The flight industry really can’t seem to catch a break lately. The Netherlands’ Royal airline, KLM, will receive a €40,000 fine and another penalty of up to €500,000.
The Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT) announced these fines back in December 2021.
Schiphol and KLM had a busy past few weeks. On top of a hefty fine, they dealt with staff shortages, long lines, a workers’ strike, debt, and had to pay compensation fees. Not exactly the business you’d want after a two-year pandemic. 😬
Refunding raucous
During the May holiday’s chaos, many flights were either cancelled or missed by travellers.
However, the fine imposed by the ILT relates to tickets that had to be cancelled due to the pandemic.
KLM didn’t offer travellers the choice to get a refund or take another flight after booking a ticket from a travel agency, says NU.nl. 🙅🏻
If travellers book a trip through an online or physical travel agency, and that flight is cancelled, they must offer a refund or another flight. 🛫
According to the ILT, KLM did not offer the travellers that choice directly and referred them back to the travel agent.
However, it is the responsibility of the airline to refund the flight or offer another travel option.
KLM to appeal
The €40,000 fine concerns the now-bankrupt travel agency D-reizen. Passengers booked KLM flights via the agency between 2019 and 2021 and claimed they refunded the money. 💶
However, the agency went bankrupt before the money was transferred to the passengers. It’s unknown how much these fines are going to be exactly. 🤷🏻
KLM maintains the position that it refunded the tickets and plans to appeal the fines.
What do you think of KLM’s tricky economic situation? Tell us in the comments!