe’ in numerous magazines and newspapers. The New Privium programme offers frequent flyers speedy transit through passport control and security (website: www.schiphol.nl/privium).

Major airlines: The national airline, KLM – Royal Dutch Airlines (tel: (020) 474 7747; website: www.klm.nl), flies direct to all major European, North American and Asia-Pacific cities. KLM UK (tel: (020) 474 7747; website: www.klmuk.com) flies to London Stansted and several regional airports throughout the UK. Transavia (tel: (020) 406 0406 or 0900 0737; website: www.transavia.nl), 80% of which is owned by KLM, operates scheduled flights to London Gatwick and Barcelona. Transavia has also recently launched a budget offshoot, using Schiphol as its hub, called Basiq Air (tel: (0900) 0737; website: www.basiqair.com). On the domestic front, KLM Cityhopper (tel: (020) 648 3456; website: www.klmcityhopper.nl) operates services between Amsterdam and Eindhoven. Other major airlines serving the airport include Air France, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, China Airlines, Easyjet, Egypt Air, Northwest Airlines and Continental Airlines.

Approximate flight times to Amsterdam: From London is 50 minutes; from New York is 7 hours; from Los Angeles is 10 hours 25 minutes; from Toronto is 7 hours; and from Sydney is 21 hours 20 minutes.

Airport facilities: Facilities at Schiphol are first rate, with bureaux de change, currency exchange machines, restaurants, duty-free shops, left-luggage, tour operators, a hotel reservation service and prayer rooms. Departure lounges also have funky chairs and plenty of space in which to relax before flying. Shower facilities and day rooms are available at the airport hotels. Wi-fi hot spots are also available. Car hire companies include Avis, Budget, Hertz, National and Sixt.

Business facilities: The Schiphol Business Centre (tel: (020) 653 2480; fax: (020) 653 2566) is open to all passengers. Facilities include fax, personal computer, telephone and secretarial services. The centre is open Monday to Friday 0830–1900. There is one conference room in the terminal, which can cater for groups of up to 55 delegates and must be booked in advance through the business centre. Coin operated fax machines are located throughout the airport terminal. Computers, printers and mobile telephones (for making and receiving both local and international calls) can be hired from KPN Telecom Rentcentre (tel: (020) 653 0999; fax: (020) 653 0998). There is also a press centre. Some major airlines provide executive lounges, which offer some business facilities.

Arrival/departure tax: None.

Transport to the city: Connexxtions (tel: (020) 405 6506) operates a shuttle bus service to the city centre, every 20 minutes daily between 0600-2100 (journey time – approximately 20-30 minutes, although due to numerous stops, journeys can sometimes take up to an hour). The 55 hotels serviced include the Pulitzer, Krasnapolsky, Grand, Crowne Plaza, Renaissance, Carlton, Okura, Holiday Inn, Novotel and Park.

NS (tel: (0900) 9292/6; website: www.ns.nl) trains run between the airport and Amsterdam’s Centraal Station, daily every 15 minutes 0600-2400 (journey time – 20 minutes) and every hour throughout the night. A one-way, second-class ticket costs ¬3.10, or ¬5.50 return. There is also a direct link between Schiphol and Amsterdam’s RAI Congress Centre, with trains running every 15 minutes 0525-2410. Schiphol also has direct links to The Hague, Rotterdam and Vlissingen and other destinations throughout Holland and on into Belgium and France.

Official airport taxis pick up passengers from outside the arrivals hall. The journey to the city costs from ¬40 and takes approximately 15-25 minutes, depending on which part of the city is required. Book in advance at www.schipholtaxi.nl.