Schiphol Airport flight cancellations — KLM cancels dozens of flights, passengers can claim compensation

Despite the nearing end of summer, the issues at the Amsterdam Schiphol Airport are far from over. Over the weekend, KLM cancelled dozens of flights daily due to growing crowds and ongoing staff shortages at the main Dutch airport.

Over the weekend and because of the building tension at Amsterdan Schiphol Airport, KLM cancelled a few dozens flights over the weekend to regulate traffic.

As a result,

• 34 KLM flights were cancelled on Saturday September 17,

• A few dozen on Sunday September 18,

• and another 42 KLM Schiphol flight cancellations are expected this Monday September 19.

These extreme measures came after Schiphol’s announcement last Friday. The airport management decided that, in order to regulate traffic and avoid chaos, the maximum number of daily passengers at the departure terminals must be reduced by almost 20%. These restrictions will apply at least until the end of October.

Schiphol Airport flight cancellations — what is happening?

Since April this year, the Amsterdam Schiphol Airport has been affected by a shortage of workers, especially security staff and baggage handlers. This resulted in long queues and passengers missing their flights throughout the whole summer.

Many, including passengers themselves, were hoping that the issues will get solved with the end of summer. Unfortunately, this doesn’t seem to be the case. This week, the Amsterdam Schiphol Airport again asked the airlines to cancel flights on a short notice due to a shortage of security staff.

According to a KLM spokesman, the airline has already been forced to cancel at least between 10 and 20 flights a day in recent weeks and is now being forced to cancel many more.

KLM Schiphol flight cancelled due to disruptions at Schiphol Airport — am I entitled to compensation?

Yes. In this case, you are entitled to compensation of up to 600€ per passenger for your cancelled KLM flight.

If your flight was cancelled less than 14 days before the scheduled departure — which is most likely your case if your flight was recently cancelled by KLM because of Schiphol’s crowds — you are eligible for flight compensation.

IN ADDITION, if your flight has been cancelled and you decide not to take an alternative flight, you are entitled to flight compensation as well as a monetary refund —  we do not recommend accepting travel vouchers!

The specific amount of compensation depends on the final distance of your flight:

• For flights shorter than 1,500 km, the compensation is £220.

• For flights between 1,500 and 3,500 km, the compensation is £350.

• For flights of over 1,500 kilometres within the EU, the compensation is also £350.

• For flights of over 3,500 kilometres outside of the EU, the compensation is £520 —but if your flight was delayed by fewer than 4 hours, the total amount might be reduced by 50%.

How to claim compensation for a cancelled KLM flight?

Claiming through Flight-Delayed.co.uk is the easiest and most efficient way to submit your claim. 

In as little as 5 minutes you can submit all the required documents and from there, our experts will take care of the whole process for you, increasing your chances of getting compensation for your cancelled KLM flight.

For over a decade, our expert team has been helping passengers like you get the money they deserve.

Claim now