Small bags only security checkpoints at Schiphol to stay open more often

Fixed and extended opening times will apply to the special 'small bags only' security lanes at Schiphol's security checkpoints. The evaluation over the summer holiday has shown that these lanes enable passengers to go through the security checkpoints more rapidly. The 'small bags only' security lanes are available to passengers carrying no or only a small amount of hand baggage. In addition, the figures for this summer have revealed that the waiting time for 95% of passengers travelling in July and August was between 0 and approximately 10 minutes.

Schiphol tested the 'small bags only' security lanes at its security checkpoints at peak times during this summer holiday period. The test results show that, over the same period of time, 15% to 20% more passengers passed through the 'small bags only' security lanes compared to the regular security lanes.

Extended opening times and specific dimensions
Whereas passengers were only able to use the 'small bags only' security lanes during peak times over the summer holiday, fixed and extended opening times will apply up to and including the autumn holiday period.

• between 3:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. in Departure Hall 1;
• between 6:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. in Departure Hall 2;
• between 6:30 a.m. and 8:30 p.m. in Departure Hall 3.

There are no 'small bags only' security lanes in Departure Halls 1a and 4.

Passengers who want to use the 'small bags only' security lanes are permitted one item of hand baggage, which may not be a trolley, measuring 40×30×20 cm. This could be a small handbag, a backpack or a laptop bag, for instance. After the autumn holiday period, Schiphol will evaluate the extended opening times.

Tips to speed up security checks
Aside from travelling as light as possible, there are a few other tips for passing through security as quickly as possible. The most important ones are to empty all trouser pockets, store passports and boarding passes in jacket pockets or bags, put fluids in a clear plastic bag before reaching security, keep electronic devices of a size equal to or greater than a tablet separate and remove jackets.

Waiting times at security
Over the summer holiday period, Schiphol and its partners took a number of additional measures to ensure a pleasant journey for all passengers. The most important measure involved the deployment of additional staff, particularly for security checks.

Thanks in part to these additional measures, the waiting time at security checkpoints for 95% of all passengers this summer was between 0 and approximately 10 minutes. Due to this positive effect, Schiphol has decided to continuously take additional measures. Click here for the waiting times of the summer period.

Would you like to know the current waiting times for your flight? Find your flight on our site or look it up in the Schiphol app.

13.5 million passengers
A total of 13.5 million passengers passed through Schiphol this summer. The most popular destination in terms of flight numbers was the United Kingdom, followed by Spain and Italy. As a consequence, London Heathrow and London Gatwick have joined Barcelona in the top three airports with the most flights from Schiphol. Among the more traditional holiday destinations, the most popular ones were Faro, Málaga and Ibiza.