Airport Asks Airlines To Cut Flights

Even an airport is now asking airlines to trim their flight schedules so as not to create further chaos.

Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport – surprisingly, the third-busiest airport in Europe – said a combination of staff shortages, increased passenger traffic from pent-up demand, and an impromptu strike by baggage handlers has created an overcrowded situation.

Many airlines have already begun cutting their spring and summer schedules to better fit their staffing needs, especially with a worldwide pilot shortage, but this is an unusual request coming from an airport.

Schiphol officials told Reuters News Service said it “asked airlines to reduce the number of local departing passengers this past weekend by canceling bookings, and not accepting new bookings from Schiphol in the period from 2 to 8 May.”

Airport regulators called it “an annoying but necessary measure to reduce the number of passengers.”

It is not known how many flights were canceled over the weekend or will be canceled over the next week. Dutch national carrier KLM has the largest presence at Schiphol but Delta Air Lines also has flights to Amsterdam from the U.S.