Sorry if I'm sounding ignorant... I know this sort of thing has been discussed here before... but I can't remember much detail, so I thought I'd ask!

Is there any way of finding out the REAL reason for a flight cancellation - when the airline claims it's weather?

I was booked on KL1506 NWI-AMS today. There was some overnight snow, and early flights were delayed while they were clearing the runway... but when I got to the airport (from a nearby hotel) at about 8 o'clock the weather looked quite clear, and the airport was open, and the TAF didn't look too bad, and I was told all was well.

Then, just as I had settled in the lounge, there was an announcement that the flight had been cancelled due to the weather.

At the time I just accepted what they were saying, and assumed that the latest TAF was perhaps a lot worse than the ones I'd seen... and I got myself home, and made other arrangements.

Yet... the weather has been OK in East Anglia, and most other flights from NWI were operating today (and those that weren't were, I suspect, cancelled due to poor weather elsewhere in the UK - AMS is the only international flight).

So - was KLM fibbing, so as to get out of paying compensation?

Is there any way of finding out?

As I said, I should know this (i.e., about finding out).

Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Any and all help will be much appreciated.