Refunds, Reimbursement, and Compensation: KLM

While airlines like KLM make every effort to stick to their advertised schedules, flight delays do happen. The good news for travelers is that air passenger rights exist to protect you and your journey when you get caught up in KLM flight delays.

Under an EU law known as EC 261, if an airline causes passengers to arrive at their destination 3 or more hours late, those passengers could get up to $700 in compensation.

There are some extraordinary circumstances which may excuse airlines from paying compensation. Those include situations like bad weather or issues at the airport. But if the delay is a result of technical issues or an airline staff strike, you're likely to be owed compensation under EC 261.

What's more, you generally have up to 3 years to claim with KLM and get your flight delay compensation. All you have to do is type in your flight details and our easy-to-use flight delay compensation calculator will tell you if you are eligible for cash compensation, and our expert team are on hand to help you get it.

In the event your KLM flight is canceled, Europe's air passenger rights are clear: KLM must offer you an alternative transport to your destination, or a full flight refund if that's what you'd prefer.

In addition, if you were told about the cancellation less than 14 days before you were due to depart you may also be able to claim up to $700 per person in compensation.

Generally speaking, when KLM cancels flights, they'll attempt to rebook passengers straight away onto another flight at no additional charge. You can request further changes if the alternative flight doesn’t work for you, or reimbursement if you no longer wish to travel that route.

If KLM can book you onto a new flight that lands at a similar time to your original they won't have to pay you compensation. This is fair, as you'll get to your destination with minimum disruption to your plans. However in a lot of cases, passengers whose flights are canceled at the last minute have valid claims to KLM canceled flight compensation.

That's unless the cancellation was caused by an event KLM can't be expected to control — something like bad weather conditions, or an incident at the airport. These events are referred to as extraordinary circumstances.

You can learn more about flight cancellation compensation here.

Because KLM has its headquarters within the EU, almost all the flights they offer are protected by EC 261, one of the world's most comprehensive air passenger rights laws.

The EC 261 regulation gives passengers the right to claim for compensation when they have suffered delayed, canceled or overbooked flights, which are no fault of their own. Passengers are also entitled to claim for past flights — often you can still claim for flights in the past 3 years.

Which KLM Flights are Covered by EC 261?

Table shows values in € as specified in EC 261

There are exceptions and special circumstances which may impact how much compensation KLM owes in your case. The easiest way to find out what you’re owed is to use our free compensation check.

KLM was the brand name of a British airline subsidiary of KLM, which operated services within the UK and between the UK and the Netherlands using ATR-72, Fokker 50 and Fokker 100 aircraft. KLM uk had its headquarters in the Stansted House on the grounds of London Stansted Airport in Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex.