KLM: delayed, cancelled or overbooked flight — your rights

KLM flight delayed, cancelled, overbooked or disrupted by a strike? Depending on the conditions met, you may be entitled to fixed compensation of up to €600 per passenger (EU Regulation 261/2004). Free eligibility check by Robin des Airs, no upfront fee.

KLM is a carrier registered in the European Union (Netherlands). EU Regulation 261/2004 covers it in both directions: whether the flight departs from Europe or from Amsterdam Schiphol, as soon as the delay on arrival reaches 3 hours or more and no extraordinary circumstance applies.

KLM and codesharing with Air France: always covered

KLM and Air France belong to the same group (Air France-KLM) and operate a great many flights on codeshare: a ticket numbered AF may be operated by KLM, and conversely a ticket numbered KL may be operated by Air France. Unlike a codeshare with a non-European carrier (see Kenya Airways for example), this point is here not a trap: since KLM and Air France are both European carriers, EU261 coverage applies in both directions whichever of the two actually operates the flight.

KLM in brief

• Country of registration: Netherlands
• Main hub: Amsterdam Schiphol
• Group / alliance: Air France-KLM, SkyTeam
• Status under EU Regulation 261/2004: European carrier, covered in both directions

KLM refunds: ticket price vs compensation

Two different things are often confused. A ticket refund, with the option of re-routing, is owed by KLM as soon as it cancels a flight, whatever the direction of travel. Where there is simply a delay of 5 hours or more, only the refund is available, and only if you give up the journey (art. 6(1)(iii) and art. 8(1)(a) of the regulation): what comes back is the price you paid. The fixed compensation under EU261 (up to €600) is a separate right, which is added to the refund and does not depend on the ticket price, only on the distance and the direction of the flight. The two are cumulative whenever EU261 applies.

KLM delayed flight

Yes, you may be entitled to up to €600 if your KLM flight arrives at least 3 hours late, in either direction, subject to the other conditions. The delay is measured on arrival (when the doors open), not at departure. In principle a delay of at least 3 hours recorded on arrival can trigger the fixed amount, without you having to prove any financial loss, unless the airline demonstrates extraordinary circumstances: €250 up to 1,500 km, €400 between 1,500 and 3,500 km, €600 beyond.

KLM's excuses: valid or not

Valid excuses: extreme weather, airspace closure, air traffic control strikes, bird strike or debris on the runway. Even then, the airline must prove it took all reasonable measures to limit the delay.

Invalid excuses (compensation remains due): a technical fault on the aircraft, even an unforeseen one (Wallentin-Hermann and van der Lans, CJEU), the aircraft running late on its previous rotation, understaffing or internal organisational problems.

KLM cancelled flight

Yes, in principle, if KLM cancels your flight and informs you less than 14 days before departure, you are entitled to the compensation per passenger, plus either a ticket refund OR re-routing, at your choice. These two rights are cumulative (art. 7 and art. 8 of the regulation). A travel voucher only replaces a cash refund if you accept it: you can refuse it and insist on a bank transfer.

Note: being told less than 14 days in advance does not always trigger compensation on its own. If KLM also offers re-routing at times very close to the original flight, it may escape payment in certain specific cases. The three scenarios explained in detail.

Missed connection with KLM

Did KLM cause you to miss your connection in Amsterdam? If your ticket is a single booking covering the whole journey, the delay is measured at your final destination, whichever leg caused it (Folkerts, CJEU 2013).

Because KLM is a European carrier, a single ticket covering a KLM flight opens the right to the fixed amount as soon as the final delay exceeds 3 hours, whichever leg is responsible and whatever the direction of travel.

Be careful: if you bought two separate tickets rather than a single booking, the protection is far weaker, as each flight is assessed independently.

KLM overbooking / denied boarding

Involuntary denied boarding (overbooking) opens the same rights as a cancellation. Article 4 of EU Regulation 261/2004 requires the airline to first call for volunteers before denying boarding to anyone. If you are denied boarding against your will, you are entitled to the fixed compensation (up to €600), plus care and assistance (meals, accommodation where necessary) and a refund or re-routing at your choice.

Unlike a cancellation, overbooking admits almost no excuse: it is a commercial decision by the airline, never an extraordinary circumstance.

Strikes and KLM flights

It depends precisely on who is striking and on the circumstances — there is no universal rule. A strike by KLM's own staff (pilots, cabin crew, ground staff employed by the airline) is generally not accepted as an extraordinary circumstance: this is what the CJEU held in Krüsemann, on the basis that an employer must anticipate this type of social risk. But the exact characterisation depends on the specific type of industrial action and on the facts of the case; compensation remains due if the airline cannot demonstrate an extraordinary circumstance specific to that case.

A strike by third parties outside KLM (air traffic controllers, airport staff not employed by the airline, a national general strike) may, depending on the case, be recognised as an extraordinary circumstance, provided KLM proves it took all reasonable measures to limit the impact.

How to contact KLM about a claim

KLM handles direct claims slowly, often without a reply for several months. Before writing yourself, keep your boarding pass, your e-ticket and any delay or cancellation notification: these are the documents that make the difference if the airline refuses or stays silent.

How long do you have to claim?

5 years before the French courts (art. 2224 of the French Civil Code) for the EU261 compensation, whichever of the situations above applies. A KLM flight disrupted two or three years ago can still be claimed today.

Sources and references

• Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 — article 7 (compensation), article 8 (refund/re-routing), article 9 (right to care)
• CJEU, Krüsemann (C-195/17) — internal strikes, characterisation depending on the precise facts
• Air France/KLM codeshare: which airline to claim against

How to claim with Robin des Airs

A specialist in the Africa-Europe corridors, Robin des Airs checks whether your KLM flight qualifies (direction, distance, cause of the delay), builds the file, sends the claim and challenges refusals. Nothing to pay if nothing is recovered. You receive 75% of the sums recovered at the amicable stage, and 60% if the airline forces us to go to court.

→ File my KLM claim in 2 min