A trip to Orlando to meet their son's future in-laws got off to a bad start for South Tyneside couple Helen and Shaun Bell, when a cancelled flight meant they missed some of the activities lined up for them in the US.
The couple - with their 29-year-old son Jake - were meant to be enjoying a day out at Orlando's Epcot Centre but instead found themselves 'stranded' in Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam, after a delayed arrival from Newcastle meant they missed their forwarding flight to the states.
And Helen, 58, said she and Shaun, also 58, struggled to make contact with KLM, which ran the delayed flight from Newcastle on March 11, because no-one was around to help them and the KLM desk at Schiphol Airport was empty.
- Read more: Mum refused £730 KLM refund 'disgusted' after being left stranded in Amsterdam
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"We were originally booked on to the 9.25am flight to Schiphol and the 1.30pm from Schiphol to Orlando, said Helen. "But we ended up not leaving Newcastle until 5.30pm because we were told our original flight to Schiphol had been cancelled because the weather was too bad, so the onward Orlando plane was in the air before we even left. When we arrived in Amsterdam, no-one from KLM was around to help us or to advise us what to do. We had booked the whole Newcastle to Orlando flight as one booking with lastminute.com, so we knew KLM would have to get us to our destination, but it was very unsettling not knowing what was happening.
"Eventually we did manage to speak to someone at KLM, who told us to book a hotel, taxi and buy light clothing and food as our cases were in transit and to send the receipts to the airline to be reimbursed, which we did. We did not buy any clothing, only food, and KLM did not pay for all of our expenses, but we were fine with the settlement for that. We were then put on a flight the next day from Schiphol to Orlando meaning we missed a full day in Orlando meeting Jake’s future family, but they were great about it, despite the late start, and we had a lovely time.
Jake stayed in Orlando and Helen and Shaun returned home. However, the confusion started when the couple heard from Jake, who told them he had received compensation from KLM and had been told the Newcastle-Schiphol plane had been delayed because of a technical fault.
"I called KLM and was told we were not entitled to compensation because the delay was due to bad weather. How can that be? We were all sitting next to each other on the flight but were given different reasons for the delay," said Helen.
"I have called KLM many times since we returned in March, they they are fobbing me off every time. I even sent pictures of the weather the previous day in Schiphol. I believe the flights before and after our cancellation all left successfully. I really feel that they cannot give different answers to people sitting next to each other. This has been going on for nearly eight months."
However, KLM have said that the delay on the first leg of the family's journey was due to 'adverse weather conditions' and that Jake received compensation in error as he was not entitled to it.
A spokesperson said: "KLM is sorry that Mrs Bell and her husband missed their Delta airline flight from Amsterdam to Orlando on 11 March 2023 due to the cancellation of their flight from Newcastle. The cancellation was due to adverse weather in Amsterdam on 10 and 11 March with strong winds. In these situations, for safety reasons, the Air Traffic Authorities will request airlines to reduce the number of flights departing and landing in the airport.
"KLM is aware of its liability under EU/UK261 and offered assistance to Mr and Mrs Bell and reimbursed their out of pocket expenses. Compensation is however not due in the circumstances when a cancellation is forced by the Air Traffic Authorities. KLM acknowledges that the compensation awarded to their son was made in error and has created an expectation from Mr and Mrs Bell. In view of this, as a gesture of goodwill, KLM will offer £600 per person to Mr and Mrs Bell in the form of a voucher. KLM’s customer care team will contact its customers."
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