It's 3 AM at the airport in Amsterdam. The check-in and departure areas are closed, but arrivals are still trickling in. Planes continue to arrive all through the night. People are waiting in the arrivals area for family and friends. The airport even contains a unique machine where you can make a banner to surprise your arriving passenger when they step out of the gate. People in the departure area are milling about busying themselves by reading, watching TV, chatting, or trying to sleep. Some shops stay open 24 hours, so there are still a few places to get something to eat. Security patrols all areas and are easily visible since many of them ride Segways around.
Like Copenhagen, Schiphol airport also has a shopping area. It's more like a mall, really. There's a large shopping area before the departure gates. I'm sure there are even more shops on the other side. I've yet to find out. I arrived late last evening, so I haven't been able to check in. It will be a few more hours until I can see what's behind the gate.
Schiphol is an airport on a massive scale. The airport employs over 60,000 people. You'll find over 35,000 parking spaces outside. Inside, there are over 100 shops. There are 32 check-in areas, 91 gates, and over 110 airlines represented. No wonder it's open 24/7.
My flight to Philadelphia leaves at noon CET, so I have quite some time to kill. Once I check-in, I hope to find some interesting sights and stores on the upper level as well. Until then, I will be walking the arrivals area and sleeping in a nook here and there. Waiting in an airport is practical but not glamorous.
Welcome to Schiphol!
Empty check-in counters at 11 PM
KLM has its base here, of course.
Where do you want to shop? Only 109 shops to choose from.
Or make a banner for your passenger.
One of the open eateries at 3 AM
A typical breakfast offering.
How many hours is it from here?
No comments:
Post a Comment