\nThe luchthaven<\/i> boasts six air strips, and alltogether is built on over 2,787 hectares – that is more than 6800 acres! Schiphol itself employs over 64,000 people, and employs through all its activities more than 200,000 people all over the Netherlands.<\/p>\n
![\"Travelers](\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2015\/08\/image.jpg\")
<\/a>Travelers on their way to their flight!<\/p><\/div>\n
2. Its airport code<\/b><\/p>\n
Schiphol’s airport code is AMS, which comes from Amsterdam, as Schiphol is Amsterdam’s luchthaven<\/i>, and the city’s only commercial and international luchthaven<\/i>. Comparable to La Guardia being a luchthaven for New York City. However, because it is the only commercial airport of Amsterdam, Schiphol is referred to as Luchthaven Amsterdam <\/i>as well.<\/p>\n Yummy Dutch food you can try and buy!<\/p><\/div>\n 3. The origin of its name<\/b> The name “Scipholl” already appeared in 1447. It can mean different things. The area around Schiphol is referred to in most cases. One theory is that ships could go here in emergencies, as a safe haven: that this area is a “ship hall” which then later would have mutated to Schiphol. Another area is quite the opposite: ships would sink here at a high rate, and it is therefore a Schiphol, <\/i>where hol <\/i>refers to an old Dutch word for graf <\/i>(grave) – so Schiphol<\/i>\u00a0then means “ship grave”. Related to this is a third theory that says the area was a scheeps-hel<\/i>, a “ship hell”, where many naval disasters happened.<\/p>\n Yet another theory has nothing to do with ships. Scip <\/i>is an old Gothic word for wood. Schiphol <\/i>would be a place to get (in Dutch: halen<\/i>) wood. So Scip-haal <\/i>or “wood-get”. Though I think the ship theories are more likely – they are more adventurous!<\/p>\n Grabbing a bite on the way – good, but to an airport price, of course!<\/p><\/div>\n 4. NO chewing gum for sale ANYWHERE in the airport<\/b><\/p>\n This one shocked me when I found out – nowhere at Schiphol you can buy chewing gum. It was quite a bummer for me, because I use chewing gum for start and landing, to keep the pressure steady. I once had huge issues with the normal swallowing and yawning, so better safe than sorry. Available at the airport for this purpose are so-called chewmints (see picture), which do the job. Though I prefer gum.<\/p>\n I asked why no gum was on sale, and the salesperson told me that there was chewing gum all over the airport, and banning chewing gum was the solution. I don’t know what the airport looked like before, but now it looked very clean. Maybe it worked?<\/p>\n Apparently, for smokers, nicotine chewing gum is <\/i>available. And that sells extremely well.<\/p>\n But anyways, best bring your own gum!!!<\/p>\n Chewmints – the replacement for gum if you need it for start and landing.<\/p><\/div>\n 5. It is not all flying…<\/b><\/p>\n Because of the size of the airport, it can take quite long to get to your gate. Though there are the conveyors, that can get you there quicker.<\/p>\n Previously, Schiphol \u00a0had security checks at each gate, which made the whole process even slower. They introduced one central security check now, which is a modern, fast system. I like that very much!<\/p>\n When you arrive at the airport, it can take quite a while to get from the strip to the terminal – up to 30 minutes! This is because of space issues (when do those not exist in the Netherlands…) and again, because of the aiport’s sheer size. So when you land on Schiphol, you are not quite there yet!<\/p>\n Starbucks is everywhere – also at Schiphol.<\/p><\/div>\n 6. Awesomely connected<\/b><\/p>\n From Schiphol, you can get anywhere in the Netherlands very easily. Underneath the arrival hall is the train station that connects to the very well connected Dutch train net. Also, outside the airport, you can find buses for destinations close by (the major cities in the Netherlands are all very close by – within an hour you can reach Rotterdam, The Hague, Utrecht and Amsterdam). Taxis are ready to bring you to other destinations, and you can of course rent a bike! Schiphol can be reached easily by bike, and there is even a bike route around the airport, so you can really fathom its size.<\/p>\n<\/a>
\nSo why is this luchthaven<\/i> called Schiphol, if it is all about airplanes? Schiphol literally means “Ship Hole”.\u00a0There is, as with most place names in the Netherlands, some history involved.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a>