FlyingFreeYupie

Just came back from the airport after an awful morning.

LIS-AMS-JFK - one way - all operated by KLM. Ticket issued by Delta.

Ground staff claimed my Delta ticket was only confirmed AMS-JFK and that I did not have an issued ticket for LIS-AMS. This meant my check-in was denied by ground staff representing KLM.
(They weren't even nice about it, even laughing at my face. First time something like this happens to me...)
After 2 hours on the phone with Delta that initially claimed all was fine with my ticket, they confirmed with KLM that there was an issue. I am now re-routed LIS-EWR at 7PM local time arriving my destination 6 hours later than originally planned.

Am I entitled to 600 euros EC261 compensation + expenses of getting to the airport and from the airport + food? Or if EC261 compensation is in fact given, that's all I can claim?

Thank you all in advance for looking into this.

flyerCO

This will be tricky. It depends on if you were actually confirmed on the KLM flight. It really matter 1)were you actually confirmed on the LIS-AMS segment, 2)if so, that DL had actually issued a ticket for the flight as confirmed and 3)was it within KLMs control that you were denied boarding. (Ie was the reason for not being able to checkin a KLM system or DL system issue)

FlyingFreeYupie

1) On Delta's system I was confirmed. I was actually told nothing was wrong with my ticket by them 1h20 mins into the phone call. (1 hour waiting just to speak with anyone and my flight was long gone). I had to ask them to call KLM.

2) That's what my records show.

3) When I told Delta that I would be seeking compensation in the end of the call, DL's supervisor I was speaking with did say on a recorded line "not to assign blame to anyone", but KLM could have re-issued the ticket and allowed me to board. Of course KLM ground staff at the airport told me this was a 006 ticket and therefore they had no control. Sounds like a great partnership they got going on. On DL's system I was fine, on KLM's system I was not. Is it not Delta's responsibility to make sure I am confirmed with whatever code share they put me on? What is weird to me is that my flight suffered 3/4 schedule changes prior and I even called KLM to look into options and make sure all was fine - and all was OK. [Delta claimed from the moment the changes took place that the ticket then belonged to KLM as they had changed it... And KLM had told me this made no sense as it was a 006 Delta issued ticket - this wasn't a problem as the protection options provided back then did not work for me and I always agreed with the new schedule given by them]

erik123

I had the same thing on a wrongly reissued AA ticket flying BA from LIS. They managed to fix it just in time. It sounds like the ticket was reissued incorrectly by DL.

FlyingFreeYupie

Ground staff commented that this was a recurring issue with Delta issued tickets. I was on hold for 1h with Delta 's 1800 before anyone picked up the phone and even then, they took a really long time to figure out what was going on with KLM. I doubt Delta could have helped in time even if they had picked up the phone while I was still in time to check-in. Thanks for sharing.

Cory6188

I've run into this same issue with joint DL/KL itineraries before. A while back, I was flying BLL-CDG-JFK and rebooked myself in advance on to BLL-AMS-JFK due to a strike on AF. I couldn't check in for the flight on KL's website, which was my first red flag. I called DL, and it took them over an hour on the phone to get it straightened out, and even then, I still couldn't get a BP until I went to the airport at BLL, and a ticket agent had to work on it for another 20 mins to finally issue my BLL-AMS BP.

It's a total headache for sure, and I don't know exactly who the blame sits with across DL/KL (or both), but something to consider in the future is to try online check-in, and if it doesn't work, that's your first sign that there's an issue - and you can try to get it rectified while you're not in panic mode at the ticket counter.

FlyingFreeYupie

Funny enough I noticed this 24 hours prior: I couldn't check-in online. I tried calling Delta about it when I noticed this and then I noticed I was waiting for 40 minutes and no one was picking up the phone and I gave up. I thought it had to do with the extra security of flights to the US and I had to do it at the airport.

Often1

The sole question is whether the operating carrier, KL, properly denied boarding. If the ticket was not properly issued in the KL system as the result of a failure unrelated to KL, then there is no compensation due (as EC 261/2004 applies only to the operating, not ticketing, carrier). Thus, what DL did or did not do is irrelevant.

You may file a claim with KL and understand that on the facts you have provided, that it will almost certainly be denied and that the reason for the denial is most likely correct.

Alternatively you could file a customer service complaint with DL. You are not due compensation, but DL might well issue a customer service gesture of some miles or a small credit.

Your instincts were initially correct. Anytime you are unable to check in online, it is essential to call, Don't give up. Put the phone on speaker + mute and multitask, but don't give up. With a day to fix, this was fixable.

FlyingFreeYupie

I don't think this was fixable as Delta could not detect the problem as from their end, all was OK. They actually started to question what time I got to the airport and what passport I had in the beginning of the call.

It's just frustrating at this point.

MSPeconomist

Has the OP examined the emailed receipt for the (presumably reissued at least once) ticket that was used to attempt to check in? There should be some fare calculation lines at the bottoms well as a listing of the exact flights included on the receipt. Flight numbers (and whether or not the flights were booked as codeshares), dates, scheduled times, fare class, etc. should all exactly match your reservation.

Did you ever try to look at your reservation on the KLM website?

FlyingFreeYupie

Yes, all is confirmed and included on the ticket. On KLM's website the ticket was confirmed as well & I called KLM a week prior to make sure of this as well. Delta acknowledges the problem with KLM, but still claims KLM could have acted on it in time & KLM claims this is a Delta ticket and they cannot touch it.

Kacee

That's false. Day of departure, the ticket is under operating carrier control. You were victimized by terrible ground staff at LIS.

FlyingFreeYupie

They did call their operations line in Amsterdam and same result. Question here is, does this entitle me to EC261 compensation at all? I mean, it's simply not fair. They couldn't even provide me with a written reason for check-in refusal as my ticket "did not exist".

MSPeconomist

Did you try to show the KLM (or airport contract worker?) check in agent your receipt containing the correct ticket number? Sometimes other airlines can find rickets and reservations this way. The ticket number applies to all carriers included on the ticket, while the PNR tends to be different for each carrier.

FlyingFreeYupie

Yes, they found me in their system but I wasn't properly confirmed on the initial flight.