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We are 5 people taking a flight from Stockholm Arlanda to Malaga, connecting in Schiphol. Usually we would have taken the direct flight, but they are fully-booked, so we decided to book on one ticket thru KLM. 3 of us are Schegen citizens, 2 permanent residents of Sweden. All of us plan on taking carry-on luggage, although this could change for 1-2 of us. KLM says 50 minutes should be sufficient on their website, has this been true for others? If our outbound flight to Amsterdam is delayed, would the connecting flight wait for us (5 people)?

This is also our first flight since the pandemic began. Does that make things different in terms of waiting or delays?

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This is sufficient for a safe transfer when flights on schedule. Assuming you land on time, even up to 20-30 mins late, you are expected to be able to do the transfer without rushing.

Luggage transfers at that airport is not a problem and checked baggage connects faster than people usually in most such major airports. So, feel free to use your checked luggage allowance.

Should your incoming flight be delayed such that you will not make the connection. The connecting flight will not wait and will be missed. You would normally be rescheduled on a later flight, assuming the trip was booked on a single ticket. They cannot delay flights for a small number of people as this will potentially delay people already on board that have later connecting flights.

Flying in Europe during the pandemic is more efficient than usual. Time at check-in was longer per-person as you get asked plenty of health related questions but overall, traffic is so much lower that total time going through the airport was much shorter than usual. Only 1 of 4 flights I took during the pandemic was packed which made boarding similar to pre-pandemic times but everything else was quicker.

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  • It might help you for peace of mind, the Schengen flights are mostly/all in the same part of the airport so the chance of long distances within the airport are very small.
    – Willeke ♦
    Commented Jun 23, 2021 at 17:00
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    KLM sold tickets to you for both flight legs, so KLM thinks the connection can be made. In addition to getting you to Malaga, and depending upon the amount of any delay, KLM will also be responsible for taking care of you in the interim (food and lodging) and paying you additional compensation under EU law.
    – DavidRecallsMonica
    Commented Jun 23, 2021 at 17:42
  • Actually flights will often be held for connecting passengers. Within reason of course. But holding a flight for 15 min is not unusual.
    – Krist van Besien
    Commented Jun 23, 2021 at 19:17
  • Very rarely do they ever hold a flight. Even for a few mins. I have missed dozens of flights due to a late incoming connection less than 5 mins beyond their schedule and asked numerous times personnel to hold the next flight in order to avoid missing a rare connection (flights that only occur once a day or once every couple of days). They have never held it for a family of 5 plus any other passengers on the same route. The last time I saw a plane delay its departure we had an entire Olympic team coming in late! That must have some leverage that most groups don't.
    – Itai
    Commented Jun 23, 2021 at 19:37

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