2023-12-12 10:07:50
Opinion A crazy journey
“This saves you money and saves me stress,” I tell the service employee – the answer amazes me
Our author wanted to fly from Berlin via Amsterdam to New York. Since it was snowing heavily at the time of departure, he tried to save himself and the airline trouble in good time. But KLM’s reaction had nothing to do with efficiency. And that shouldn’t be the only surprise.
Status: 12.12.2023 | Reading time: 4 minutes
A flight with KLM to New York? For our author this remained a pious wish
Quelle: picture alliance/NurPhoto/Nicolas Economou
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Everyone has experienced this. Even though you arrive at the airport on time, the flight doesn’t really work out. Delays are no longer a railway concern. I have now experienced what can happen on a single flight with the Royal Dutch airline KLM, the oldest airline in the world.
My story begins one day before my scheduled flight from Berlin via Amsterdam to New York. Berlin is hit by heavy snowfall, and this usually causes chaos, and not just on the streets. I check the departures from BER – without exception, they are all delayed.
Since snowfall is forecast for the next day and I only have 75 minutes to change trains in Amsterdam, I call the KLM service hotline. My suggestion: “Wouldn’t we rather rebook me on one of the four earlier flights from Berlin to Amsterdam that you offer? This may save you money and save me stress if I miss my New York flight.”
The answer amazes me: “I can rebook you for a fee of 395 euros if you want. Otherwise, my computer says that you will fly out on time tomorrow, and as long as it does that, I see no reason to rebook you.” “Yes, but the weather report…!” “Listen, none of us can go into the future Look.” Where she’s right, she’s right.
Snow, power outage – but it doesn’t stop there
The next day I’m at BER three hours before departure. “Will we be on time?” “Now the chance is a little bigger again,” says the lady at the check-in counter. “We had a power outage today and nothing worked. But now we’re catching up again quite well.” Snow, power outage, and here it comes: I’m still in the plane on time. But the 1:15 hour flight time still turns into 3:50 hours. We wait at BER for two and a half hours for our machine to be de-iced.
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When I arrive in Amsterdam, my flight to New York is already over the Atlantic. At the KLM counter I get a voucher for an overnight stay and various meal vouchers – and I’m assigned a new flight. At 8:30 a.m. we are scheduled to leave for New York with Delta.
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I stay overnight not far from the airport and book myself onto the airport shuttle for 6:15 a.m. When he drops me off at the airport, I immediately see on the display board that my departure has been postponed to 11:10 a.m.
The author’s app also shows the new flight including the delay
Source: Stefan Frommann
The machine is still on the way somewhere. I reach New York a good 18 hours late. So I booked an overnight stay in a hotel and the transfer from JFK for free.
A surprise on the flight from New York to Berlin
A week later, the return flight. In New York the conditions are ideal for a proper start. No snow, no power outage. In fact, the plane to Amsterdam taxis to the runway on time. But then: The pilot turns around and drives back to the gate. He announces that a passenger is sick and needs urgent medical treatment.
He forbids all other passengers from taking photos in the cabin and shortly afterwards asks us to take our hand luggage from the compartments above us and hold it on our laps. This allows the staff to check whether there is a bag left somewhere that they can then assign to the patient. Wait: all over the plane?
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Anyone who looks out of one of the windows will see that instead of an ambulance, there are two police cars waiting outside. Now the campaign with the bags also makes sense. Of course, we never find out exactly who the unwanted guest is. The whole hassle over this passenger lasts about two hours.
And yes, you guessed it, of course that’s why I miss my connecting flight to Berlin in Amsterdam. But this time it is early in the day. I’m rebooked on a later plane, I know the procedure now, and it’s also 75 minutes late, even though we’re on time. The reason this time: A young man wanted to fly with his mother’s ticket because he had a later flight. There are things.
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