jochen_vdk

After 10+ years of Platinum I missed requalification this year because of all the cancellations in December.

I would qualify both on miles and on segments, I was 6-7 segments short of Platinum and had 20 flight segments cancelled this month.

I was absolutely shocked with the level of indifference from KLM staff. They can not credit miles for flights I have not taken was the answer, and if there is anything else they can do for me.

Thank you, KLM. Not that I was attached to my plat status, it brings nothing more than gold. But still, I had expected some kind of flexibility. Do I ask too much?

Sjondorn

If you're 10+ years of Platinum, then you're Platinum for life anyway, no? Or there weren't 10 consecutive years in it?

jochen_vdk

I had one year of gold in between because I got a baby and I travelled less.

Xandrios

Assuming you did not get/request refunds for these flights, give it another try at the lounge in AMS. Bring a printout of the original booking (showing flights, booking class) and another print showing that the flights were canceled due to weather.

If you have requested a refund, or canceled yourself they are right to deny any kind of flight credit. If you made it to your destination using different transport (flights or train arranged by the airline?), I'd expect them to credit the flights.

Just out of curiosity, you did not travel at all in those 20 cases? Not even using another means of transport?

jochen_vdk

Thanks!

In some cases I got rebooked by KLM on another airline. I have asked Flying Blue for mileage credit of the original itin due to invol reroute, and once they credited within the hour, in all other cases they are playing stupid answering this is not possible, when I insist I have to send all tickets and boarding passes and so to Paris. I know this kind of behavior and it is not sure I will ever get those miles.

In other cases KLM refused to rebook me on another airline, and I had to cancel+refund the ticket and rebook on *A as this was the only way my trip would make sense. I know they don't credit miles in this case. However I would already have been happy with a credit of the corresponding segments as I can also qualify on segments.

I really don't care about the miles as I have more than enough, I only care about the requalification.

troje

CyBeR

HUACA.

wxman22

A hell of a way to run a railroad.
Sorry, airline

What's more shocking to me is that they had to cancel all those flights due to weather that they should have planned for.
What's the point of depending on an airline if they can't be trusted 10% of the time?
Simply for convenience (I had not considered wx issues), I'm taking the train to CDG from EIN. I normally have flown, and only came upon the train option when looking at trains from Helmond to AMS.

My long winded point is simply that the airlines are training us to find alternative solutions. That's one interesting Business Plan. I wonder how it worked for the railroads??

CyBeR

I do believe that on average railroads, even in the Netherlands, actually suffer more delays and cancellations than airlines. So I'm not sure that's a solid strategy.

You'll remember the day that KL had to cancel a bunch of flights due to snow, NS didn't fare much better.

Goldorak

You can't be serious, right ?

Oxymore

I had no idea this was possible. Do you have any source/documentation?

johan rebel

Well, wxman22 has a point in the sense that it is perfectly possible to plan and prepare for, and deal with, a few centimeters of snow. AMS and KL have chosen not to do so, based on a straightforward economic calculation: a few days of chaos every year is cheaper for them. On those days, the passengers pay the price.

Johan

Goldorak

This is the airport responsibility, not airlines.

Clearly but the airlines are also paying a high price during those days : reimburse/indemnify pax for cancelled/delayed flights, meal vouchers, pay for hotel rooms for stranded pax, etc. Airlines never cancel flights for pleasure.

CyBeR

"Oh goody, snow! Let's find out who's day we can ruin the most!"

johan rebel

KL could choose to run their deicing service professionally, or let Schiphol handle it.

Johan