The New British Airways lounge at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol
The British airways lounge at Amsterdam Airport has moved. As of 17th December 2014 it is in a new location, which rather unfortunately requires a long walk to get there. If you fly Cathay Pacific Business class, or any other Oneworld carrier but with Sapphire status, then you will also be affected by the move.
Let's put it into context. Flyertalk's legendary Corporate Wage Slave posted a very helpful map:
What the map doesn't show is that the new lounge is actually on the roof of all that you see, and that the way there has a long outdoors section. This temporary route will remain in place until April 2015, when the lift which connects the lounge to the rest of the terminal will be in place.
Here's my walk, shown in real time but at a very brisk pace:
And a video inside the lounge:
And some pictures:
The new lounge is far superior to the old one, with improved brightness, views and full height windows across one side. The food and drinks selection remains disappointingly sparse. The interior décor is much more like the Galleries concept which BA would have hoped for. I'm sure the photoshoot they did is far more flattering than my efforts. Photos here.
My only thoughts are that the architects behind the one terminal concept of Schiphol have a nice philosophy, but it often feels like it would be quicker to walk to London instead.
BA departures only, or can inbound pax use it?
No inbound passengers, only outbounds. Oneworld Sapphire and Emerald members can use it too when flying Cathay, Malaysian, Royal Jordanian, and Qatar when their service gets going.
thanks for the quick answer.
I am glad to read that this lounge is as nice as the lounge at Heathrow. Normally I did all my flights from RTM to the USA, but they will cancel the connection RTM-LHR in a few months. This lounge will give me a nice pre start for my trips.
Greetings Pascal
Yours was an heroic walk to inform your readers/viewers. You did sound a bit breathless. It would have been a bummer if you had had a heart attack on camera. :)-Thanks for the post.
Hello, Is there any indication when the permanent access to the new BA lounge at Schiphol will be opened / operational?
Unfortunately the date keeps getting pushed back. The last I heard, the lift access was meant to have opened on 3rd June to coincide with Schiphol’s move to Central Security layout. I haven’t passed through BA lounge in the meantime, but will do next week. I can report back to see if it has opened!
I just asked the agent about the due date of the permanent routing. She said “by the end of the year…probably October or November”. She couldn’t be more specific than that though!
There is now a slightly reduced length walk, probably around 2-3 mins taken off the walking time. It does still feel like you’re walking along a rooftop though!
It now has access without the long trek
The new lounge can’t be beat when it comes to the view, which is stunning. The depressingly sparse offerings, however, cause me to simply stay downstairs. It’s not worth the long-haul walk just to get my hands on a packet of nibbles.
I left my phone there yesterday, does anyone know the lounge contact number?
Sorry John, I don’t have any contacts there. Maybe calling Schiphol switchboard desk might get you redirected to the lounge on request?
Is it worth the effort?
I’ll be flying from Amsterdam to Heathrow on the 16th of May (and on to HKG and BNE) in what I believe BA terms Club Europe, with a major reason being lounge entry.
Philip mentioned that the long trek is no longer required, but I’d appreciate knowing just how far it is from the BA check-in area to the lounge, and from the lounge to the BA gates.
Hi Ken Hayes,
It could be worth the effort if you have more than 30 minutes until your scheduled boarding. The food selection at the lounge is pretty poor, but there are sufficient spirits and mixers to keep drinkers happy.
The elevator has finally been installed so the long walk down the corridor is no longer required. However, the BA check-in at Departures 3 (Check in desk 17), is around a 3-5 minute walk to the lounge, which is closest to Departures 2. Therefore your wisest option would be to finish your check-in at desk 17 and go over to Departures 2 landside rather than airside.
BA flights tend to depart at the D24-D31 gates, which are the furthest away from the check-in desk as could possibly be! From Departures 3 you are looking at a 10-12 minute walk, and from the BA lounge it is around 8-10 minute walk.