Thousands of British holidaymakers were affected by flight delays and cancellations on Wednesday after a summer storm hit the Netherlands.
Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport cancelled or delayed hundreds of flights in and out of the country on Wednesday due to the bad weather, including the cancellation of two inbound and two outbound KLM flights at Newcastle Airport. According to local reports, at least one person has died after heavy rain and powerful winds battered the Netherlands, with the national meteorological institute declaring a code red weather alert in three provinces.
Dutch airline KLM said that the impact of the storm is continuing to cause delays and cancellations on Thursday, July 6, and has advised passengers to "reconsider" their travel plans to, via, or from Amsterdam. Here's what the airline is offering anyone who has been affected, and what you're legally entitled to if your flight is delayed or cancelled.
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What can affected KLM passengers get?
Advice for passengers affected on the KLM website states that those who booked a flight to, from or via Amsterdam on Wednesday, July 5 or Thursday, July 6 have options to rebook or get a refund. Here are the details of each option as explained by the airline:
Rebook - If your flight was cancelled by KLM or you cancelled it yourself, you can rebook to a different travel date. You will need to rebook by Saturday, July 8, and your new flight should be on or before Monday, July 10. Be aware that you will only be able to change your travel dates for free if the same travel class is available as mentioned on your original ticket.
Request a travel voucher - You also have the option to request a travel voucher, which will be valid for one year from its date of issue and available to use on all KLM, Air France, Delta, and Virgin Atlantic flights offered on the Air France KLM website. You can also use the travel voucher to buy extra options such as upgrades, specific seats and baggage on KLM and Air France flights.
Request a refund - Finally, if any of your flights were cancelled or if your flight was delayed for more than three hours, you can request a full refund of the ticket and extra options. Visit the KLM Request A Refund page to do so - you will need your booking code handy.
What are your rights if your flight is delayed?
According to Citizens Advice, you might be able to get compensation if your flight was leaving from the UK or from the EU, Iceland, Norway or Switzerland. If this doesn't apply to your affected journey, you should contact the airline you're flying with for more information on what you're entitled to.
If your flight is delayed for long enough, your airline is obligated to give you food and drink, access to phone calls and emails, and accommodation if you're delayed overnight as well as journeys between the airport and hotel. To be entitled to this, the delay has to be: two hours or more if you're flying less than 1,500km; three hours if you're flying between 1,500km and 3,500km; or four hours if you're flying more than 3,500km.
Your airline may be able to give you vouchers to get these things at the airport. If not, make sure you keep any receipts for expenses involved such as food, drink and accommodation, so you can try to claim these costs back from the airline later.
You are entitled to compensation if your flight arrives more than three hours late and it's the airline's fault - for example, if they didn't get enough bookings or there was a technical fault. However, you may not get money back if the reason for the delay was outside the airline's control, such as bad weather or a security risk.
If your flight is delayed and it's the airline's fault, the amount of compensation you can claim from your airline depends on how many hours it was delayed for and how far you were flying. The set amounts are as follows:
- Delay of three hours or more, flying less than 1,500km - £220
- Delay or three hours or more, flying between 1,500km and 3,500km - £350
- Delay of less than four hours, flying more than 3,500km - £260
- Delay of four hours or more, flying more than 3,500km - £520
You can check your flight's distance on the WebFlyer website. If your flight is delayed for five hours or more, you are not obliged to take it, and your airline legally has to give you a full refund for the flight, plus a full refund for any flights from the airline that you won't use in the same booking such as an onward or return flight, as well as a flight back to the airport you originally departed from.
What are your rights if your flight is cancelled?
If your flight is cancelled, you have the legal right to either a full refund or a replacement flight to get you to your destination, Citizens Advice explains. A full refund also includes other flights from the airline that you won't be able to use in the same booking, such as onward or return flights.
If you're part-way through a journey and you don't want a replacement flight, you also have a right to a flight back to the airport you originally departed from. Ask for a refund or replacement at the airport if you can - if not, you can claim from the airline later.
If you opt for a replacement flight and have to wait long enough, your airline legally has to help you with food, drink and accommodation depending on how long you wait - the same time thresholds apply as in the delays section above. You can find more information on how much you're entitled to and further conditions that apply on the Citizens Advice website.
