Dutch Railway Tourist Trap

The train ticket machines in Schiphol Airport concourse show a welcome screen with a leafy Amsterdam canal and invite the tourist to buy a Comfort Class Ticket to Amsterdam. Comfort Class simply means first class. This type of tickets costs €6.50 for a single trip from Schiphol to Amsterdam Centraal Station. The tourist is tricked into buying a more expensive ticket than he or she want, because the price of a second class tickets is only €3.80. If you want to travel second class, you will have to tick the box at the bottom of the screen. If you buy your ticket at the Dutch Railway Service Centre, you must state clearly that you want a second class ticket. Tourists are automatically issued with a first class ticket.

The difference between first and second class is negligible. First class may have a little more room for your luggage, a bit more legroom and a slightly wider seat. Journey time to Amsterdam  is about 20 minutes.

Het Haarlems Dagblad, The Haarlem Newspaper, states in an article that a €2.70 difference in price may not seem a lot. But 1,8 million trips a year generate €4,8 million for the Dutch Railways.  The Consumentebond, the Dutch Consumers Organisation, urges Dutch Rail to change the practice so that tourists get unbiased travel information.

photo credit: Shirley de Jong &Flickr