Felt compelled to share our absolutely horrible experience with KLM Airlines to warn others away. I fly often, usually business class or coach, but am reasonably savvy about flying in the current airline conditions. I don%26#39;t expect perfection or even the comfort or convenience I once did, but I do expect reasonably decent conditions and respectful treatment. KLM failed so horribly to provide even a modicum of either that I will NEVER fly them again, nor recommend them to others.
Returning from Paris (14 May, 2007) we were routed from an Air France flight onto a connection with KLM from Amsterdam to Washington, DC. We had about an hour between the connection so rushed from Terminal C which was quite a long jog (literally) to Terminal F. Made it with about 10 minutes to spare so no problems other than a bit of a run.
While waiting in the boarding area we witnessed what may have been an omen of things to come: the ground crew struggled for about 10 minutes to close the side cargo doors on the aging Airbus 330-200. It took many attempts to get it closed and latched--making us a bit worried about the condition of the plane but they then began to board and all seemed back to normal.
To make a long story (and an even longer day) short we boarded a less than pristine aircraft, which smelled--how shall I put this--like an over-used portable toilet. It really was ghastly to the point that many people made comments. We took our seats to find I was seated next to a window that looked as if someone had repeatedly sneezed on it. When I mentioned it to the flight attendant she said she would %26quot;let them know so it could be cleaned next time.%26quot; I took out some antibacterial hand wipes and did my best to clean it up rather than spend 8.5 hours seated next to God-knows-what. KLM needs to do something about the cleanliness of their cabins--this cabin was nothing short of disgusting.
Little did I realize that would be the least of my complaints as on a nearly full flight we spent the next 3 hours waiting at the gate for the brakes to be repaired while trapped on a filthy, hot, uncomfortable airplane. The flight attendants/purser did little to make matters better, dispensing warm water %26amp; orange juice, and a single bag of cracker mix. After 1.5 hours they opened the rear doors as it was unbearably hot--flooding the plane with lovely jet fuel fumes along with some cooler air.
KLM needs to maintain their fleet and not expect paying customers to submit to endless hours of discomfort while they do on-the-fly repairs.
The food in flight was spartan, and virtually inedible; the only wines Chinese (better than you might imagine, but not great) the service slower than slow (due to a spartan crew); and the seats uncomfortable to the point of being painful.
I understand all airlines have reduced flight staff levels but KLM needs to add staff, improve food quality; and most importantly refurbish their seats more than once a decade.
In closing, let me say that the only airline I%26#39;ve flown in 40 years of traveling that was worse than KLM was Aeroflot. Frankly, I feel lucky to have survived the flight on such an obviously neglected %26amp; poorly maintained aircraft. If you choose to fly with them I wish you good luck! To me, no amount of financial savings would be worth this miserable experience!
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Thanks for posting !
I am looking forward to reading your report on %26quot;Girls Getaway%26quot; in Paris!
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How awful!! Reminded me of a KLM flight from Rome to Amsterdam. Due to take off at 7am, we had to turn up at 5, no coffee (or anything else) open or available. Then we were delayed 3 more hours whilst they fixed the aircraft (cant recall the problem) We of course missed our connecting flight (also KLM) and our compensation 2 x10euro restaurant vouchers...so it seems KLM makes a habit of this.
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Sounds like our recent flights on their partner airline, Northwest. It was also on an Airbus 330. While, fortunately, we didn%26#39;t have the mechanical problems before departure, it was the single most uncomfortable aircraft and flight I%26#39;ve ever, ever been on. And I%26#39;ve flown a lot, having been a travel agent and major airline employee. We also had the added pleasure of connecting through Detroit which had the very least efficient customs %26amp; immigration area I%26#39;ve been through. Never again will I fly NW internationally.
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You know, I am sick and tired of hearing about bad airlines, bad hotels and bad restaurants.
And TA is the perfect place to voice our complaints.
But I think we should take it up a notch - why don%26#39;t we e-mail the links to these threads to the customer service departments of those responsible for treating their paying customers (us) so badly?
I mean, what good does it do to complain amongst ourselves? Isn%26#39;t it more effective to let the offenders know that we don%26#39;t want to put up with their nonsense anymore?
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I%26#39;m very sorry about your experience with KLM, but all airlines apparently do not have the same excellent reputation nowadays as they may had in the past.
Honestly while your experience was pretty horrible with a dirty aircraft and a less than attentive flight crew at least you got to your destination within the same day. We had a very unlucky time with US Airways last December and this was supposed to be a very mundane flight to Vegas. We were bumped on both the outbound and return flights. Needless to say this messed up our plans quite a bit.
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Ive never had a problem with KLM - and I have flown them long haul. Maybe it is just the short flights (or ones where the partner is AA) where the service is bad?
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I live in Michigan and fly NWA almost exclusively, and have been re-routed on KLM partner planes through AMS twice when a connection wasn%26#39;t going to work on NWA. While I%26#39;ve never had any issues with Northwest, I now dread a re-route on KLM, as I honestly believe NWA is a lot better...food, people, planes, etc., so I feel your pain. And I do have to take exception to jliliberto%26#39;s experience at DTW%26#39;s custom%26#39;s and immigration center, which is practically brand new, and I find to be just dreamy compared to JFK or Miami...although I%26#39;ll admit it has been a few years since I was a JFK-based flight attendant when customs at the Worldport was a complete horror...LOL. When I fly to Rome in September, DTW-AMS is on NWA, but AMS to FCO is on KLM. Wish me luck. I%26#39;ll be fortunate enough to take the train from Venice to Paris, so I can fly home non-stop from CDG and avoid KLM altogether....barring some re-re-route........
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Pixfield,
Hello. I totally agree that commiserating and kvetching amongst ourselves is probably not productive. Prior to posting here I sent KLM Customer Service Department a more detailed explanation of the situation. Have not received a reply as of yet, but I expect when/if I do it will be the standard, %26quot;We apologize for the inconvenience, blah, blah, blah...%26quot;
I posted this review on TA not to vent but to warn others about KLM and suggest they explore other options for travel. TA has helped me make informed travel choices, based on objective reviews by consumers--I simply like to return the favor to the community.
When warranted I also post positive reviews and recommendations.
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The problem with airlines these days is that there is a horror story for pretty much every one of them. While this experience is horrid, another person%26#39;s KLM experience will be fine but their Delta or AF or NW experience will be horrid. Unfortunately it%26#39;s the luck of the draw these days.
Les
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Les68, you hit the nail on the head. I travel by air about three times a month. I%26#39;ve had good experiences with every airline I fly and I%26#39;ve had bad experiences with every airline I fly. I fly KLM quite a bit when I%26#39;m in Europe, for example, and have generally positive things to say, but there was one time in Manchester...
Today%26#39;s airline system is horrible. When bankruptcy is a badge of distinction and earns CEOs milions in bonuses, something is seriously broken. But I think they are all broken, not just one.
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