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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 (nine miles) southwest of Amsterdam, is the fourth largest airport in Europe, with over 90 airlines flying to over 220 destinations. Schiphol ranks fourth behind London Heathrow, Frankfurt, and Paris Charles de Gaulle and has repeatedly been voted ‘Best Airport in Europe’ by readers of Business Traveller Magazine.
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; 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 Virgin Express 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. Car hire companies include Avis, Budget, Europcar and Hertz.
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), which is open 0700–2200. 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) 653 4975) 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). Hotels serviced include the Pulitzer, Krasnapolsky, Sofitel, Crowne Plaza, Renaissance, Golden Tulip Barbizon, Tulip Inn, Carlton, Okura, Holiday Inn, Novotel and Park. The cost is €10.50 for a single ticket and €19 for a return, although there is an extra charge for non-contracted hotels.
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.
Official airport taxis pick up passengers from outside the arrivals hall. The journey to the city costs from €30 and takes approximately 15–25 minutes, depending on which part of the city is required.
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General
