Flight delay and cancellation compensation, KLM/AF ONLY

happydondavid

last year while travelling from Aberdeen to Texas via Paris our gate was changed with no announcement and we missed our fight . Upon arriving at CDG we went direct to the gate and confirmed with the guy at the desk we were on time and at the right gate (deboarding the plane was delayed because there were no stairs available !!) . Having confirmed we were in the right place on time and boarding had not begun we went for a coffee and a smoke . After noticing little to no movement at the gate we went back to the desk and were then informed by the same person that the gate had been changed and had left without us . He admitted that it was his fault as he had given us false information when we first approached him . He booked us on the next flight which was due to depart over 24 hrs later , offered no help other than a card to use at the payphones . We made him aware that we didn't have money for food or a hotel and that this journey was being made last minute after my brother had been involved in an accident in America . We had to spend the next 27 + hrs in the terminal (flight was delayed the next day !) with maybe two sandwiches and a few coffees each . Blankets were handed out during the night to certain customers sleeping in the terminal but not to us because we had Uk passports !!
I have had ongoing correspondence with KLM/AirFrance since August of last year and the only compensation they have offered (and sent via email without me accepting) has been two £100 vouchers for KLM/AirFrance flights .
Is there more that i can do besides e-mailing them daily ? I no longer receive a response when contacting them with my reference number . Any advice on how i should proceed now would be greatly appreciated , Thanks .

Caz3121

It does not sound like this is a case for EU compensation as you were not affected by a delayed flight
It is always the passengers responsibility to get to the correct gate on time so your issue is that you were given information that was correct at a point in time but then changed when the gate was changed - did you check the screens in the airport? gates can change and they should show the correct gates on the airport screens. If the incorrect information was on the screens I would expect there to be an aircraft full of people that missed the flight

happydondavid

Well we went direct to the desk and the guy there checked his computer and said everything was fine and running on time , I would have expected some kind of announcement if they suddenly changed the gate after us arriving there but there was nothing . There were loads of people at the gate and it wasn't until i noticed there wasn't anything really happening that i went back to the desk and spoke to the guy again . He did admit that it was his fault and got us on the next flight , he said his computer still had it listed as the correct gate until we came back to him , It just doesn't make any sense , klm/airfrance say we were just listed as no shows and our bags were taken off the plane . Surely they knew we had arrived for our connecting flight , i mean they got the bags off the first flight and loaded them onto the next one, the guy at the desk even scanned our tickets at the gate .
Anyhow , yeah i really don't know how i am supposed to complain about this or even how to describe my complaint .
This has been doing my head in for too long now , was a rushed flight to see my brother before he died and sucks having to go back over it with klm over and over .

dsd88

Hi All

I have followed the guide on the website but are unsure what to do next and hope someone can point me in the right direction.

Here is the email I have received

Thank you for your recent communication regarding the disruption to your flight AF225 on 25 April 2011 from Delhi to Paris and about which you had already contacted us.

Our records confirm that the departure of your flight was postponed after the captain fell ill and was hospitalised.

As the flight was away from our homebase (Paris - Charles de Gaulle) we did not have a standby crew available. We had to await the arrival of a reserve captain to be flown from Paris in order to operate the flight.

As this situation was entirely unexpected and unforeseen and there is nothing we could have done to prevent it from happening, this is considered as 'extraordinary' according to the European Union regulation 261. We must therefore decline your request to pay compensation and am sorry for any disappointment this may cause.

I assure you that Air France is aware of its legal obligations under this and other regulations.

Thank you for allowing us this opportunity to clarify our position in this matter. I do hope that we will have an early opportunity to service your travel needs again in the future.

What do I need to do next?

Thank you

Tyzap

dsd88 wrote: »

Hi All

What do I need to do next?

Thank you

Have a read of post 1061 of the BA thread, its very similar to yours and may help.

erog

We are seeking compensation for a missed connection in Amsterdam. We flew Delta from Atlanta to Amsterdam and due to the flight being delayed we missed out onward connection to Humberside. We had to wait several hours then fly to Heathrow and get a taxi home. They have agreed to refund the £350 for the taxi but will not pay compensation for the work missed due to the 12 hr delay in arriving home. I understand the EU rule, but isn't Delta owned by KLM? If so, shouldn't it be classed as a European carrier and we would then be entitled to compensation for the full journey? Please advise.

Caz3121

erog wrote: »

We are seeking compensation for a missed connection in Amsterdam. We flew Delta from Atlanta to Amsterdam and due to the flight being delayed we missed out onward connection to Humberside. We had to wait several hours then fly to Heathrow and get a taxi home. They have agreed to refund the £350 for the taxi but will not pay compensation for the work missed due to the 12 hr delay in arriving home. I understand the EU rule, but isn't Delta owned by KLM? If so, shouldn't it be classed as a European carrier and we would then be entitled to compensation for the full journey? Please advise.

The claim is against the operating airline which in this case is Delta
Delta is a non-EU airline, EU comp only applies on flights departing the EU
as you were delayed departing outside the EU, EU261 does not apply

nat38

quick question - can I claim for a delay of over 6hr even if they let me know in advance?
thanks!

Caz3121

nat38 wrote: »

quick question - can I claim for a delay of over 6hr even if they let me know in advance?
thanks!

If they gave you less than 14 days notice then you can (assuming delay within airline control)
If more than 14 days notice then compensation does not apply

nat38

Caz3121 wrote: »

If they gave you less than 14 days notice then you can (assuming delay within airline control)
If more than 14 days notice then compensation does not apply

it was a only a day notice (so I assume they cannot claim extraordinary circumstances as they could tell in advance?)
no details re. cause of delay
it was a KLM flight from Mexico to Newcastle, arriving 6hr late