Following some tariff checks, it was found that the prices of KLM plane tickets have a surcharge of 250 EURO. BTN Europe noticed this tariff change and KLM confirmed it. The surcharge applies until October 3 on some European flights departing from Amsterdam.
The measure was taken to reduce passenger growth as Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport is understaffed at its security desks. To reduce the number of passengers, airlines are forced to cancel flights or, as in the case of KLM, overcharge passengers in the hope of reducing demand. We will probably see this surcharge again on other days, especially on European flights.
KLM confirms the introduction of the surcharge
KLM provided the following statement shortly after publication of the article in BTN Europe: "In order to reduce the number of local passengers due to the security manpower crisis at Schiphol, KLM had to take a number of measures. One of these is the imposition of a surcharge. This fee was not properly communicated to travel agents and therefore our customers. For this, we apologize."
In my personal opinion, overcharging will not solve the problem of the staffing crisis. Maybe it will be a bigger hole in the passenger's budget, but surely the planes will be full and, as a result, the number of passengers will not decrease.
During this year, KLM was to cancel thousands of flights on different days. The most recent flight crisis was between September 17-19 when KLM had to cancel more than 30 flights overnight.
In addition to all these inconveniences, KLM also announced the increase of the flight tax from 7.95 EURO to 26.34 EURO, as a result of a government decision. The new tax will apply from January 1, 2023.