A one-hour delay from Stockholm disrupted Catharina’s entire journey to Papua New Guinea
Catharina was travelling from Stockholm to Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea, where she was going to work as a volunteer paediatrician. The journey had already required months of planning, and she had paid around 25,000 Swedish kronor for the trip herself.
But a delay of one hour on the very first flight from Stockholm to Amsterdam was enough to disrupt the entire journey.
She missed her onward flight to Singapore, spent the night alone in Amsterdam and then faced another problem when she finally reached Singapore: despite having documentation for her onward journey, the airline could not find her booking for the final flight to Port Moresby.
Summary of the case | |
|---|---|
Airline | |
Route | |
Purpose of journey | Volunteer medical work in Papua New Guinea |
Problem | 1-hour delay caused a missed connection in Amsterdam |
Additional consequence | Overnight stay in Amsterdam and uncertainty over onward connection in Singapore |
Claim | €600 |
Airline’s response | KLM rejected the claim, referring to weather conditions |
Case status | Refundmore is taking the case to court |
Outcome | Pending |
The trip was much more than a holiday
Catharina was not travelling to Papua New Guinea for a conventional holiday.
As a paediatrician, she was travelling there to provide medical help through a volunteer organisation. Like the other volunteers, she was paying for the journey herself.
The plan was for Catharina to meet up with her colleagues in Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. They would then travel together to Singapore and onwards towards Papua New Guinea.
But that plan unfortunately did not last beyond the first flight.
We had already had to postpone the trip once and redo all the planning. By January, I was just really looking forward to finally getting there.
Catharina
A one-hour delay left just minutes to make the connection
Catharina’s original itinerary allowed 1 hour and 5 minutes to transfer at Schiphol, but because of the delay she was left with only around 16 minutes to get from one terminal area to another.
During the flight, Catharina had internet access and was in contact with the colleagues waiting for her in Amsterdam. They could see that she was on her way and tried to communicate to the cabin crew that she was coming.
When Catharina finally reached the gate herself, she was able to speak with the crew. But despite the aircraft still being at the gate, she was told that she could no longer board because she had already been rebooked onto the following day’s flight.
I was so mad, I mean I came to that gate and was excited to meet up with my friends, whom I had been messaging the whole way, so they knew I was coming. When I finally reached the gate, the plane was still there, but I was told I couldn’t board because I had already been rebooked.
Catharina
For Catharina, one question was particularly difficult to understand: why had the decision to move her to the following day already been made before she had even been given a realistic chance to reach the gate?
She spent the night in Amsterdam while her colleagues continued without her
KLM arranged a hotel for Catharina in Amsterdam.
Her colleagues continued the journey without her, while she had to spend both the evening and much of the following day alone before taking the same flight to Singapore 24 hours later.
I had expected to meet up with my friends in Amsterdam and continue the journey together. Instead, I spent the night and the next day at the hotel on my own.
Catharina
Catharina was travelling onwards to join a ship, and the new schedule gave her very little room for further disruption. Fortunately, the ship was able to wait an extra day for her. Otherwise, the missed connection in Amsterdam could have prevented her from joining it altogether.
Another problem awaited her in Singapore
When Catharina eventually arrived in Singapore, she expected the worst of the journey to be behind her.
Instead, she was told that the airline could not find her on the passenger list for her onward flight to Port Moresby, even though she had documents showing the booking.
She then spent around 45 minutes trying to resolve the problem, so she wouldn't be denied boarding.
Fortunately, there was still space on the aircraft and she was eventually able to continue. But after everything that had already happened, the uncertainty was stressful.
When I got to Singapore and they told me I wasn’t on the next flight, I started getting nervous. I had the documents with me, but for a while I didn’t know whether I would actually be allowed to continue.
Catharina
Had there been no available seat, Catharina would have faced yet another delay and potentially missed the medical ship entirely.
One hour at the start affected the entire journey
On paper, the initial disruption was a delay of roughly one hour. But for Catharina, it had a much bigger impact.
The delay caused her to miss the long-haul flight from Amsterdam, separated her from the colleagues she had planned to travel with, resulted in an overnight stay in Amsterdam and created uncertainty all the way through to Singapore.
It is a good example of how the significance of a flight delay cannot always be measured simply by looking at the number of minutes involved.
Catharina referred the case to Refundmore
Catharina already had experience with a flight compensation company from a separate claim related to her return journey.
That case was handled by another claim company, which, according to Catharina, charged 50% of the refund she was given.
For the disrupted journey from Stockholm to Port Moresby, Catharina instead referred the case to Refundmore, which has a lower fee.
After reviewing the circumstances of the missed connection, Refundmore submitted a claim to KLM for €600 in compensation.
KLM rejected the claim because of the weather
KLM rejected Catharina’s compensation claim, arguing that the flight from Stockholm could not have departed earlier because of the weather conditions.
Refundmore does not agree with that assessment.
Our review of the circumstances indicates that other flights were able to depart during the same period, and the conditions consisted of light snow. Based on the information available to us, we do not believe the weather conditions were sufficient to exempt the airline from paying compensation.
For that reason, we are now taking Catharina’s case to court. The claim is for €600.
Catharina’s case is now going to court
What began as an approximately one-hour delay in Stockholm ended up affecting Catharina’s journey all the way to Papua New Guinea.
KLM has so far declined to pay the €600 compensation claim, but Refundmore is continuing the case on Catharina’s behalf.
Why are we taking the case to court?
Airlines do not always agree that passengers are entitled to compensation.
If an airline rejects a claim and our legal assessment indicates that the passenger is still entitled to compensation, we can continue pursuing the case and, where appropriate, take it to court.
In Catharina’s case, KLM argues that the initial delay was caused by weather conditions. However, our assessment shows that other aircrafts were able to depart during the same period and that the reported conditions involved only light snow.
Based on the evidence currently available, we believe Catharina has a strong case and expect to succeed in court.
Has your journey also been disrupted by a missed connection?
A delay on the first part of a journey can have consequences far beyond the original flight, particularly when several connecting flights are involved.
If your flight was delayed and you missed a connection as a result, you may be entitled to compensation.