Airlines / KLM
Netherlands · EU261
KLM delay compensation
KLM is an EU airline, licensed in Netherlands, so EU261 covers its flights out of the EU and also its flights into the EU from anywhere. Passengers complained about it to Canada's regulator 6.6 times per 100 flights over the year to September 2025, 7th highest of the 23 airlines this site tracks.
- 1KLM KL
- 2EU261 cash from 3 h late
- 3CTA complaints 6.6 per 100
- 4Rank (lowest first) 17 of 23
Which rules make KLM pay
Coverage depends on where the flight leaves from and on KLM's licence, so the same airline can owe different amounts on the outbound and return legs. Using the longest route on this site from Netherlands to each region, operated by KLM and arriving 4½ hours late for a reason within its control:
| Route | Outbound | Return |
|---|---|---|
| Amsterdam – Athens (2,182 km) | €400 (EU261) | €400 (EU261) |
| Amsterdam – Edinburgh (666 km) | €250 (EU261), £220 (UK261) | €250 (EU261), £220 (UK261) |
| Amsterdam – Los Angeles (8,956 km) | €600 (EU261), refund only (US) | €600 (EU261), refund only (US) |
| Amsterdam – Toronto (5,990 km) | €600 (EU261), $400 (APPR, if large) | €600 (EU261), $400 (APPR, if large) |
| Amsterdam – Dubai (5,169 km) | €600 (EU261) | €600 (EU261) |
Because KLM holds an EU licence, the return legs from the US and Canada are covered by EU261 too (Article 3(1)(b)); a US or Canadian airline on the same return leg would not be. Flying into the UK, it is also under UK261, which names EU airlines arriving in the UK (Article 3(1)(b)(i)). Where two rules cover the same flight, each excludes passengers already compensated under the other, so the money is paid once. Cash is owed only for a disruption within the airline's control; for extraordinary circumstances the rules still require meals and, overnight, a hotel.
How often passengers complain about KLM
The Canadian Transportation Agency publishes complaints per 100 flights for each airline flying to, from or within Canada. KLM averaged 6.6 from October 2024 to September 2025, among the highest third of the 23 airlines here — the range runs from 1.1 (Delta Air Lines) to 12.2 (Flair Airlines), with a simple average of 5.4. It was listed in 4 of the 4 quarters. The rate fell from 7.8 in October–December 2024 to 4.4 in July–September 2025. Its worst quarter was Jan–Mar 2025, at 9.7.
Complaints passengers submitted to the CTA after failing to resolve them with the airline, per 100 flights the airline operated to, from or within Canada (flight counts from Cirium). The CTA says complaints may not yet have been reviewed and a listing does not by itself show non-compliance; accessibility complaints are excluded; airlines appear only in quarters where they averaged at least 1 complaint per 100 flights and operated at least 100 flights. A dash means the airline was not listed that quarter. The figures count complaints of every kind, not only about delays, and only on flights touching Canada — a small share of KLM's network.
How to claim from KLM
Claim directly — it costs nothing. KLM's own page: Compensation and reimbursement for delay KLM flight.
Write to the operating airline first, using its own claim form or customer-relations address.
If KLM refuses or does not answer: for a flight leaving the EU, complain to the enforcement body of the country of departure — for flights from Netherlands that is Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate — and for a flight into the EU from outside, to the body of the country of arrival. The list of all EU bodies has each one. A claim company is not needed; the fee guide compares what they keep.
Other EU airlines with pages here: Aer Lingus (4.1), Lufthansa (10.9), Air France (11.3), TAP Air Portugal (2.5).
Sources: Canadian Transportation Agency: Air travel complaints per 100 flights, by airline, October 2024 to September 2025 (modified 2026-04-10); Compensation and reimbursement for delay KLM flight; Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 (EUR-Lex). Checked 2026-10-21. General information, not legal advice.