Hi everyone hope all is well. I am back from my Kenya mission trip and had a wonderful time. I did get to go to the masai mara for a few days after our work and saw the big five. The plane ride did not seem as long this time. Loved my KLM seats!! Hope to get them next time, I was able to sleep this time i usually have trouble. I visited Kitui and the Kibera slums went to church with the kenyan folks and visited an orphange. and of course visited giraffe manor and the david sheldrick elephant orphange. I am never ready to come home and always ready to head back!! take care

I'm so very glad you had a great trip Joyce. Sounds as though you were kept very busy while there.

I'd love to know how both you and Jane managed to get good KLM seats? I book with Delta, a skymiles partner of KLM. I pick my seats on both the Delta and KLM segments at the time I book. Yet KLM every time changes my seat from the aisle seat I picked to one in the dreaded center section (even though I'm an elite member they never let me select the seat I want). The night before my trip home I logged onto Delta and found there were still a few KLM aisle seats left, changed my seating and got charged $150.00 for doing so!
If there is a trick to getting good seats on KLM please let me know how to accomplish it!

I always pick my own seat and one time KLM changed it but i caught it and changed it back but did not get a charge for it. I am just a silver elite and i can choose the better seats when i book. I rode on the double decker plane this time from asterdam to nairobi and it is much nicer. I would call delta and complain about them changing your seats. When my seat was changed there was no reason for it so i am not sure what happens. I do know it is much more of a problem to travel these days i always end up telling myself this is my last trip! take care

I've complained to Delta before but I suspect they can't control what another airline does - even though they are air partners. I also suspect that KLM serves their own customers first before the air partner.
When I picked my seat there were many empty seats and yet KLM moved my seat to an inferior one, probably to give a KLM elite customer the Delta elite customer's seat, even though they booked later than I did. Very frustrating.

Original von Jan
I've complained to Delta before but I suspect they can't control what another airline does - even though they are air partners. I also suspect that KLM serves their own customers first before the air partner.
When I picked my seat there were many empty seats and yet KLM moved my seat to an inferior one, probably to give a KLM elite customer the Delta elite customer's seat, even though they booked later than I did. Very frustrating.

Jan, we were just lucky---have absolutely no idea why but the attendant just came to us and said she was moving us up a class so we flew in luxury. On the return we paid extra for the economy section that has additional leg room. But, I agree, you need to contact someone and complain about that charge--unless you had mistakenly chosen a seat in that roomier section which they do charge for.

Looks like we all have the same issues. Alitalia - say no more... is also part of Delta and KLM (Skyteam) however you can try and complain but you will just end up being frustrated and the person on the other end (probably out sourced phone call to India, Romania etc) does not really care and you will end up being a statistic.
I have had guests staying with me this year that booked 1st row - 1st class seasts as they are frequent flyers (similar to Jane husband was/is - like millions of miles top of the list etc) and they were moved into business. When they asked the cabin crew who was seating front row, they were told airline staff. The person they asked had no idea they had booked the seats but the airliners decided to give the 1st class seats which were paid for to staff that did not pay!