Combine a Sunday in the May holiday with a staff shortage at Schiphol and you get chaos. On Sunday morning, long lines of passengers again stood outside the departure hall of the airport. The fire brigade gave the waiting people water. Schiphol expected about 70,000 departing travelers on Sunday.
Attempts by the airport to reduce passenger numbers failed. Travel organizations were asked whether their customers also wanted to depart at a different time or via another airport. Most did not want this. Dozens of flights were canceled and many others were delayed.
Compared to last weekend, the chaos at Schiphol is not that bad, says Frank Oostdam, chairman of the General Dutch Association of Travel Companies (ANVR). “Then there was a strike, now we see that the employees at Schiphol are working themselves out. But the queues are of course huge. There is simply not enough airport staff.”
Money Back
The traveler may experience a lot of hindrance, but financially he is not badly off. In a European context, it has been agreed that passengers will receive (part of) their money back in the event of delays or cancellations.
Anyone who has to deal with a delay is entitled to compensation from the airline or, for example if he has booked a package holiday (flight plus hotel), from the travel organization. On the website of the Consumers’ Association there is a table of delay types plus associated amounts† This varies from 125 euros for a delay of up to two hours on flights of up to 1,500 kilometers, to 600 euros if a flight of more than 3,500 kilometers is delayed by more than four hours.
The airline or travel organization does not have to pay out only in the event of ‘force majeure’. This includes extreme weather, terrorism or other emergencies. Staff shortages, which were the culprit on Sunday, are not, nor are technical defects. Due to a number of court decisions, strikes also no longer seem to be seen as force majeure for society.
KLM says in a response that the company encourages affected travelers to contact them as soon as possible. “We will offer them the best possible alternatives and they may be able to file a claim for compensation directly,” said a spokesperson.
Also read: Wild strike could cost KLM millions
Cancellation
If the flight is canceled completely, the traveler will be refunded the full amount of the flight ticket. This does not mean that it will be automatically refunded; in many cases the traveler will have to go after it himself.
The Consumers’ Association distinguishes a number of ways to do this. Firstly, the injured traveler can request a refund from the airline. They must return it within a week. The traveler may refuse a voucher or new flight, according to the Consumers’ Association. Other options include reversing the credit card payment, via a message to the credit card company, or going to court. It is also possible to submit a complaint to the Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate, but then the victim will not receive an individual refund. The supervisor can investigate many complaints, which can lead to a mass claim.
Finally, there are the claim organizations, such as AirHelp and Aviclaim. They promise to reclaim the money for the consumer against a commission, up to a third of the amount to be reclaimed. The Consumers’ Association reports that the traveler only has to pay the commission if he actually gets the money back.
One of the claim organisations, EUclaim, offers additional information about additional costs if your flight is cancelled. If the passenger needs a hotel stay and the airline cannot arrange it, he can book it himself. It is important, according to EUclaim, “that you do not book a suite in a five-star hotel, but stick to a two- or three-star hotel”.
Costs for meals and taxis can also be claimed back, the claims organization promises. Even if the flight is canceled due to an emergency, and the traveler is not reimbursed for his ticket, he is still entitled to compensation for hotels, meals and taxis, even if the delay lasts several days. After a delay of two hours, the traveler has the right to buy something to eat and drink.
Lost travel pleasure
According to Oostdam, it is important for travel organizations to come up with an alternative as soon as possible if a flight cannot take place. “With package holidays, the financial risk lies with us. We have reserved a hotel room for the traveler. If he doesn’t show up, the hotel says: yes, nice and nice, but you just have to pay us for that room.” If a passenger leaves for the destination a day later than planned, the travel organization also pays for the “lost travel pleasure”, says Oostdam.
In order to reduce those costs, it is therefore important for travel organizations to offer their customers an alternative as quickly as possible. And they succeeded well in that this weekend, according to Oostdam. „People are like that eager to go on holiday after two years of corona, travelers often quickly agree to another solution. If they cannot go to Cyprus, they would like to go to Greece or Turkey. If only they could get away from it all.”