Klm695

[ashers2206]

:bored:Yesterday I travelled home from Toronto, KLM 695 leaving 18.05. On checking in nearly 3 hours prior to scheduled departure time I was asked where I was going. When I said Newcastle via Amsterdam I was directed away from the check in to a side lengthy queue. Apparently KLM were saying that a smaller aircraft had been sent out and selected passengers not travelling to AMS were being rerouted to their destination. After much arguing (I was connecting with the 08.50 to NCL) and flashing my 'ivory' frequent fliers card I was 'lucky' enough to get on the 18.05. What was going on, do you think? The aircraft was a 747.400 (Asia). Was I being discriminated against for travelling on?

[BHX_SLF]

I can only guess what might have been the logic here having seen the same event happen at BHX on outbound flights .....but here goes.

You wanted to go Toronto to Newcastle ....... the Amsterdam destination was irrelevant except for being the transfer point for your journey.

The aircaraft they are using is X seats short due to an aircarft change. KLM would look at non AMS passengers first to reroute them on other available capacity from Toronto that evening.

I would imaging logic would be :

1) Try rerouting you with AF (as they are the same organisation) or another KLM flight if available.

2 ) Reroute you with a Skyteam alliance airline e.g. Delta via the US.

3) Try another airline if commercially viable for KLM (e.g. they could have routed you with BA via LHR and still got you to where you wanted to go).

Chances are they were able to reroute enough passengers to their ultimate destination via option 1 or 2 before they got to you. So you were allowed to travel via the orginal route or KLM did not want to try option 3 with you as it would have been too expensive for them.

I have seen this at BHX when flights have been delayed/cancelled/down sized.

As I say, I am only guessing, but this to me would seem the likely scenario.

[Michael SWS]

You should have asked what the alternative arrangements were going to be before insisting that you board the flight you were booked on.

For example, they might have rebooked you onto BA092 to London leaving at 18:30, which would have got you into Newcastle at 08:30 (almost an hour before your KLM flight was due to arrive there). And they might also have been upgrading the inconvenienced passengers as a way of apologising, or offering vouchers towards future flights. The next KLM flight wouldn't have been leaving until 22:25, so you would have been entitled to significant compensation had you been rebooked onto that one.

You might have lost out by "much arguing" before you knew all the facts.

[ashers2206]

Many thanks for the replies which seem absolutely sensible. Although I wasn't offered an alternative routing, may be I missed out on a free upgrade! The only thing I cannot understand is that the aircraft was an 747.400 which I assume is the largest seating capacity in the KLM fleet or maybe I am wrong. I do not have the registration but it was marked Asia and may usually be used for the far east. Overbooking is a possiblity but it would have been on quite a large scale judging by the rerouting queue.
PS The flight was KLM 692, 695 was the outward bound flight - whoops!