Why Schiphol rocks
MANILA, Philippines - On a very long layover at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam once, I discovered two things: the locations of all the smoking areas in the huge airport, and how a room looks in a capsule hotel.
I was tired from the flight and the layover (six hours) seemed like an eternity so I decided to find a hotel inside the terminal to get at least four hours of sleep. Mercure Hotel, which offers showers for 15 euros and rooms for about 90 euros upwards was full. The other hotel, Yotel, had rooms, the cheapest of which (at 40 euros) has a bed similar to a capsule hotel (elevated) and it has a bathroom inside.
Anyway, I had four hours now but still couldn’t sleep.
And this is where I realized that killing time in an airport like Schiphol is pretty easy — I should have known from past experiences here. The airport is like a mall where you can browse for hours — it has restaurants, a food court, bars, fine food stores, fashion and gadget stores, a museum shop (Rijks, which has reopened in the city after a 10-year renovation) . The only thing lacking is a moviehouse (hey, there’s an idea!).
Plus, it is one of the most high-tech airports in the world. On my return flight, I checked myself in — there are rows upon rows of KLM self check-in machines (with ground crew to assist you if you get confused), from which you print your boarding pass and then put your luggage on the conveyor belt and tag it.
It was, in fact, fun to do that. No long lines and getting annoyed at people in front of you for not getting their tickets and passports sorted out before they get to the counter.
Ask any traveler and they’d tell you Schiphol is one of their favorite airports ever — the gouda cheese, cheeseboards and stroopwafel alone can fill your luggage.
Truth is, we miss the direct flights from Manila to Amsterdam. We have heard rumors that KLM will resume nonstop flights soon from and to Manila.
Here, KLM’s Jurriaan Stelder, general manager for South China Sea, answers our questions.
PHILIPPINE STAR: Is KLM coming back to Manila? Why or why not?
JURRIAAN STELDER: I assume that you mean to ask if KLM will reinstate the nonstop flight to Manila as KLM has been flying, without interruption, to Manila for 61 years now. KLM changed its flights schedule to Manila a year ago introducing the intermediate stop in Taipei as the results on the route were insufficient, largely due to high taxation in the Philippines. With the removal of the Common Carriers Tax earlier this year, this burden has been reduced, making it more attractive for KLM to grow again in the Philippines. Unfortunately, the current economic climate in Europe does not yet allow a return to nonstop operation within a short period of time. In the meantime, KLM is on a path of increasing seat capacity on the route.
How big or important is the Philippine market to KLM?
Manila is one out of more than 130 destinations operated by KLM from Amsterdam, of which 65 are intercontinental. The Philippine market might not be the largest for KLM in the world, but it is attractively growing. There is a clear link here between the resilient economic performance of the Philippines and the growth of travel to Europe. KLM is confident that the Philippines will continue to grow at a significant rate, especially with more and more support from the government on more modern and liberal aviation policies.
How competitive is KLM in terms of pricing?
KLM’s pricing is competitive to all relevant market players. In return for this competitive offer, KLM customers can expect excellent services: reliable and efficient ground and flight operations, excellent service on board, such as catering and inflight entertainment, and convenient connecting possibilities to other destinations in Europe and beyond via Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, undoubtedly one of the best airports in the world. In this year of 2013 KLM is making it even more attractive to fly to Europe with KLM by offering a free stopover in Amsterdam. This will give customers the opportunity to visit Amsterdam in their trip and see all the beauty and hospitality it has to offer.
In terms of schedule from Manila and connections, what is the advantage of flying KLM? How many European cities does it service from Amsterdam?
KLM operates night flights between Manila and Amsterdam in both directions allowing customers to save time and money. When it comes to traveling to any place in Europe, big or small, you can get there with KLM with only one transfer at Schiphol. KLM and partners offer 96 destinations in Europe nonstop from Amsterdam, which is uncontested by a mile compared to any other airline flying into Manila.
The aircraft flying from Manila to Amsterdam via Taipei — are there plans to change these to the more modern Boeing 777-300ER?
At this moment KLM operates a mix of B777-200ER and B777-300ER aircraft to Manila and over the past half year, KLM has steadily increased the share of B777-300ER’s. If the route continues to develop well, we might be able to increase this number further. Apart from this, an upgrade of the B777-200ER business class is planned for next year, which will further improve our customers’ experience.
Do people actually choose airlines based on the connecting airport? What are the advantages of connecting in Schiphol?
Schiphol has many strong points, but its main advantage over all other large airports in the world is the one-terminal concept, having all its facilities under one roof and therefore making flight connections easier. More than 50 million passengers per year travel through Schiphol Airport and a very high share connects from one flight to another. Being able to do this within one terminal makes it possible to offer customers (and their bags) to connect comfortably from as short as 40 minutes. Next to this efficiency, comfort is another strong point of the airport. The opportunities for shopping are plenty, there are many places to relax including children’s playground, there are hotels available on airside (the area beyond security checks and passport and customs control) and there is an outlet of the world famous Rijksmuseum which can be visited for free. Last year, Schiphol airport won prestigious awards such as best airport in Europe (Skytrax), best airport in the world (Airport Council International), best airport for business travelers (Business Traveller).
The premium economy seat can be bought for around $150 on the website’s seating plan. Can it also be purchased with miles?
Yes, KLM’s economy comfort product can also be purchased with Flying Blue miles. Our most loyal Flying Blue customers also enjoy discounts on this popular product. — TANYA T. LARA
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