Schiphol is having a glow-up, investing more money into the improvement of staff, maintenance, and renewals. The only catch? Ticket prices will likely skyrocket as a consequence. 😬

Projections predict that the Amsterdam-based airport will be jam-packed with between 60 and 64 million travellers this year. However, the airport is built to support fewer people — hence why it needs to be renovated in order to allow for newcomers, NU.nl reports.

The dream of a new Schiphol

Interim CEO Ruud Sondag and financial CEO Robert Carsouw discussed their vision for how they will reinvent Schiphol during a recent press conference.

Apparently, the lack of staff was to thank for the infamous queueing times at Schiphol. But that is about to change.

READ MORE | Schiphol SLASHES 40,000 flights for 2024

The goal is to increase the size of luggage cellars, and hire more personnel — including 1,050 new security guards thus far.

Upgrading at what price?

If this all sounds too good to be true, that’s because, well, it kind of is. Now that staff salaries will be increased, so will the prices of flights. 🥲

Not only that, but airport charges will creep up by tens of percents over the next few years — something the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) deems “not unreasonable”, in spite of the airlines protesting.

READ MORE | Crash landing: Schiphol airport plummets in world rankings

Meanwhile, CEO Sondag insists that the price increase is proportional to the airport’s improvement in quality, dismissing the costly side effects as a “logical consequence”. No such thing as a free lunch, right?

Do you believe Schiphol’s new plan is worth it? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Train ticket prices are on the rise, but does this mean we get better quality service from the NS? Helaas, the answer is no.

We’ve all heard the plans — the NS is planning on charging us even more for train travel during rush hour from 2025. While we would all prefer not to have to fork out more geld for our daily commutes, we wouldn’t complain if we got better service.

However, if we compare the annual accountability report for the NS in 2022 that was sent to the House of Representatives to this year, it looks like the Dutch government is totally fine with the NS performing worse than it did in previous years.

Setting the bar really low

Every year, the government evaluates the NS based on 10 performance indicators. If they’re not up to scratch, they can be fined.

However, according to RTL Nieuws, even if they do land themselves in trouble, the fines aren’t high, and the NS is allowed to “use the amounts imposed for the benefit of passengers.”

READ MORE | Taking the train instead of the plane? Prepare to pay up to DOUBLE the price

In 2022, travellers gave the NS a general assessment of 7.7 and a social safety rating of 8.1.

Will the NS have to work harder to raise these ratings in the future? Incidentally not. In the upcoming tender, the cabinet wants the NS to reach ratings of 7.5 and 7.7, respectively. That’s right, the standards are even lower than what the NS has already met.

Delays? Pssh, that’s okay

Being late might be a big no-no for you, but it’s not for the government. It will be acceptable for the NS to have one in 10 trains arrive three minutes late — even if that means you miss your connection.

From 2025, almost one in six travellers is allowed to be delayed by three minutes, and one in 18 more than 10 minutes. With an average of 1.1 million people using the NS to travel daily, there are going to be many angry passengers in the future.

Traveller organisation, Rover, finds the requirements “disappointing” and “insufficient”. Us too, Rover, us too! 😔

What do you think of the standards the government is setting for the NS? Tell us in the comments!

Hang on to your wallets, folks. Dutchies are already cashing out lots of money on petrol compared to other countries — but it’s about to get worse.

From January 1, 2024, fuel prices in the Netherlands will likely take a big hit. Not only will a previous tax reduction on fuel prices be taken away, but the excise duty tax will increase due to inflation, reports AD.

Taxes going up and up

A year ago, on April 1, 2022, the Dutch government reduced the tax on fuel to compensate for the soaring energy prices.

Now? They’re gradually reversing the tax reduction, and the last step is set for January 1, 2024.

With the tax back to normal rates, that means the price of petrol per litre will increase by €0.08, and diesel costs will increase by €0.05.

And it doesn’t stop there… On top of that, excise duty (accijns) taxes will soar by 9.9%, in line with Dutch inflation. So, in total, that will be a €0.21 increase per litre… 😬

Who will be cramming in public transport during peak times instead?

Dutchies stuck paying “excessive” amounts

Dutch Member of Parliament Pieter Omzigt called the steep climb of taxes on fuel “very excessive” and pointed out that taxes on essential goods will end up much more expensive than in neighbouring countries, writes AD.

When including VAT, fuelling up in the Netherlands would cost people about €0.40 more per litre than in Belgium and Germany.

It’s not only hurting commuters. As a result, petrol stations at the Dutch border are losing customers who drive a few minutes further to save those precious cents.

READ MORE | Owning a second-hand hybrid or electric vehicle in the Netherlands: everything you need to know

In response, the outgoing Minister of Finance, Sigrid Kaag, might increase how many untaxed kilometres companies can give to their employees — but needs to be able to fund that.

Thankfully, just how big the jump in fuel taxes isn’t definitive yet. The Dutch parliament plans to meet soon to discuss the 2024 tax plan and finalise the last details.

How do you feel about the upcoming increase in fuel prices? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below?