Thanks all for your input so far.
I'm not bothered about extracting more money from them - they're currently processing the statutory compensation per offloaded passenger plus expenses. I am bothered about getting an explanation/investigation as that (in an ideal world....) might lessen the probability of similar happening again.
OK, it sounds as if getting useful info from KLM Customer Care could be harder than getting blood from a stone. So, current situation is that I have emailed and written back requesting responses to the unanswered questions from the original complaint. There is no telephone number mentioned on the website for Customer Care so I can't actually speak to them, just correspond. If I don't get a reply (or if I get another pointless fob-off reply) - who do I approach to kick them into action? UK CAA (at least then there's some record outside KLM even if nothing gets done)? Write to the top guy at KLM? Write to an appropriate part of the press?
Originally Posted by jojo82
3. cheapest paid fare = offloaded
That reminds me, I'd forgotten that I booked the flights on air miles; maybe that had something to do with it... But we definitely checked in early; did it online the day before.
Originally Posted by Capot
Was an MOR submitted?
Apologies for my ignorance; I don't know enough about aviation procedures to understand all the ins and outs - what is a MOR?
Does it make any difference that the ground staff aren't KLM's own? Where is the division of labour? Are KLM fobbing me off because the reasons for the problem lie with a third party company (albeit contracted on their behalf) and they can't be bothered?
Originally Posted by Capot
Sudden change to a short runway?
ABZ is known for its short runway, I believe. At the risk of demonstrating uninformed conjecture - could someone somewhere have forgotten to account for that? But surely unlikely as they fly in and out all the time?