Customer Service Differences Continue
 

I called TOL baggage today looking to file a lost bag report. After hearing my story, they say actually I "voluntarily separated" from my bags when I chose to get on the IAD flight, and even if it was what they consider lost, they don't take reports over the phone. :td:

Next, I call DTW baggage. I tell the same story and ask to file a lost bag report. The lady asks where the bags should have ended up if everything went as planned. I say TOL. She says, "Wait a minute while I call them." Less than 2 minutes later, she says she spoke to someone in TOL and they have my bags. They will be delivered to my house later today or at least by tomorrow. And here is a number for a misplaced bag report in case they don't make it there. ^ :p :)

What a difference in customer service. I got the ladies name in DTW and she will also be in the letter as an example of how to really help out a customer in need.

.....

More AMS headaches on Saturday: agent thinks my flight is cancelled
 

Biker-

You deserve kudos for patience. I was a Plat and had lounge desk access/etc, and had some hallmark Schipol incompetence, but not nearly as consequential...

If the snow wasn't enough...thick fog developed Saturday as a result of the snow cover, which led to dozens of cancellations.

Flew in from DTW, landed on time around 8am.

Got my BP for an 11 connection to Manchester and went to the lounge. Lines are everywhere, in and out of the lounges. But at least only 10-15min in the lounge vs. 3+ hours elsewhere.

Noticed the flight went 'delayed' on the board, so walked up to the Crown Lounge agent before the original boarding time. Presented my pass, and she quickly said "oh, you don't know this was cancelled?" So much for the monitors.

I said no, and she rebooked me for a 1:50 flight.

That went cancelled just before departure, and I got rebooked again...along with a brigade of UK travelers, as no flights had made it to the UK since 7AM. My friend scheduled to pick me up in Manchester is confused, because my original flight appeared to have landed.

At this point I was tempted to take the train to Paris and catch an AF flight as the fog continued, and lines swelled.

Well, fortunately, they couldn't do that fast enough.

So, I went to the gate, and the flight was boarding, with hoardes of standbys (fortunately, the Crown Lounge agent confirmed me).

Upon boarding, the agent looked puzzled, and summonsed me to the counter. She said "did you know you missed your flight? You did not check in." I said, no, I did, and checked in, but the agent told me it was cancelled and rebooked. She said she would investigate, but to take the flight.

Well, it wasn't cancelled. It went out delayed, and missing several passengers, arriving only 45 min late. The Crown agent thought my BP was for an earlier flight that did go cancelled.!!! Cost me about 7 hours in Schipol, although I did make it to my event on time.

As you note, they are well-intentioned and for the most part very polite, but well, just not well-trained and equipped to do things out of the routine.

I had to help travelers with creative US reoutes, as Crown room agents were telling them "no flights for X days" when a simple connection from another city in the US would have worked.

They had more agents checking lounge privileges than actually rebooking flights...

You are indeed right that all airlines at some point or another will have trouble. However, each time I have had irregular ops with NWA they have gone very poorly. I think it is indeed systemic. Other airlines UA, and US, have always accomodated me. I too often hear "I can't do that." From NWA agents (US-based). I think it has something to do with the latitude the company gives agents in accomodating passengers. My argument, respectfully, is NWA hasn't struck the right balance.

Keep in mind that Crown Lounge room "agents" aren't really there to help you rebook your flight or anything else. They seem to be there only to check your credentials for getting into the lounge.

I have found most KL Crown Lounge staff at Schiphol rude...but I still smile and say thank you.

-RM

What would you suggest doing differently?
 

My first thought when I read all this pain, was I would just leave the airport for a few hours and then come back. I would just about lose my mind wasting 4-5 hours in line at an airport.

What suggestions do people have on how to handle these types of situations? :confused:

I do sympathize with the OP, I had a similar incident last year in Feb on a flight from FCO and snow in AMS. Not anywhere near the snow they had this year though. When major weather hits in March, (or Feb) AMS is just not equipped to handle it.

I am sure that NWA will be overwhelmed with complaint letters in the next few weeks. However, the root cause of all these problems was a major major snow storm. The likes of which Holland has not seen in years or maybe decades. There will be problems.

I must say that I don't think that all the agents "lied" to you. Most of what you stated is in fact true. To fly on an intl flight to the US you are required to be on the flight with your bags. If it is an involuntary seperation then that is OK, but voluntary seperation is not allowed. I guess by time the IAD flight came around KLM was willing to pay the fine vs force more passengers to have delays. That is a US Federal regulation, not KLM policy. Do people fly with out their luggage, absolutely! Is it supposed to happen, no.

Transfers to DL, KLM is not NWA. They could and probably do have seperate policies. NW will generally endorse a ticket to any carrier that can get you to your destination if it is their fault the flight is delayed or canceled, but generally will not for weather delays. KLM could have a similar policy. KLM staff handle all NW flights in AMS and NW/AF staff handle all KLM flights in the US.

I know things could have been handled better, and AMS is not good at handling irregular ops, especially of this magnitude.

If you write NWA I would be very detailed in what you feel should have happened and what you would like in return. I would also not accuse any agents of lying to you in the letter. But be prepared, that you may just get a letter back stating that it was a weather issue and they got you out as fast as they could. The only times I have had Customer Service Bonus miles automatically added to my account were for Maintance/Crew delays, not weather delays.

I am not so sure.

The average flyer of the public doesn't not know he can write a letter, doesn't know where to send a letter or how to write a letter... or simply doesn't care. Probably is not even a WP member so he is not going after miles etc.

I think elite members tend to complain more and ask for more bonus miles...
:D :D

AMS KLM agents are mostly useless
 

after having a delayed flight at AMS a few weeks ago, I think the whole airport is useless... they should spend less time making it like a shopping mall, and more time trying to figure out how to make it actually efficient.

they kept sending people to "transfer desks" that weren't open... i saw hundreds of passengers from a deplaned 757 sit in line at an UNSTAFFED terminal transfer desk for 30 minutes before anyone thought to go help them...

my situation was a little less worse, once i figured out how the 'right' transfer desk, i waited in line 15 or 20 minutes... when we got to the gate we asked if there were other options... simultaneously, the line next to us had deplaned passengers from the same flight, yet that agent was telling them much much more information about what was happening with our flight... our flight was to ORD, but i was willing to go to DTW and make a connection there... we were told we couldnt even TRY to do this, as our ticket was northwest was 'not changeable' ... this was an absurd statement, since we were deplaned because the plane had a technical problem (not weather)... i eventually got rowdy, and the agent was much more willing to help... its kind of unfortunate that you have to get angry just to get them to "really" look at solutions instead of giving you a canned 'there is nothing i can do right now' answer....

We finally got our two bags today. They came with an amenity pak stapled to the destination tag. A 1,000 miler and $25 off. A nice touch, I thought.

Thank you to all who offered suggestions. I agree with the "it's best not to say they lied".

I feel NW should pay for my expenses after I could have been home on Delta, especially because NW cancelled two of three DTW-AMS flights that day, which therefore got 2 of 3 AMS-DTW flights cancelled.

I already have most of a letter written (over 4 pages), with both compliments and criticisms. I expect nothing. I will post whether anything is offered.

bikeguy....

I find your story incredibly creepy because if I didnt know any better I would say you were my dad.... my parents (from ann arbor), were stranded on your same flights!!!! they made it back on friday from amseterdam through dulles!

I actually think I met them and we stayed at the same hotel in AMS. They live on the east side? Group of 6, 4 to DTW and 2 to ORD. All 60s and 70s?

And I forgot to give the Chariot Hotel in AMS full credit for their "Free airport shuttle to the hotel" (as quoted from their advertisement in the airport). The following morning when I say we want to go back to the airport, they say fine, that will be 12.50 each. I say, what about the "free shuttle"? They say, it IS free from the airport to the hotel, but if you want to get back to the airport, that will be 12.50 each. :mad:

I've flown out of AMS a couple of times.

The long wait you describe seems like the typical experience I have had with KLM/NW, even when the weather was good.

Last time I fly BA out, after I made it through security I looked at my watch and was amazed that it had only taken me 15-20 minutes, compared to the KLM experience which took forever.

In the past I once got into Atlanta very late and Delta did put us up for the night, so I would have thought KLM/NW would do the same for you.

Oh...you guys are scaring me. So far, I've been through AMS three times and no problem (decent weather). But the weather is still gloomy in AMS and I am flying there is two weeks. I hope things will improve and none of my flights will be delayed!

nah....just the two of them, west siders....in their 50's....