Mums do travel

Travel with and without teens

  • Home
  • Destination
    • UK
      • London
      • Kent
      • Northern Ireland
      • Wales
      • Elsewhere
    • Europe
      • Austria
      • Croatia
      • France
      • Gibraltar
      • Greece
      • Hungary
      • Italy
      • Netherlands
      • Norway
      • Portugal
      • Russia
      • Spain
      • Turkey
    • North America
      • USA
      • Canada
      • Carribean
      • Costa Rica
    • Africa
      • South Africa
      • Tunisia
    • Asia
      • Thailand
      • Bali
      • Singapore
    • Australia
  • Inspiration
    • Things to do in…
    • Things to do in London…
    • Where to stay
    • Language learning
    • Family travel interviews
    • The journey
    • Recipes
  • Published in
  • About
  • Contact
  • Travel shop
Home / Type of trip / City / KLM flight from Manston to Amsterdam

KLM flight from Manston to Amsterdam

September 18, 2013 by Gretta Schifano 12 Comments

Manston Airport car park

Seventy eight steps. That’s how far it is from my parked car to the door of the airport terminal on a recent journey to Amsterdam with my ten year-old son. I have to ask at the KLM check-in desk if I’ve parked in the right place as I can’t believe I can leave my car there for three days. ‘We get asked that a lot,’ says the lady, smiling. ‘You’ve parked in the right place.’

In fact our whole journey to Amsterdam and back feels somehow too easy. Kent’s Manston airport is a revelation to me. OK, I live twenty minutes from Gatwick and it takes ninety minutes to drive to Manston , but it’s worth it to avoid the M25 and for the complete lack of airport queues at any point. Even going through the security checks is fine – the three jolly staff chat to us in a friendly way about our trip and tease my son gently about supporting Arsenal.

Manston is near Ramsgate on the Kent coast and I think it’s genius of KLM to use an airport so close to the Channel because it makes for pretty nippy flights. The official flight time from Manston to Amsterdam is 55 minutes but we’re in the air for just 35 minutes when we travel.

Brilliantly for me, but probably not for the airport authority, the only money I spend at Manston is £22 for three days’ parking and £4.90 for a coffee and a hot chocolate while we wait to board our flight. The Duty Free shop and cafe are so sparsely stocked that there’s nothing we want or need to buy, which makes a pleasant change from the full-on shopping experience which I can’t resist at the big London airports. My son’s disappointed that there are no magazines for him though – I usually buy him a children’s football one to read when we fly.

The flight’s half-full and feels relaxing. KLM is one of those nice airlines which give allocated seats and a drink and a snack on board – mineral water and biscuits on our flight. The staff are friendly and efficient, the seats comfortable. A generous hand luggage allowance of 12 kg plus a small handbag or laptop allows us to travel with just hand luggage – perfect for our three-day trip. This means that we’re on a train to the city centre within half an hour of landing at Schiphol.

KLM self check-in at Amsterdam. Copyright Gretta Schifano

On the way back from Amsterdam to Manston my son wants to use KLM’s self check-in machines at Schiphol. Now I’ve never had much success with these and generally end up cursing them and going to queue up for help from a real person, but we have plenty of time so I’m happy to let him try. I can’t believe it when he checks us both in and prints out our boarding passes successfully.

I’m not impressed by the food we buy in the departure lounge at Schiphol. A small plate of pasta with tomato sauce is an inflated €9,95 but the pasta is so dried up that my son can’t eat much of it. A cup of fruit for €4,25 is fine but overpriced. Then I buy two bottles of water for us to drink on the flight, only to find that there’s a security check just before boarding. I’d assumed we’d already been through all of the security checks before going in to the departure lounge.  As no liquids are allowed through that’s a waste of €6.

I’d take my own food next time but the journey was great overall and I’d definitely recommend flying with KLM between Manston and Schiphol.

Family travel lowdown: KLM flights between Manston and Amsterdam run twice a day every day of the week. From Amsterdam the airline offers connections to over 130 worldwide destinations.

Disclosure: KLM provided our flights to Amsterdam the purposes of this review.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)

Related

Categories: City, Netherlands, Seasonal
Tags: KLM, Manston airport, Schiphol airport

About Gretta Schifano

I'm a freelance journalist and blogger specialising in family travel with teenagers, trips when parents manage to travel without their kids, and 50+ travel. I also write about vegetarian travel, parenting teenagers, adoption, SEN, ADHD and anxiety. My work's been published by the Financial Times, Guardian, Independent, National Geographic Traveller, Lonely Planet and others. I've lived and worked in Italy and Spain and am now based in rural south-east England with my husband, adoptive and birth kids and our dog. I previously worked as a social action radio producer for the BBC.

Facebook - Twitter - Google+

Subscribe to posts by email?

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy

Comments

  1. Sam says

    December 29, 2013 at 11:30 am

    Really great thing about Manston is that you can connect at Schiphol to almost everywhere in the world. I’m biased as Manston is my closest airport but I’ve found it quicker to fly Manston to Schiphol and connect to long haul there, than drive to the London airports, park and wait forever for security checks, let alone the on costs of the parking, waiting, ‘duty’ free etc…. Especially with 4 infants in tow!

    Reply
    • Gretta Schifano says

      December 29, 2013 at 10:20 pm

      I know, travelling from Manston is a revelation.

      Reply
  2. Laurens van Buren says

    November 9, 2013 at 9:18 am

    A travel journalist trying to take liquids on board?… Hmmm.

    Reply
    • Gretta Schifano says

      November 9, 2013 at 12:26 pm

      Yes. I always buy water in the departure lounge, once I’ve gone through security, to take on the plane. I didn’t know there would be an extra check just before boarding.

      Reply
  3. Actually Mummy... says

    September 30, 2013 at 10:27 am

    KLM are pretty good as I recall – not been to Amsterdam in ages, so I must have a think about taking the kids on a weekend break sometime
    Actually Mummy… recently posted…7 things you need to pack when camping with kidsMy Profile

    Reply
    • Gretta says

      September 30, 2013 at 4:29 pm

      I’m sure they’d enjoy it and I found it a very easy place to be with a child.

      Reply
  4. jenny says

    September 22, 2013 at 4:45 pm

    Sounds like a good airport, don’t suppose they do flights to Italy…maybe they could hook up with a small little known airport in the Marittime Alps!

    Reply
    • Gretta says

      September 22, 2013 at 7:33 pm

      They may do via Schiphol – have a look on KLM’s website.

      Reply
  5. Alexander Residence says

    September 19, 2013 at 7:12 am

    Wow what a great way to get to Amsterdam. I used to get the ferry when I was a student in Hull, it is easy to forget about the lesser known routes to places. We were in Kent over the Summer, so much to do there too. Impressed by your son’s checking in skills, I am the one cursing under my breath in the supermarket self check in.
    Alexander Residence recently posted…What do I need to pack for a Cruise?My Profile

    Reply
    • Gretta says

      September 19, 2013 at 11:10 am

      Those supermarket self-scanner thingummies never work for me. I think I need a young child with me at all times to work out the tech stuff.

      Reply
  6. globalmouse says

    September 18, 2013 at 12:04 pm

    I hadn’t even realised Manston existed!! What a great little airport! And drinks and biscuits for such a short flight is so lovely.
    globalmouse recently posted…Road Test – Orchard Games World PuzzlesMy Profile

    Reply
    • Gretta says

      September 18, 2013 at 12:10 pm

      I know, travelling from Manston’s like going back in time, in a good way. My Mum says Gatwick was like that once

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Japanese cooking class - Mums do travel says:
    January 13, 2014 at 11:37 am

    […] Besides flights to Tokyo and Osaka KLM offers three flights a week from the UK to Fukuoka via Amsterdam. I’ve not been to Japan but enjoyed reading A Bavarian Sojourn’s posts about her family […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




CommentLuv badgeShow more posts

Search site

Follow me!

Email: gretta at mumsdotravel dot com
Follow me on FacebookFollow me on Google+Follow me on TwitterFollow me on InstagramFollow me on YouTubeFollow me on PinterestFollow me on Bloglovin

You'd like posts by email?

Booking.com

Most popular posts:

  • How to pack for an 8 kg luggage allowance
    How to pack for an 8 kg luggage allowance
  • Thailand with teenagers: a two-week summer itinerary
    Thailand with teenagers: a two-week summer itinerary
  • Where to find Mary Poppins film locations in London
    Where to find Mary Poppins film locations in London
  • 5-night itinerary for Northern Tunisia
    5-night itinerary for Northern Tunisia
  • Itinerary for a three-night Berlin sightseeing trip with a teenager
    Itinerary for a three-night Berlin sightseeing trip with a teenager
  • 5 of the best: UK castles for family stays
    5 of the best: UK castles for family stays
  • What to do when your teenager doesn't want to go on your family holiday
    What to do when your teenager doesn't want to go on your family holiday
  • 60 free things to do in London with a teenager
    60 free things to do in London with a teenager
  • 17 places to find the world of Harry Potter in London
    17 places to find the world of Harry Potter in London
  • Jane Austen tour: the places where she lived and wrote
    Jane Austen tour: the places where she lived and wrote

Recent Posts

  • How to apply for Italian citizenship: everything we’ve done so far
  • How to explore London’s top attractions from home
  • Amsterdam virtual museum & gallery tours
  • Introducing Armchair Travels
  • How to explore Florence, Italy, from home

About

  • About
  • Published in
  • Contact

Disclosure

This is a personal blog written and edited by me, Gretta Schifano. Sometimes I’m given products or sent on trips to review, but I always make this clear and give my honest opinion. See my About page for full details.

Copyright © Mums do travel 2019
Header by Suzanne Barton
Website by
Callia Web

Sign up for my free newsletter:
Subscribe to the Mums do travel mailing list... it's FREE!
You'll receive family travel news, offers and competitions. Once you sign up you can download my tips for saving money on family travel.
Your information will *never* be shared or sold to a 3rd party.
Sign up for my free newsletter: