From 1 November, Schiphol will hike security charges by 61% and general airport charges by 13%.
easyJet claims that these increases, combined with the environmental tax introduced by the Dutch government last month, make Amsterdam the most expensive major airport in Europe.
‘It will then cost a Dutch passenger €50 just to go through the airport to the plane, which is utter madness,’ the airline said in a statement. ‘A transfer passenger on the other hand only pays €25 to go through the airport.’
easyJet added: ‘No other major airport in Europe forces local passengers to pay more for security than transfer passengers and there is no justification for it, as the cost is the same.
‘The discrimination of Dutch passengers has therefore reached an intolerable level, they are being ripped off and forced to subsidise foreign travellers.’
The airline said that this was not only short-sighted, but illegal, because under Dutch law all charges must be cost-related, transparent and non-discriminatory.
‘But the charges in AMS are not cost-related, and definitely discriminatory; moreover, the charges infringe EU Treaty rules and EU competition law,’ it claimed.
easyJet went on to say that both the Dutch government and the airport ‘have admitted on numerous occasions in public and private that the purpose of these policies is to support KLM – but you don’t need to kill off point-to-point traffic to have a hub.
‘On the contrary, if Amsterdam wants to be a top European airport, they will need both the KLM long-haul hub and an efficient, growing point-to-point network.’
The airline concluded that it was not prepared to accept the unlawful discrimination against Dutch passengers and that if the Netherlands Competition Authority did not act on its formal complaint, it would take the matter to the European Commission.
See also:
Checked bag charges boost easyJet (24/07/08)
easyJet in tax awareness campaign (30/06/08)
easyJet formalises CAA complaint (22/05/08)
Dutch govt to net €350m pa from ‘green’ tax (10/10/07)