Bij de uitgang van de vertrekhal wacht een oudere reiziger, omdat haar koffer nog op de bagageband ligt.

This is because Dutch is a verb-second (V2) language in main clauses.

The sentence begins with the adverbial phrase Bij de uitgang van de vertrekhal. When something other than the subject comes first, the finite verb must still stay in the second position:

• Bij de uitgang van de vertrekhal wacht een oudere reiziger.

If you put the subject first, you get:

• Een oudere reiziger wacht bij de uitgang van de vertrekhal.

Both are correct. The original version gives a bit more emphasis to the location first.

This is a prepositional phrase giving the location.

• bij = at / near / by
• de uitgang = the exit
• van = of
• de vertrekhal = the departure hall

So literally it is:

• at the exit of the departure hall

Dutch often links nouns with van in the same way English uses of.

In Dutch, every noun takes either de or het.

Here:

• de uitgang
• de vertrekhal

These are both de-words. Unfortunately, this usually has to be learned noun by noun.

A useful thing to know:

• nouns referring to people are usually de-words
• many words ending in -ing, -heid, -ie, -teit are also de-words

But for words like uitgang, you generally learn the article together with the noun:

• de uitgang
• de vertrekhal

Because Dutch adjectives usually take -e when they come before a noun.

So:

• een oudere reiziger = an older traveler

The form without -e only appears in a limited situation: with an indefinite article plus a singular het-word.

Compare:

• een oude man
• een oude vrouw
• een oudere reiziger
• een oud huis ← no -e, because huis is a singular het-word

Since reiziger is a de-word, the adjective must be oudere here.

Also, oudere is the comparative-like form meaning older, not just old.

Because oudere means older, while oude means old.

Compare:

• een oude reiziger = an old traveler
• een oudere reiziger = an older traveler

Dutch often forms comparative adjectives by adding -er:

• oud → ouder = older
• jong → jonger = younger
• groot → groter = bigger

When such an adjective comes before a noun, it usually also gets the normal adjective ending -e:

• een oudere reiziger

So the full structure is basically:

• ouder
  • e = oudere

Reiziger means traveler and can refer to a man or a woman, depending on context.

In this sentence, the pronoun haar shows that the traveler is female:

• haar koffer = her suitcase

So even though the noun itself is not specially marked here, the later pronoun tells you the person is a woman.

This is similar to English:

• A traveler is waiting because her suitcase is still on the belt.

Dutch does have forms like reizigster for a specifically female traveler, but in modern Dutch, common forms like reiziger are often used for any gender, with the pronoun making it clear.

Because omdat introduces a subordinate clause, and in Dutch subordinate clauses, verbs usually go to the end.

Main clause:

• Een oudere reiziger wacht.

Subordinate clause:

• omdat haar koffer nog op de bagageband ligt

So the structure is:

• omdat
  • subject + other information + verb

This is one of the most important Dutch word-order patterns to learn.

Compare:

• Haar koffer ligt nog op de bagageband.
  main clause

• ... omdat haar koffer nog op de bagageband ligt.
  subordinate clause

Here nog means still.

• haar koffer nog op de bagageband ligt
  = her suitcase is still on the baggage carousel

It suggests that the suitcase has not been collected yet.

Nog is a very common Dutch word and can have several meanings depending on context, such as:

• still
• yet
• another / more

But in this sentence, still is the natural meaning.

Dutch often uses so-called position verbs where English would often just use to be.

Common ones are:

• liggen = lie
• staan = stand
• zitten = sit
• hangen = hang

A suitcase on a baggage belt is conceived as lying on it, so Dutch says:

• De koffer ligt op de bagageband.

This is more natural in Dutch than using only zijn.

Very roughly:

• liggen for things lying flat or resting horizontally
• staan for things upright
• zitten for things located in/attached to/enclosed in something
• hangen for things hanging

It is a compound noun, which is extremely common in Dutch.

It is made from:

• bagage = baggage
• band = belt / conveyor belt

So:

• bagageband = baggage belt / baggage carousel

Dutch often writes compound nouns as one word, where English may use two words or even a longer phrase.

Other examples:

• vertrekhal = departure hall
• treinstation = train station
• luchthavengebouw = airport building

Learning to recognize compounds makes Dutch much easier to read.

Because omdat introduces a subordinate clause, and in standard written Dutch, that clause is separated with a comma here:

• ..., omdat haar koffer nog op de bagageband ligt.

This is similar to English, where a clause beginning with because is often separated by punctuation depending on structure and style. In Dutch, the comma before subordinate clauses like this is very normal in formal writing.

Yes. Dutch word order is flexible, as long as the core grammar rules are respected.

For example:

• Een oudere reiziger wacht bij de uitgang van de vertrekhal, omdat haar koffer nog op de bagageband ligt.

This version starts with the subject instead of the location.

The original:

• Bij de uitgang van de vertrekhal wacht een oudere reiziger...

puts the location first, which makes the setting feel slightly more prominent. Both versions are natural.