KLM baggage charge

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Member for

19 years 8 months

Posts: 1,953

KLM to charge EUR15 in advance (EUR30 at the airport) for each checked bag each way for economy class passengers (except FlyingBlue elite members) on intra-Europe itineraries from 22nd April...

Sadly, another airline that's lost the plot with respect to what it means to be a "proper airline" offering a full-service, versus being a LCC - and to be recognised as such by their customers. Why don't the morons that run these airlines realise that in destroying their differentiation from the LCCs, they lower the justification in the passenger's mind for travelling with a full service airline versus a LCC?

Andy

Original post

Member for

16 years

Posts: 1,059

I strongly agree.

I won't be using KLM any more.

Member for

11 years 8 months

Posts: 569

Shocked, I always thought KLM was overpriced... And now this! They're hardly bridging the price gap with the LCCs, so it looks like it'll be easyJet for me from now on (not that I've ever flown KLM much anyway).

What I'd like to see though is a charge on fatties. When I fly I'm often away for several days, so I like to take a checked bag. My bag and I probably weigh 14 stone, and I pay for the 'extra' weight of my bag. Yet an overweight (20 stone) man with no luggage gets a cheaper fare! How come I have to pay for my extra weight, but he doesn't have to for his?

I'm surprised the Ryanair management haven't tapped into this :diablo:

Member for

18 years 11 months

Posts: 8,847

KLM to charge EUR15 in advance (EUR30 at the airport) for each checked bag each way for economy class passengers (except FlyingBlue elite members) on intra-Europe itineraries from 22nd April...

Andy

Better get my booking in before then, then, STR -EDI in May.

Member for

18 years 6 months

Posts: 2,343

Totally agree with Skymonster...

This of course will now pave the way for other legacy carriers to do the same too, and I suspect that Air France won't be far behind them, seeing as AF/KL are jointly owned.

The first thing I wonder is what will happen if your bags go missing or get delayed in AMS (it happens a lot!)...will they refund the charge you paid as compensation for the inconvenience?!

How long will it be before they start to charge customers to use the loos onboard and force you to print your boarding pass off before you come to the airport...:diablo:

Terrible idea if you ask me, and as others have suggested I won't be using KLM in the future (even though I work for a company that is 60% owned by them!).

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 4,887

Just had a mail from KLM that FlyingBlue members can travel with one free bag. This applies to all FlyingBlue members, not just elite members.

Member for

18 years 6 months

Posts: 2,343

News article is here:

In its defence KLM says that 60-70% of its short-haul passengers carry only hand luggage. The airline says that passengers would prefer to pay less for their flights and that is why it has decided to bring in the fee.

Source: http://www.businesstraveller.com/news/klm-to-charge-for-checked-baggage

Despite what I said earlier, and I still stand by it, this kind of thing already happens in the USA...and as tenthije has correctly identified, all FlyingBlue members (not just Elite members) will not be affected by this change, so I guess that they'll have a sudden influx of people joining the program simply to avoid this fee, until such time as they choose to only allow Elite customers to check-in baggage for no additional charge.

And seeing as this is related to baggage, I have just found out that United Airlines have changed their baggage policy from yesterday, so now United Business and United BusinessFirst customers are now only allowed x2 bags instead of x3, and United First and United Global First are only allowed x2 bags on domestic journeys instead of x3.

Member for

19 years 8 months

Posts: 1,953

BA introducing no-checked-bag fares in five routes from LGW... :mad:

Member for

11 years 8 months

Posts: 569

It's only a trial and I don't necessarily think it's a bad thing, providing that is the full fare doesn't creep up over time.