As The Holiday Season Begins, A Strike Creates Havoc at Amsterdam's Airport

Schiphol airport in Amsterdam urged travelers to avoid the airport for several hours on Saturday due to chaos caused by a ground staff strike at the start of a school holiday.

"The terminal is currently overcrowded... Schiphol is requesting that travelers refrain from visiting the airport in the future "Airport authorities stated shortly before noon in a statement (1000 GMT).

Nearly three hours later, the airport announced that passengers were once again welcome but would face lengthy wait times and possible flight delays or cancellations.

On Saturday afternoon, police temporarily closed highway exits to the airport as lines at departure gates snaked out of the airport buildings.

According to a Schiphol spokesperson, the temporary closure was necessary to ensure passenger safety and to get as many of the thousands of frustrated passengers onto their frequently delayed flights as possible.

Baggage handlers for KLM, the Dutch subsidiary of Air France-KLM, went on an unannounced strike early Saturday to press for higher pay and better working conditions.

KLM ground staff handle approximately half of all luggage arriving at Schiphol, Europe's third busiest airport, behind Paris Charles de Gaulle and London Heathrow.

According to the FNV labor union, the walkout ended around noon.