Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport planned to reduce allowable flights in order to appease local residents, who almost certainly all moved in (indeed, were born) after the airport opened in 1916 to military traffic and in 1920 to civilian traffic.
KLM was going to benefit from reduced competition, but even they said they preferred not to see their own flights limited even though it meant limitation on flights by other airlines – and even denying access to the airport to carriers like JetBlue.
The U.S. sent the Dutch government a missive reminding them that a decision to ban a U.S. airline was in violation of the E.U.’s Open Skies treaty with the United States. The government said, yeah you’re right sorry.
But now the airport is talking about a work-around. A year ago the airport was facing a severe staff shortage that was causing meltdowns at immigration and elsewhere, and causing their baggage system to disintegrate. At one point KLM refused to accept connecting baggage on intra-European journeys. And the airport limited flights since they couldn’t handle the volume.
The workaround, in the face of their national government deciding they cannot limit flights to appease locals? Just manufacture a new staffing crisis!
Amsterdam (AMS) may use its recurring staffing issues to justify a cut in terminal capacity for Summer 2024 to essentially reinstate a form of slots after the Dutch government abandoned plans to impose a cut in slots for Summer 2024.
It is speculated that carriers like JetBlue and Air India could still be out of luck and now be unable to operate in Summer 2024. Of course, the DOT would retaliate against such a move regardless of whether it was imposed by the airport or the government.
Although it seems to me that the airport has plenty of people on property with spare time on their hands, but not to perform check-in or baggage duties, just for killing Jews:
Manifestation sauvage pro-palestinienne à l’aéroport d’Amsterdam-Schiphol pour demander un cessez-le-feu dans la bande de Gaza.pic.twitter.com/bVa5Rbq6uV
— air plus news (@airplusnews) November 14, 2023
KLM and partner DL, the largest foreign airline at AMS, did a bit more than “prefer” that the Dutch not reduce capacity – they sued. DL/KL would suffer more than any other airline. And the US isn’t the only government that objected to the plan to reduce capacity and limit access to non-Dutch carriers.
The whole point of all of the lawsuits which will continue is that there is a process for reducing frequency at an airport and the Dutch government did not follow those and AMS is part of the EU and is covered by the US Open Skies agreement.
And JBLU never obtained summer slots at AMS – which they raced to add service to just as the door was being closed. Some have noted that even if the summer 2023 levels are maintained, JBLU probably could not start both of its 2 AMS flights because there are too many other airlines that also want to expand and there simply is not that many additional flights between authorized for 2024 and actual 2023.
Let’s keep in mind that JBLU was given the same number of slots that AA and DL had at JFK when JBLU was created but DL took advantage of opportunities to grow organically when JFK slot controls were removed post 9/11 while JBLU did not… and DL is now considerably larger than JBLU at JFK – and has also passed them at BOS where DL gifted JBLU w/ terminal space when DL moved into its Taj Mahal, leaving its former digs to JBLU.
Oh god, tim
Is it possible for you to be even the slightest bit objective?
Yes… I know. You can’t but what a stupid response full of your usual delta nonsense
Jet Blue did the ultimate sin
They deeply discounted business class fares Ams to the East Coast
They KLM will do whatever it takes to not compete with cutting price and keeping competitors out of the market where possible
@ Tim — No one here cares.
max and gene can’t handle the truth and never could
JBLU wants to blame everyone for its troubles except itself.
It is patently false that KLM or DL simply “prefer” that the number of slots at AMS not be reduced.
DL and JBLU are on the same page but it is beyond egotistical on JBLU’s part to think that were the reason the Dutch backed off, esp. since there are about two dozen other airlines that are impacted – some of which like Air India use widebody aircraft and represent a much higher percentage of service on the routes that they serve.
I’ve never seen someone simp so hard for a publicly traded company as Tim does.
again, all you have to do is ACCURATELY contribute to the discussion.
The actual fact is that DL and KL have been fighting attempts to reduce slots at AMS long before JBLU ever showed up.
And JBLU has repeatedly blamed everyone else except itself for its own problems.
The evidence is overwhelming that DL runs the best business and best operation in the US airline industry – and much of B6′ problems are directly attributable to their horrific operation which they refuse to fix – even as DL is the most punctual airline in the world for October according to published reports. DL’s profitability leads the industry while B6 is losing money.
@hvc
It’s all he has left
He gave his balls to delta decades ago
Tim
Nearly every person on this site is factual. It’s your ridiculously blind devotion to delta that people mock. Of course KL sued… doesn’t change that they stood most to benefit from the slot reduction. Less competition and, if they kept their % of slots constant but the number of slots went down, their slots become more valuable with less competition.
It’s called actual facts not your usual nonsense. Get a real job and stop trolling
I’m convinced Tim Dunn is DCS.
except that you can’t win if you are the biggest loser. The simple fact is that Delta and KLM are the two largest slot holders at AMS for their countries and have slandered me instead.
None of which changes that JBLU is all of a sudden interested in serving all kinds of slot restricted airports in Europe to gain access and continues to blame everyone else for their problems except themselves.
Tell me, Max, why didn’t JBLU jump on adding flights at JFK when slot controls came off but DL did and AA was petitioning the FAA to get rid of slots? Why can’t JBLU bother to fix its persistently bottom of the industry on-time which IS the reason why corporate and regular leisure passengers would rather fly anyone but B6 – and given that DL is larger than B6 in the NE, it is no surprise that DL wins because of B6′ poor management.
DL has simply been a better run airline and instead of admitting that and recognizing some of us can see that, you lash out at me.
Grow up.
So this Tim kid is a shill for the lowest ranked US airline, DL, posts factually inaccurate information and feckless conjecture, and people are getting upset? Don’t. No matter how much a keyboard commando types something over and over again does not make it true! The treaty is still fine and US DoT has already noted they are watching. No need for off colour comments, just ignore and post facts.
DL is pleased to announce that starting Monday they will serve both premium salami and premium bologna in Sky Clubs.
However, they will only be available to passengers who a) have an Amex Plat card and wait an hour in line b) pay premium prices for their ticket or C) pay 50,000 sky pesos at the check-in desk.
Because heaven knows that saying “maybe you shouldn’t kill 4,000+ Gazan children” is totally the equivalent of “we want to kill Jews,” you imbecilic hack.
Oh tim
JetBlue wanting access to ams, per the terms of the DL/AF/KL JV, that all parties agreed to… has nothing to do with B6 ops performance.
I realize you seem well aware of how scared delta is of a measily daily JetBlue flight to ams… but grow up
You need a life.
It’s honestly amusing how much you betray how scared delta is of ONE flight to and from jfk (I mean… who are we kidding. Delta fired you. You represent your own life; not delta’s business model). If b6 is so awful like you claim, delta has nothing to worry about and yet you do… immensely to the extent of looking like a fool on multiple blogs on this topic
But… as usual. I do appreciate your normal admission of defeat in a discussion. It never fails… You bring up some random topic that isn’t even relevant to the topic. In this case it seems to be B6 ops performance and B6′ apparent (in your view) to ask for enough JFK slots… again. Nothing to do with AMS and whether the JV, as approved, forces competition that B6 provides…
but.. as always. I appreciate your admission that you no longer can say anything coherent on topic. Enjoy your own conversation about B6 operational performance and failure to get enough JFK slots to satisfy you.
You’re so predictable… but it makes it easy to know when you know you lost.
@Brodie – The similarities are a little eerie.
Wherever there is JBLU drama, DAL is always connected.
Never underestimate the scumbags in ATL.
> except that you can’t win if you are the biggest loser.
You are. Goodbye.
This article is not written as a news piece. It is written as an opinion piece.
The comments are written as “Mean Girls” attacking Tim Dunn. I don’t know the history of your hate relationship with Tim Dunn, but you all sound pretty silly.
@MaxPower – “It’s all he has left He gave his balls to delta decades ago”
LOL!
@Brick Bradford —
And your name “Brick” is written as dumb as one.
Wait…Schipol Airport has people there to kill Jews? Isn’t that a bigger story than slot reductions?
Max et al,
JBLU’s pathetic on-time is just one more example of its repeatedly failed strategies: gifted w/ as many slots as AA and DL had at JFK in 2000 but DL is now much larger; B6 tried to come up w/ a joint venture that the government shot down; B6 had a strategy of economy travel with high amenities and yet Delta matched them – and B6 lost site that the number one factor that anyone buys transportation for is to reliably get to their destination. JBLU went from being one of Wall Street’s darlings to one of the bottom performers financially in the industry.
JBLU ALL OF A SUDDEN decided it had to start flying to Europe because it completely failed to do what it set out to do less than 20 years ago.
And for all of you, including Gary, that are convinced that KLM and DL are behind JBLU’s failures at AMS, you do realize that JBLU also started service to Paris, it has done well, they have added flights, and there has been absolutely no drama.
Air France/KLM is the same company in Paris as it is in Amsterdam. Delta and Air France haven’t tried to kill JBLU in CDG.
The Dutch government is beholder to “environmentalists” while the French are far more realistic and business oriented.
CDG will go down as JBLU’s easiest launch in Europe.
JBLU had no idea what it was getting into at AMS and unlike LHR, it couldn’t bitch and then also buddy up w/ a friend to get slots.
AMS is simply closed to new business because that is what the Dutch, not AF/KL or DL want.
AA, UA and DL have all figured out how to live within the global slot system.
And, btw, why shouldn’t JBLU give up slots at JFK so that UA can restart service if the whole slot system is wrong?
JBLU can’t manage its way out of a paper sack and there are a whole lot of people that aren’t smart enough to think through the issues so they attack someone they can.
THEY are the real losers.
It’s seriously so obvious that the DL/AF/KL JV is shaking in their boots ag the thought of JetBlue coming in with ONE flight and messing up their monopoly.
If and when B6 is allowed to do these flights: watch prices fall like membership numbers of Timmy Dunn’s Delta cult.
Didn’t realize a website focused on travel would be based in Islamophobia. More like views from El AL. Blocked. Reported. Adios.
The Dutch government only reluctantly agreed to scrap the caps on flights. It was scrapped by the government due to both US pressure and EU/EC pressure on the Dutch government.
Schiphol management has a somewhat different set of incentives than the government as a whole and higher income parts of Europe are a case study in how NIMBY attitudes aren’t just NIMBY attitudes but also disproportionately dominant in the governmental and media narratives. But democracy does and should count, even as it’s those with concentrated interests who tend to drive issues more than the public at large with its diffuse-yet-greater-in-the-aggregate benefits at stake.
The way you talk about « killing Jews » is insensitive. Jews died in the holocaust… and hamas killed Jews in Israel… to equate an airport protest against violence to « killing Jews » is offensive to me as a Jew with murdered grandparents in Poland and Germany. Also to make light of Gazan children senselessly dying by making fun of such protest is inhumane, and shows a very serious lack of knowledge, compassion, logic, or common sense. I don’t know how you can pretend to be a reporter when you lack basic skills to even publish an article. You are a lost cause. Shame on this website for letting you even write here.
BG,
instead of repeatedly posting your drivel, just answer why B6 has been able to so easily able to start and expand CDG – also home to AF/KL and JV partner with KL – and why B6 shouldn’t be required to give up slots to allow UA to start flights at JFK if the global slot system is so wrong.
The problem is the Dutch and wonder explains why. but even the Dutch – that are part of the EU by choice (they could have chosen to be like the Swiss) can’t make up their own rules in an economic bloc that does not allow what the Dutch are trying to do and the US knows it.
JBLU simply can’t strategically figure out how to succeed at what it is doing and so is constantly looking to pick a fight with anyone and so far is losing to precisely everyone.
Next we’ll hear how the big bad US government is being irrational for blocking their acquisition and dismantling of Spirit and even if that merger is allowed to go through, we’ll hear why everyone is out for JBLU because they can’t execute a merger that they wanted.
So in response to Dutch government’s anti-competitive intentions, the USDOT began to threaten all Dutch carriers flying to the US. Now it’s AMS that wants to create a staffing crisis? Should the USDOT help AMS by banning all flights from AMS into all US ports?
I was one of maybe a handful of leisure flyers supporting KL &AS all through The Pl@gue. Now, it’s like. How many ways can they disrespect me?
I hear good things about LIS. Perhaps, like B6, I should give a LIS a try.
I think the biggest question in all of this is why does Tim Dunn hate JBLU so much?
Tim do you have an answer? You are an extremely active participant in all articles about the little airline and you are quick to defend Delta, but why the hate?
@Gary. Airlines have a “No fly list”. Can you start a “No blog list” with Tim Dunn being your first member. Thanks.
Joe T,
as soon as you explain why JBLU was able to easily start service to CDG – also a hub for Air France/KLM and also under the DL JV.
Maybe it will be clear that, as much as some want to believe otherwise, this has nothing to do w/ DL or AF/KL but everything to do with the Dutch government which AF/KL and DL have fought just as much as B6 and multiple other countries and the EU.
And when you explain that, tell us how many slots B6 should give up at JFK to allow UA back in; since JFK clearly is shut to new entrants just as AMS is, why shouldn’t B6 give up slots at JFK if it wants slots at AMS?
Telling you the uncomfortable reality IS the point of the comments section of blogs.
Neither here nor there but it always cracks me up when industry-ignorant interlopers who haven’t taken the time to familiarize themselves end up using wall street terminology (like “JBLU” rather than “B6” or less commonly “JBU”). No shade, we all have to learn, it’s just kind of funny to those of us who follow this stuff.
JoeT,
I don’t see eye to eye with Tim Dunn on plenty of stuff, but I find benefit in there being an open exchange — inclusive of even friction between those with differing opinions and a weighing of facts (or even nonsense) in making an argument or having a position on one or more matters — and so find it more educational and/or informative to be exposed to various views than to see a person disappeared for being disagreeable or disagreeing.
I may have even learned because of people who have opposed my words than those who agreed with my words, and so I don’t see any great utility to be gained by me from any “no blog list”.
Tony,
JBLU is their stock symbol. It is as close to their full name as any abbreviation for an airline.