KLM Flying Dutchman - Changing flight times

I have just looked at some of my future flights in manage my booking to find find some flight time changes. Why do they not send an email to let me know as soon as they know of these changes? Air France would do this often on filghts to / from GIG and wait until the last possible moment to tell me. It ruins all my plans, makes pre booked train tickets useless etc VERY VERY annoying

I always get notice. Maybe you should update your FB contact data?

I always get notice. Maybe you should update your FB contact data?

Thanks for the reply, yes you would think that could be the problem but all my details are correct and they are able to send me 'spam' and notify me of gate changes etc. They are not a small changes, one is from 23.59 to 12.20

Are these flights that are taking place after the last week-end in March?

The last week-end in March is when airlines change their timetables. Details are usually finalised from around mid-January onwards, and while this is happening existing bookings tend to be in a bit of a state of flux. Your new timings may be your final timings, they may be provisional timings that will change again.

Going by my own experience, you will almost definitely be informed of these changes in due course, once everything is finalised. If it's a significant change they will probably phone you to discuss options rather than send you an email (that's what happened when I was in that situation a couple of years ago), so it'll be a case of working their way down a list.

You can always be proactive and phone them - if the new timings aren't convenient to you then the sooner you contact them the better your chances of their being availability on other flights that may be more convenient.

Are these flights that are taking place after the last week-end in March?

The last week-end in March is when airlines change their timetables. Details are usually finalised from around mid-January onwards, and while this is happening existing bookings tend to be in a bit of a state of flux. Your new timings may be your final timings, they may be provisional timings that will change again.

Going by my own experience, you will almost definitely be informed of these changes in due course, once everything is finalised. If it's a significant change they will probably phone you to discuss options rather than send you an email (that's what happened when I was in that situation a couple of years ago), so it'll be a case of working their way down a list.

You can always be proactive and phone them - if the new timings aren't convenient to you then the sooner you contact them the better your chances of their being availability on other flights that may be more convenient.

Well this inspired me to look at my bookings for April. Clearly KLM are in a random state of flux. They have me with a negative 4 hour connection time in BKK. I guess it will be sorted in due course.

Just as a side note: if airlines let you know 2 weeks in advance about changes, no compensation is due according to EU rules, but you can always get a full refund. (I once was very lucky when I had a fully inflexible flight to GIG and they wrote me about a change 3 weeks in advance. I already knew I could not go to GIG anyway, so I could cancel without any problems.)
If they do not tell you 2 weeks in advance, they will have to pay compensation if they cannot provide an alternative flight within a certain time window around the original flight.

Well this inspired me to look at my bookings for April. Clearly KLM are in a random state of flux. They have me with a negative 4 hour connection time in BKK. I guess it will be sorted in due course.

As reported in the MNL thread, BKK times are going to change with the change from AMS-BKK-TPE to AMS-TPE-MNL per the summer schedule. No doubt this will be sorted, provided your booking is on a single PNR.

Also be aware that BKK will be B772 instead of B744 with this change.

It is the travel agent that is responsible for informing customers of the flight time changes. If you bought your tickets from KLM, then of course you get informed by them; if you used another travel agent then KLM will inform your travel agent who hould then inform you...

As reported in the MNL thread, BKK times are going to change with the change from AMS-BKK-TPE to AMS-TPE-MNL per the summer schedule. No doubt this will be sorted, provided your booking is on a single PNR.

Also be aware that BKK will be B772 instead of B744 with this change.

Now that is interesting and leads to many questions.

The reason I joined FB (given I was already in CI for Skyteam membership) was that CI did not give credit for KLM flights on AMS-BKK-TPE and vv. I also had read that actually getting cross Skyteam credits was a bit flaky anyway. I guess CI will in principle allow AMS-BKK credits for KLM flights after the change. Anybody have success crediting KLM flights to CI?

My connection is from TG BNE-BKK to KL in the one PNR on KL ticket stock,
bought via a TA (itinerary was too complicated for me to get the KLM website to allow it: BNE-xBKK-AMS-EDI//LHR-AMS-BKK-BNE, not really too hard). Mind you the TG flight has (at least temporarily) disappeared from TG's schedules (as part of their BKK-Australia modifications, which seem to last beyond their planned 24 March end date). In theory it should be flying again in April.

Yes, I expect it to be sorted somehow. (Is KLM more likely to allow free o/n accommodation in BKK in order to preserve original routing versus rerouting on SQ or QF to connect in SIN or HKG? This is on their companion Z class special fare ex Australia; the fare allows various Australia-Asia options. Is the flight on a 744 enough better than on a 773 to try to reroute via HKG?

Last time (some years ago) that I had rescheduling problems on a cheapie Z class fare, LH that time, LH automatically selected a rotten alternative for me. My then TA (since ditched) wanted extra fees to deal with LH on my behalf so I managed to deal directly with LH and get what I wanted (which involved reticketing), in spite of not having started the trip. (LH started by telling me to do it via the agent.) Will KLM do the same? Will this agent want to charge?


I had already grabbed 77A and B on the 744, and now see us rebooked into 2 of the 3 middle seats (3E and F) on the 773 (apparently scheduled for April 17, not 772). Thanks KL for the middle seats :( , but I expect to change them too.