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I am an Indian citizen (Indian Passport) who is travelling Business class from Mumbai, India to New York, US with a stopover in Amsterdam, Netherlands

My flight is DL9495 2:25 am Mumbai to 7:45 am Amsterdam and then DL0047 8:55 am Amsterdam to 11:35 am New York.

It’s a very short layover, moreover I will be traveling with my wife who is an Indian citizen and an infant who is an American citizen. My wife and I both have Advance Parole card from US (instead of visa; as our Green card is in progress)

Tickets have been booked through Priceline and have the same PNR.

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    The answers have not explicitly stated so, but since you are booked on a single ticket, in AMS you will not go through passport control and will not have to do anything with your checked bags which will be sent to the next flight automatically. It’s really just a matter of deplane-security-go to the right gate.
    – jcaron
    Commented Nov 23 at 10:43
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    My experience from Schiphol transfers would be to start your training for a marathon before flying.
    – Janus Bahs Jacquet
    Commented Nov 24 at 1:08

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That is indeed a close connection with an infant.

  1. Make sure you get all boarding passes in Mumbai. Try online check in as well: you do NOT want to stop by a transfer desk in AMS.
  2. Most likely you will be arriving at the F gates and departing from the D gates. Familiarize yourself with the airport layout and make sure you are familiar with the way
  3. Shortly before the departure, check gates for these flight numbers that were used the last few days. Can simple Google "DL9495 status" Chances are your gate will be in the same area
  4. Since you are flying business you will be in the front of the plane and are first to disembark. However, if you have a stroller you might be asked to drop it the airplane door in Mumbai. In this case you will have to wait at the airplane door in AMS until they have unloaded it. If that's the case, let the staff in Mumbai know that you will need the stroller quickly. Not bringing a stroller could help here.
  5. You can let the flight attendants know that you have a tight connection and they may let get you out of the plane first.
  6. Since you are coming from India, there is a good chance you will be routed through transfer security. Make sure you go to the priority or special assistance line and have all the stuff that needs to come out available. Ask any staff that directs you if they can move you to the front of line (sometimes they will with a stroller).
  7. Make sure you minimize the required time on the ground. Do feeding and diaper changes maybe an hour or so before landing. Go to the bathroom yourself.
  8. Quite likely there is going to be another doc check for US bound flights either at the gate or at the entrance to the terminal. Make sure you head for the priority or special assistance lane if they have any.

Chances are you will be fine. If things are "normal" that's perfectly doable. In this case, it's also helpful if you have checked luggage. Luggage will most likely travel faster than you and if you are not at the departure gate before closing time, they cannot leave without unloading you luggage first, which buys you some extra time.

In case you do miss it (by no fault of your own). DL/KLM will rebook you on the next available flight. Since yours is the first one out, there are likely to be 3 more that day although getting 3 business class seats maybe a challange.

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    I don’t know what DL/KLM’s policies are in AMS, but it’s likely they will have staff waiting for you at the gate (of the first flight), especially if the incoming flight is delayed, to escort you to the next flight as quickly as possible. Unless they already rebooked you to a later flight (if incoming is late).
    – jcaron
    Commented Nov 23 at 10:35
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    @jcaron I have had shorter connections, with an exit border check, when they didn't bother. I have actually been on a AF or KLM flight to Schiphol where flight attendants did prioritize people with very short connections, move them closer to the exit and give them special instructions but most connections didn't make the cut. I would be surprised if they would do anything for a 70 minute connection, unless the incoming flight is delayed. Only reason I could see them doing that is if the connection is especially popular and they want to avoid having to take care of a dozen people at once.
    – Relaxed
    Commented Nov 23 at 10:44
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    @jcaron: I don't think there is any predictable behavior. I've seen planes being held for 30+ minutes, I've had a gate agent giving away my seat BEFORE gate closing time since "they didn't think I would make it" (I did). In another case a gate agent closed the gate a bit early stranding six passengers that they already knew where in the terminal on their way. Instead of waiting maybe 2 more minutes they chose to close early which required putting 6 passengers up over night at significant cost to the airline. I don't see any logic here.
    – Hilmar
    Commented Nov 23 at 12:20
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    Also a culturally specific tip to avoid delays: Do not treat the airport/airline staff as you would treat the slave classes back in India. Dutch society is extremely egalitarian in comparison, and treating Dutch people as if they are beneath you will likely rub them the wrong way, and will risk them delaying you.
    – user183304
    Commented Nov 24 at 14:34
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    @Relaxed As it's my home airport, and my partner flies a lot, I can comment here - a lot of the construction and staffing problems have vanished in the last year. Yes, still major construction works, but they're not affecting much of the infrastructure OP will have to travel through. Was a nightmare 2 years ago, though. Now our construction woes have moved to the Eurostar :P
    – lupe
    Commented Nov 25 at 12:50
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There's not much you can do at this point to increase your chances of making the connection beyond the following:

  • be prepared to move as quickly as possible when you arrive in Amsterdam; the lighter your cabin bags, the more quickly you'll be able to move.

  • ask the cabin crew of your flight to Amsterdam whether you will have any assistance making the connection -- if the time is short, especially if the flight is delayed, some airlines will have staff waiting to meet you and help expedite your transfer. Consider approaching the cabin crew during a part of the flight when they aren't too busy, for example, a couple of minutes after they've collected the trash after meal service.

  • if the cabin crew can't help, look for staff at the arrival gate.

  • don't assume that the gate on your boarding pass is correct -- it might easily have been changed while you were in the air. The first thing you should do if no staff are available to help is to find a departures monitor and confirm the gate.

  • remember that it will become difficult or impossible to use the plane's bathrooms during the last 20 to 30 minutes of the flight. Around an hour before arrival, do that. At this point, you can also organize your carry-on luggage if necessary (to repack it, mainly), so you can leave the plane efficiently and proceed to your next flight without having to stop.

Finally, for your own peace of mind

  • don't worry too much about missing the flight. It's a distinct possibility. If you do miss it, you'll be rebooked; at that hour you're quite likely to be rebooked later on the same day.
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I agree with the other answers, they have valuable tips to save time. However, no one mention that if you or your party have reduced mobility you could also request assistance from the airline: https://www.klm.de/en/information/assistance-health/mobility-assistance they can arrange a transport (likely one of those minibuses) from one gate to the other at the airport. From the wording of the link one might think that this service is only for severely disabled people, but anyone that has trouble making a short connection can ask for it. Likely they might get wheelchairs ready for you at check in. You should just be honest with them and explain that you don't need assistance boarding at origin, neither to get out at the destination, but you need help in order to make the connection in Amsterdam.
I have middle aged friends who only ask mobility assistance for short layovers.

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  • The carts go faster than an average walker and this should help you skip the line at security but it could be a mixed blessing overall: People who need assistance are usually invited to wait in the plane for everybody else to have left so that the airport staff can pick them up. Even if you make it out on your own, if someone else in the plane needs assistance and there is only one cart for everybody, you might have to wait for them to go out. Because of all this, the page you linked to actually recommends longer connection times (more than 90 minutes) when using this service.
    – Relaxed
    Commented Nov 23 at 19:57
  • 90 minutes is just a recommendation. In my experience airlines make accommodations for short layovers.
    – André
    Commented Nov 24 at 10:22

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