Woman Shocked by Airport's Response to Missing Flight: 'Not Our Problem'

A woman flying through Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport last week said she missed her flight after standing in a four-hour-long security line.

The woman, Amelia Dahmer, said in a now-viral video that airport security threatened to put her in "airport jail" when she asked to board her flight. The post has amassed nearly 300,000 views and more than 1,100 comments, some from viewers venting about how "stressful" it is to fly through Schiphol.

Travelers have been complaining about missing flights all year. "The newest ValuePenguin study shows travelers this year are more likely to encounter delays or canceled flights and have their bags mishandled," the article reads.

'Cattle of People'

According to the video's text overlay, the incident occurred on September 12. Dahmer said the four-hour-long security line following baggage check was a "cattle of people being pushed, shoved and funneled through the airport." Security guards, Dahmer added, "were laughing in [travelers'] faces," telling them they "wouldn't make" their flights, and one yelled at a woman who had been separated from her husband amidst the chaos.

"We missed our flight with about 30 other people, [but] we could see the flight there, door open, so we asked if we could just get on it," Dahmer said. "[The security guards] laugh in our faces and almost take us to airport jail."

When she asked an airport worker how to get her luggage back and get on another flight, the worker purportedly said it was "not their problem."

"It is their problem," Dahmer told viewers.

Schiphol Airport did acknowledge how busy the airport was that day. In a statement posted to Twitter, Schipol said: "It's very busy at Schiphol today. Staffing levels at security are lower than what we had requested of the security companies. Schiphol has asked several airlines to cancel flights between 16:00 [4 p.m.] and 23:00 [11 p.m.]."

In a lengthier statement on its website, Schiphol added: "Employees in the terminal are doing everything they can to ensure that everyone can travel today, but unfortunately there is a chance that travelers will miss their flight due to long waiting times. We regret the situation that has arisen and understand the disappointment and frustration that it may entail. Travelers who miss their flight as a result of long queues at the security check can apply to Schiphol for compensation."

Understaffing has been a recurring problem for airports across the globe. In Europe, for example, more than 100,000 people in the travel industry were either laid off or quit their jobs during the pandemic, The New York Times reported. But due to low wages and "unappealing shifts," staffing companies within the travel industry have had difficulty filling these vacancies, resulting in long lines and canceled flights.

An ongoing pilot shortage has also caused thousands of flight cancellations in and out of the U.S. and has forced some airlines to suspend service to certain locations.

"Airlines are doing all they can [to get new pilots], but it's not a problem they can solve easily," Henry Harteveldt, a travel industry analyst and adviser with Atmosphere Research Group, previously told Newsweek.

Though airport staffing shortages are a global issue, some of Dahmer's viewers said traveling through Schiphol has been particularly stressful as of late.

"I was there on Monday, too. Thankfully it was a connecting flight, but passport control was f**king nuts. If I can, [I'm] never flying through Schiphol again," CassLab wrote.

"Went through Schipol in March. Worst airport I've ever been to in my life," Andrea Mancilla wrote.

"That airport was the most stressful...I've ever [been in]," sunnee.days commented.

Khaledster added: "I [went] through that a couple of weeks ago, waited [five-and-a-half] hours in line, worst airport experience I've ever had."

Newsweek has reached out to Amelia Dahmer and Schiphol Airport for comment.