Airline
KLM: delayed or cancelled flight compensation.
KLM is licensed in the Netherlands, so its flights are covered leaving Europe and flying into it. The amount depends on the route, not on what the seat cost.
The check on the home page works for any airline. Open it with KLM already filled in.
Check a KLM flight- Licensed in
- the Netherlands
- Leaving Europe
- Covered
- Arriving into Europe
- Covered, because the carrier is European
- Regulator, if it refuses
- Inspectie Leefomgeving en Transport
- Where to send the letter
- klm.com
Which of their flights are covered
Any flight departing an airport in the EU, the EEA or Switzerland is covered, whoever operates it. Any flight departing an airport in the United Kingdom is covered by UK261 in the same way, whoever operates it. That includes every KLM departure from those airports, and it does not matter where the flight is going.
Flights into that zone are covered only when the operating carrier is licensed inside it. KLM is licensed in the Netherlands, so its inbound flights from outside Europe are covered too. A passenger flying from a non-European airport into Europe on KLM has the same rights as one flying out.
What you are owed
The amount depends on the straight-line distance between where you departed and your final destination, not on what you paid for the ticket: €250 up to 1,500 km, €400 between 1,500 and 3,500 km, and €600 beyond that. Flights with both ends inside Europe are capped at €400 however far they go, which is why Paris to Réunion pays €400 rather than €600. When the flight leaves the United Kingdom, or flies into it from outside Europe, UK261 applies instead and the amounts are £220, £350 and £520.
Compensation starts at three hours late measured on arrival, and it applies equally to cancellations announced less than fourteen days ahead and to being bumped from an overbooked flight.
If they refuse
The most common refusal is a technical fault, and it is the weakest one available to them. A technical problem inherent in normal operation is not an extraordinary circumstance, and the burden of proving otherwise sits with the airline. Our escalation letter cites the ruling.
If KLM refuses again or stops replying, complain to Inspectie Leefomgeving en Transport. It is free.
Check your KLM flight and we will write the letter.