KLM Royal Dutch Airlines complaints: comments, page 19

Compensation

Other - Reservation Z3CKNH in the name of Philippe Koch and his family. My wife and I are outraged by KLM's behaviour. We chose KLM to travel to Tanzania with our four children because of the company's reputation for reliability. Unfortunately, yesterday the country voted and entered into a ‘civil war’ with demonstrations, attacks on police stations, the army deployed in the streets, a curfew and an internet blackout. Our flight was therefore cancelled. So far, so good. However, we had arrived at the airport with our four young children (aged 7, 9, 10 and 14). I noticed that the airport was very crowded, so I kindly suggested to the ground staff that we return to the hotel where we had stayed the night before to avoid adding to their problems. As I mentioned earlier on the phone to a KLM agent, I preferred to avoid leaving our children at the airport because I suspected that your staff would have difficulty organising hotel rooms for all these people. However, I expected KLM to give priority to passengers with children when a country enters into civil war or similar (we hear on local networks that around thirty people have died in the riots). Here, we couldn't find a return flight until tomorrow evening, Friday 31 October, with a series of short hops (JRO, ADD, VIE, AMS). Obviously, your services most likely repositioned the people who remained at the airport as a matter of urgency, without taking the age of the travellers into consideration. This means that there are no more seats available on your other flights. Given that we cannot be sure how the current situation in Tanzania will develop, I find it deplorable that an airline such as yours would leave young children in a country that has become dangerous for 36 hours. As a child, I lived through a civil war in Tunisia (the bread strike in Monastir in 1981) and I still remember the sound of 7.62 calibre weapons, even though I was only six years old at the time. As a surgeon, I took it upon myself to assist your flight crew on the outbound flight because a passenger had taken Diamox and was showing all the signs of cardiac risk, which would have required us to make an emergency landing, as your doctors will tell you. You kindly offered a €350 voucher as compensation. But I have no use for such vouchers if you do not realise the severity of such situations with young children. What should one do when travelling with four children to a country at risk of imploding? Wait another 24 hours? So that the situation worsens? I have flown with KLM several times, often in business class, to take my wife and children on surfing holidays to Panama. I am therefore outraged to find that there is an idiot at KLM who did not think to plan for such situations and ensure that families with children are given priority over others on flights. Or that you are not chartering a new flight to urgently repatriate families stuck in countries that have become hotspots. As a surgeon, I calculate in advance and plan for contingencies in order to avoid any unpleasant surprises and/or limit the consequences... As you can see, I am deeply shocked! I am not expecting any compensation from you. But you will not be surprised if I go further to ensure that such situations do not happen to other families in the future. I will talk about it on all existing social networks! And it will not only be KLM but also all your partners, such as Air France, who will be informed. Prof. Dr Philippe Koch www.docteurkoch.be philkoch@me.com

Compensation

Other - My flight was cancelled on short notice. do not have enough time to arrange something for myself once I arrive.