How to complain about a KLM flight?

AviationADR can take your complaint once KLM has sent its final written response, often called a deadlock letter, or once eight weeks have passed since you complained to KLM in writing, whichever comes first. You then have 12 months to bring the complaint to AviationADR, counted from KLM’s final response or, if KLM never replied, from the date of your complaint. Send copies of your booking, your complaint to KLM and any reply with your application. AviationADR issues a final decision within 60 days of establishing the Complete Complaint File.

Yes. Every KLM flight departing a UK airport is covered by UK261, and because KLM is an EU airline, KLM flights arriving in the UK are covered too. A flight from Amsterdam to the UK is also covered by the EU rules, but you can only be compensated once for the same disruption. If you are connecting through Amsterdam on a single booking, the journey is assessed as a whole, so a missed connection that gets you to your final destination three hours or more late can qualify.

Under UK261 the amount depends on the distance of the journey and how late you arrive. Most direct KLM flights between the UK and Amsterdam are under 1,500 km, so the usual amount is £220 per passenger for arriving three hours or more late. A connecting journey through Amsterdam is measured from your first departure airport to your final destination: £350 for 1,500 to 3,500 km, and £520 for longer journeys, or £260 if you arrive between three and four hours late. Nothing is due if the cause was an extraordinary circumstance such as severe weather, but routine technical faults do not normally count. Our KLM delay compensation guide explains the rules in more detail.

Report missing or damaged baggage at the KLM baggage desk before you leave the airport and keep the file reference you are given. KLM’s Conditions of Carriage then require a written claim within 7 days of receiving a damaged bag, or within 21 days of getting a delayed bag back. A bag that has not been returned after 21 days can be claimed for as lost. Keep receipts for essentials you buy while waiting, because reasonable costs can be claimed, and if KLM rejects or ignores the claim you can bring it to AviationADR.

Check the “operated by” line on your booking confirmation or boarding pass. Compensation for a delay, cancellation or denied boarding is claimed from the airline that operated the flight, even if you booked with KLM, so a flight operated by Air France is a claim against Air France. Air France and Delta are also AviationADR members, so the same free escalation route applies once the operating airline has sent a final response or eight weeks have passed, as long as the flight involves a UK airport. For baggage on a journey with more than one airline, you can claim against the first or the last carrier.

AviationADR can take complaints about any KLM flight that departed from or was due to land at a UK airport. KLM flights that do not involve the UK are outside the scheme, and the Participating Members page sets out the current rules. The scheme covers delays, cancellations, denied boarding, lost, delayed or damaged baggage, problems faced by disabled passengers or passengers with reduced mobility, and pricing or misrepresentation disputes, with awards of up to £25,000. The decision is binding on KLM if you choose to accept it.