When your aircraft lands at Schiphol with assistance booked, the handover from airline back to airport happens at the cabin door. This guide describes the arrival journey through the terminal, whether Schiphol is your destination or the start of your onward trip home.
Leaving the aircraft
Assisted passengers usually leave the aircraft after the other passengers, so the aisle is clear and staff have time for a calm transfer. Airport assistance staff meet you at the door with a wheelchair or transport chair if requested. If you checked in your own wheelchair, it is either returned at the aircraft door or delivered to the baggage belt; which of the two was agreed at departure, so if you have a preference, arrange it when you book.
Passport control and baggage
Arriving from outside the Schengen area, you pass border control first; your escort guides you through a suitable lane. Then follows baggage reclaim, where staff help lift your cases from the belt. If a bag or your mobility aid is missing or damaged, report it at the airline’s baggage desk in the reclaim hall before you pass customs, with your escort’s help; claims are far simpler to start on the spot than from home.
Give the reclaim hall a little extra patience on busy days: assisted passengers leave the aircraft last, so the belt may already be running when you arrive, and staff will point out which belt serves your flight. If you travel with valuables or medication in checked baggage against the usual advice, tell your escort, so the bag is retrieved with priority rather than circling.
Into the arrivals hall and onwards
After customs you come out into the arrivals hall, where the people meeting you are waiting; they can track your flight on the live arrivals board. Assistance does not stop at the door: staff can bring you to the taxi rank, the train station under the terminal, the bus stops or the car parks. Say at the start of the arrival journey where you need to go, so the escort plans the right route. For the options themselves, see travelling on by train or by bus and taxi.
If Schiphol is your transfer point
Landing here to catch another flight is a different journey with its own guide: assistance with transfers at Schiphol.
Frequently asked questions
My assistance was not at the aircraft when I landed. What now?
Stay seated and tell the cabin crew; they call the assistance service. Do not struggle off the aircraft alone: the handover point is the cabin door, and crew will wait with you.
Can assistance bring me all the way to my car?
Yes, escorting you to the car parks, taxi rank or public transport is part of the service. Mention your destination when the escort meets you.
Is assistance also available for the return flight home?
Yes, if it was requested on the booking it covers both directions. Booked your return separately? Then request assistance for that flight with the operating airline as well, again at least 48 hours ahead.
Who do I contact about a damaged wheelchair?
Your airline, at the baggage desk in the reclaim hall, before leaving the secure area. Damage to mobility aids is the airline’s responsibility and is subject to compensation rules.
I am landing late at night. Is assistance available?
Assistance operates whenever flights operate; a booked request is tied to your flight, however late it lands. Onward travel is the part to plan: night trains and buses run at reduced frequency, so decide before departure how you get from the terminal to your bed, and mention that plan to your escort.
This website is an independent information site about Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and is not affiliated with the airport or any airline.