Massive airport queues see people pay to skip lines

As the hectic season of summer travel draws to a close, many airlines and airports moved on from their baggage mountains and chronic delays.

However, those travelling through Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport, (largely considered one of Europe's most efficient travel hubs), should prepare for massive queues, staffing shortages and stubborn operational issues.

Lines reportedly continue to snake around the airport, causing waits that are so long, some are paying incredible amounts to cut ahead via airport programmes.

In general, the price of Schiphol's VIP Service seems extravagant. Membership costs between €617 (NZ$1040) and €1,250 (NZ$2100) per passenger, and include private lounge access, limousine services and other amenities. Although, they also offer a dedicated security line; something that has many travellers eagerly signing up.

In fact, so many people have purchased the service, the airport recently stopped accepting new memberships as they did not have enough staff to manage demand.

"We are working on expanding the number of staff, [yet] at the same time it has always been an exclusive service," said Schiphol spokesperson, Madelon van der Hof.

"At this moment we can't give a date when the service will open again for all new members."

Privium, which also offers shorter security and immigration lines for an additional fee, has also halted new memberships until the end of the year due to an increase in demand and labour shortages.

As a major gateway to Europe, Schiphol Airport has been hit with overwhelming demand and labour shortages since April this year. This prompted the airport to enforce a passenger cap until March 2023, a move that hits already struggling carriers.

The airport's main carrier, KLM recently reported Q3 losses of €175 million as a result of traveller compensation and income loss. In addition, the passenger cap is expected to cut KLM's capacity by around 22 per cent.