?Tis the season for travel dread; at Amsterdam?s Schiphol, smart design proves it doesn?t have to be that way ?Tis the season for stressful family encounters, last-minute shopping, and, for those traveling by air, the joy of navigating crowded airports during the holidays. Be warned: Experts predict 2017 will be even less joyful than last year.
While 90 percent of the 51 million Americans traveling for Thanksgiving will drive, due in part to lower fares, airline traffic will represent the biggest percentage jump in trips, according to AAA?s travel forecast. Five percent more passengers will brave the not-so-friendly skies, which predictions suggest will be filled with nearly 4 million passengers hoping to avoid forecasts for delay-causing storms. It?s only fitting this season of stress starts at airports, infrastructure now synonymous not with jet-age wonder, but rather snaking security lines, hectic crowds, and, in many cases, aging facilities. With high-profile examples like New York?s infamous LaGuardia in the midst of makeovers, it begs the question: Can we do better"

Jannes Linders
The west terminal at Schiphol

The answer is, unequivocally, yes. And the answer isn?t just to replicate the glimmering, brand-new airports of East Asia and the Middle East. Amsterdam?s international airport, Schiphol, which was built in the ?60s and modeled in part after Chicago?s O?Hare, still wins dozens of awards and spots on world?s best airport l...