My dog has flown on KLM as excess bag in the past. Most recently from South Africa to the Netherlands. Now we are relocating to South Africa from the Netherlands less than a year later with KLM and I have purchased my ticket. After trying to get my dog tickets for the same flight as excess bag on KLM, customer care and reservations now says that my dog cannot come on board as excess baggage. I contacted South African and Dutch vets and authorities to clarify why KLM would deny my dog to fly as excess baggage. These vets and authorities clearly stated that my dog could fly as excess bag but that he had to go through the cargo department on arrival South Africa to be checked by a vet. KLM says that information from IATA and South Africa state otherwise. They say that all pets must go through cargo and never as excess baggage. But they do not want to read the rules (which South African and Dutch vets and authorities emailed me) that state pets can travel as excess bag then go via cargo to be checked by a state vet at the Johannesburg airport. I had more than 10 telephonic discussions with their staff and they did not even want to hear or read information from the vets and authorities. NOW, I am forced to pay more than 1, 200Euros to have my dog go in cargo with expensive cargo carriers. This is disgusting. KLM does not even listen to anyone especially its loyal customers. They have disappointed me on many occasions but now I'm furious and will be suing them for damages.

Below is quote from South African vet authority...
..

'All dogs and cats imported into South Africa must be registered, as manifest cargo and can not fly as excess baggage. The Directorate Veterinary Services does not have veterinary officials at the passenger terminal of OR Tambo (Johannesburg) and Cape Town International Airport to check the paper work of dogs entering South Africa via the passenger terminal of the respective airports. The dogs and cats can only disembark via the cargo terminal of the respective airports.


Dogs and cats may travel in the cabin with the owner, if allowed by the airline, but the pets must be registered as manifest cargo and the airline staff must take the pets from the owner on landing so that they can be off loaded from the plane via the cargo terminal. '

Dear KLM
In August 2010 I bought a return ticket to Peru from Sweden with the following route (Got-Ams-Panama-Lima). When I was in Peru decided to change the return date and the return destination for London. So I went online and try to book it but I would not let me so I had to phone KLM in Peru to check for available dates and prices. The customer person who answered me was very nice and friendly and informed me that if I decided to change my ticket to London on January 28th I only needed to pay 7.64 dollars (confirmation email). I could not believe my penalty payment was so cheap so I double check by asking her if this information was correct (calls were recorded by KLM), the person on the phone informed me that she was going to check if there was any problem with the system and ask why the tariff was so cheap.
After waiting a few minutes on the phone she confirmed the tariff and explained me that there were many reason why this new ticket was so cheap, the chosen date of return, flying direct with KLM instead of using partner airlines via Panama and apparently flying to London was cheaper than Sweden, so instead of refunding me this money I was deducted the penalty fee for changing my ticket meaning that I only own them 7. Usa dollars.
I didn’t buy the ticket immediately just because I had some business to solve. When I called back to KLM I had a different person on the phone (phone call also recorded by KLM), I asked her for the same thing (changing date and destiny) for which I had different news prices, so I explained her the deal I was previously told and it was still available. (Seriously what kind of system they use that gives complete different information according to user), anyhow, one more time after some minutes waiting on the phone she found the deal I wanted it but this time she told me that she need it to double check this information, if the system had collapsed again. I explained her that the other people on the phone give me those reason and if that could be possible and she agreed with me. Due to this reaction I asked her if she could send me an email confirming the offered rate (very lousy email confirming the price) and proceed to disclose my credit card details for the payment. I keep calling KLM to get a receipt from them for my payment (which KLM never bother to sent) since I could not see the transaction on my credit card and I was afraid they wouldn’t let me board. Great was my surprise when I check in and received summary receipt stating a charge of 134american dollars which I didn’t even know why, or when did I approve it. So guess what I never really even got charge this 7 dollars by KLM they just charge whatever they considered, without consulting me, informing me or approval at all. SO I went to KLM customer center in Peru and they just didn’t even bother to apologize just “let me know” that complaints were meant to be doing online so they could bother to help me. After sending claims over a month I receive the following “apologize” from Niels Nielsen (KLM Europe Customer Care)
Dear Ms Faura,

Thank you for your messages sent 29 January, 14 February, 16 February, 1 March and your telephone call 15 March 2011. Please accept our apologies for the inconvenience you experienced when you rebooked the return leg of your flight to the 28 January 2011 from Lima to London via Amsterdam onboard flights KL 0744 and KL 1021 and the penalty fee you were charged.

It is always our intention to offer our customers clear and accurate information regarding our services, so I am sorry to learn that you were unhappy with the information provided by our Reservations staff in Lima.

However, theres seems to have happened a serious misunderstanding. The information you received was correct that your rebooked return leg was indeed potentially cheaper. On the 10 August 2010 in Sweden you bought a ticket with restrictions on rebookings which meant that it was cheaper then tickets with changeable return dates but also meant that you would not be refunded if your travelled on the same class, which you did (Q-class), although it might be changed to a cheaper trip.

Therefore the information you received that the penality fee could be deducted from the fare difference was a misunderstanding, because based on this fare basis you had to pay this on top of your original fare. The new ticket was automatically generated and it fully complies with the fare basis your original ticket was based on.

I can assure you that your comments regarding this matter will be forwarded to the attention of the Reservations department for internal information. Improvement to our service continues to be an ongoing process and I would like you to know that by taking the time to write to us you have greatly contributed to this.

I do hope that the above explanation will help soften the negative impact of this situation, and that you will afford us another opportunity to serve you to your entire satisfaction.

Yours sincerely,

Niels Nielsen
IF THIS WAS A MISSUNDERSTANDIDNG NOT BY ME, SINCE IM NOT WORKING FOR KLM AND GIVING WRONG INFORMATION, WHY SHOULD I PAY FOR THE CONSEGUENCES OF THEIR EMPLOYES, WHY”!!!
It seems like KLM is used to talk with mentally retarded people unaware of their rights to give me that kind of answer including an invitation to keep using their service, so if KLM doesn’t return the illegal charge they made using my banking details for an UNAPPROVED TRANSACTION, you know where you can PUT that invitation.

atte
Faura Grissel

KLM is a socks company...
My relatives bought a ticket in Panama Republica at Viajes y Destinos. S.A
Via Beneto to my brother that live in London...he suppost to travel on the
2nd of February 2011 but he had and inconveniant then he calls the
agency in Panama and they told him it was not a problem that to call few days before and it will be a little charge.So he did, BUT there start the problems...they told him that was not possible...that KLM dont acept it
and he will loose the ticket (USD 1450), so no travel and no money refund,
KLM will not negociated at all...he loose the ticke period.
Iam been a traveler person must of my life...I never ear such thing...this
COMPANY IS SUCKS!!!All the travel company can do it ...EXCEPT KLM
Now that we have this problem...I ear a lot of bad things about them
KLM IS A SHAME FOR THE AIR INDUSTRY!!! IM SURE YOU, I AND
AVERY BODY WILL EAR THAT KLM GOES OUT OF BUSSINES...
THEY DESERVE IT...IS LIKE THEY ROBE CUSTUMER THA WAY!!!
BEAUTIFULL!!! BRILLIANT.

I am not going into the whole lengthy story, but KLM canceled our connecting flight from Amsterdam to Heathrow, forcing us to find our own accommodations late at night and make alternative travel arrangements to get to London. Now they can't find our bags, and tell us that we can only file a claim in London even though we are now back home in California. The phone numbers they have given us never get answered, and their web page for filing lost baggage claims has a broken link so that claims can't actually be submitted. They give NO customer service whatsoever and I have never been treated with such disrespect by any company before. I recommend that you never fly with.KLM or their partners, Air France and Delta Airlines.

On Novemebr 20 2011 I was booked to fly business class YVR - AMS on KLM 682, scheduled to depart at 20:25 local. I arrived at the airport at 18:00 to a mass of confusion. The normal TV screens identifying the KLM check-in desks were turned off, and there were a lot of people.

Eventually I found out that the flight was cancelled, but not before my other flight options with competing airlines had departed. This caused some serious grief due to the combination of the missed connection and meetings on the AMS end, as well as the time lost and expenses incurred to show up at YVR for nothing.

Now I know that sometimes flights gets cancelled, as no airline is immune to poor weather, crew health, and airplane mechanical problems. I suggest that what KLM should have done was to telephone the passengers to let them know the flight was cancelled, and to provide some kind of information and assistance to the hundreds of passengers who showed up at the airport with good intentions.

I was traveling alone and, except for my canceled business meeting, was not inconvenienced as much as the poor families with young children who were left stranded. KLM's customer service agents at the airport did a terrible job of handling the situation.