Before we could head off to the last country of our whirlwind adventure, we had some time to kill at Schiphol. We planned to have even more time in the lounge but, due to the labor shortage, check-in took almost an hour which cut our visit down to 20-ish minutes.
Location
There are two Aspire Lounges at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport, one on the non-Schengen section (Lounge 41), and the one we visited in the Schengen section (Lounge 26). Locating the lounge can be somewhat difficult as it is fairly hidden away. After clearing security, follow the signs for lounges and then go up the stairs where you will find the lounge at the top. Part of our difficulties in finding the lounge were due to a shuttered security checkpoint which required some backtracking through the airport.
Hours of Operation
The lounge is currently open from 6:00a-9:00p, which covers the majority of the Schengen area flights.
Entry Requirements
The Aspire Lounge at AMS can be accessed in a variety of ways. We had access thanks to the Priority Pass membership that comes with my American Express Platinum card. There are a few restrictions to access including a limit to entry only within three hours of departure. Priority Pass members may see access limited during peak times, which typically occurs in the afternoon.
The lounge attendant at the front desk checked our boarding passes and my Priority Pass card and welcomed us into the lounge.
Layout
Once inside, the lounge was extremely crowded though we managed to find a pair of seats by the window overlooking the outdoor terrace. Unfortunately, there was no way to access the terrace from the lounge.
The lounge was set up in a square shape, with a wall of windows on one side and the food and beverage stations wrapping around the remaining walls. In the middle was a variety of seating with couches and pairs of seating facing one another.
Food and Beverage
After settling into our seats, I headed out to explore the food and beverage selection. There was a soup station that also had a selection of breads in the rear of the lounge.
Next to this was a cold pasta buffet which also had some cold cuts, and a sad little corner with a few apples.
There was also a self-service bar area with wine, liquor and Heineken on draft. Finally, in a separate area, there was a space that had a coffee maker, juices, water and non-alcoholic Heineken beer.
Summary
The Aspire Lounge No. 26 is a smaller lounge that can get very busy, especially at peak times. While it was better than waiting in the terminal, I wouldn’t try and spend any more time than necessary in the lounge.
