Pippa:

Do you by any chance know what is going on with KLM. KLM and Northwest Airlines are "sister" companies. I just booked my February flight today Boston-Amsterdam-Nairobi. As a NW frequent flyer I was able to select my choice of seats, but KLM won't allow us to select seats from Amsterdam-Nairobi and return and just assigns them. This really upsets me and I'm considering cancelling my tickets and flying with someone else. This will be my 13th trip with NW-KLM and I don't understand why they won't let their Elite travelers book seating in advance. Do you have any ideas or pull with KLM?

Original von Jan
Pippa:

Do you by any chance know what is going on with KLM. KLM and Northwest Airlines are "sister" companies. I just booked my February flight today Boston-Amsterdam-Nairobi. As a NW frequent flyer I was able to select my choice of seats, but KLM won't allow us to select seats from Amsterdam-Nairobi and return and just assigns them. This really upsets me and I'm considering cancelling my tickets and flying with someone else. This will be my 13th trip with NW-KLM and I don't understand why they won't let their Elite travelers book seating in advance. Do you have any ideas or pull with KLM?

jan,
regrettably i cannot help in any way! i don't do anything with klm for one simple reason: they have got a luggage forwarding problem at AMS airport! every second traveller misses luggage either in nairobi or joburg or kilimanjaro. therefore i don't recommend them at all. because it's not fun to travel a country an your luggage comes always one day later to the spot you just left for the next destination - if they deliver at all!

what about your travel agent in case you book via an agent and not exclusively via the net?
have you contacted the AMS office customer relations?

i would guess if you tell them exactly what you wrote here they will react allowing you to get the seat booked firmly.

http://www.klm.com/travel/de_de/travel_information/customer_support/contact_us/index.htm

sorry that i cannot do anything here. jan, would love to here what comes out of this. but i remember that you had the same problem with your august-trip.
just go ahead and contact them!

good luck!

Pippa:

Thanks for the link. I have written them tonight and will see if they are able to help. If not, I've gotten a phone number in the US from that website and will try them.

Some airlines have stopped doing this for some reason.
As a service we at time book peoples seats in advanvce and I have just tried booking a seat with Emirates from USA to Rome and then to Dubai - came up with a message that they did not allow the seats from the US to Rome to be booked in advance...
With KLM I have never had such problem in the past.

Maybe it could be a security issue Jan before you call it a day with KLM; as far as I know KLM are at the moment one of the best frequent flyers into Kenya and TZ.
Hope you work it out.

Original von Nico
Some airlines have stopped doing this for some reason.
As a service we at time book peoples seats in advanvce and I have just tried booking a seat with Emirates from USA to Rome and then to Dubai - came up with a message that they did not allow the seats from the US to Rome to be booked in advance...
With KLM I have never had such problem in the past.

Maybe it could be a security issue Jan before you call it a day with KLM; as far as I know KLM are at the moment one of the best frequent flyers into Kenya and TZ.
Hope you work it out.

one more options would be swiss, emirates (aweful dubai airport! for hours as well). not to mention BA and getting stranded in london due to terrorism threads which might occure again.

but from the states east africa is quite a trip![/color]

it's not so easy to choose the right airline

When I lived in London travelling around was great and cheap.
Return flight to NY was around from 200.00 to 300.00 poiunds round trip!
Kenya or TZ more or less the same.
Even now on the internet there are gteat deals from the UK but from Italy it is Crazy!

The prices to Africa are too high for the high season; have to try and organise maybe over Easter or just before so I can take my daughter oput of school for 5 days... not easy but letting kids re experince Africa opens their eyes and gives them an incredible amount of experince - somethimes more than 5 days of school can give.
I will be sure to try and act faster next time but it is not easy in my business.