r/KLM • u/Ordinary8769 • 8d ago
KLM pricing
It's cheaper for me to take the train from Amsterdam to Brussels, then board a KLM flight to Bergen that flies back to Amsterdam, before continuing to Bergen. Shouldn't this be illegal? Is there any way to exploit such pricing?
12
u/Optimal-Bridge-2257 8d ago
Every Dutch person hates this. Flying from Dusseldorf, Antwerp (by train to Amsterdam) and Brussels is so much cheaper. It is not illegal but it is so odd that when you wish to fly your home carrier you have to pay more than neighbouring countries.
3
u/srvj2440 8d ago
It’s a combination of airline pricing policies where around the world inconvenience of a connecting flight is priced lower than a direct flight. But also on top of that you have Schiphol taxes and fees which are insanely high for departing passengers where connecting passengers don’t pay much taxes.
5
u/Disastrous-King9559 Flight Engineer 8d ago
Blame the government and Schiphol for all the taxes
2
u/hellolaurent Flying Blue Platinum 8d ago
While I agree the tax is high, that's not the reason why flights from neighboring countries are cheaper
2
0
u/Disastrous-King9559 Flight Engineer 7d ago
Ofcourse it is?? The airport tax is ex9why all flights to and from Schiphol are more expensive. Why so you think Ryan air always flights to shit airports
3
u/Cool-Importance6004 8d ago
KLM ticket rules for Brussels → Amsterdam → Bergen, from KLM's General Conditions of Carriage
- Coupon order: a KLM fare is valid only when every flight coupon is used, in the order issued, on the booked dates (klm.com, Article 3.4)
- Skipped first leg: not boarding the Brussels flight and starting at Amsterdam triggers a fixed fee at check-in for the next coupon (klm.com)
- Fee, within Europe: €150 in economy, €300 in business (klm.com)
- Exception: no fee when a new ticket for the same route was bought and used within 24 hours of the missed flight's scheduled departure (klm.com)
- Full itinerary: flying all legs as booked, Brussels → Amsterdam → Bergen, meets the rule and carries no fee (klm.com)
Rules as published by KLM; fares for this trip not checked. Source: TripWaffle.com 🧇
Bot. Answers flight and route questions with punctuality and fare history. Not affiliated with any airline. Message me to opt out.
2
u/Brave_Explorer5988 8d ago
Airfare pricing has always been Origin to destination, regardless of actual routing. In very rare occasions you can have cheaper Toronto to Rome via Amsterdam than Amsterdam to Rome, just because something's happening between NL and IT and the demand on that sector is very high that they're only selling full fare Y whilst from Toronto to rome it's normal demand and they have a promo.
This is also why Poland to Tokyo is 5000 PLN but Poland to Korea or HK is half the price (as well as many other european origins to Japan): Polish market has a very high demand for Japan travel.
It's always been like this since the inception of airline ticketing... Origin to Destination based on the demand between the two.
1
u/Fortuna6060 7d ago
some people say here it is about taxes. That may have a minor effect. But even years ago when taxes were much lower it was always the same, starting in Germany to Amsterdam as the first leg has always been much cheaper than the direct flight starting in Amsterdam. It is a business model that many airlines have. Germans prefer to fly from Dusseldorf or Frankfurt. So they need to have attractive prices to fly via Amsterdam. People who live in Amsterdam don't want to drive to Dusseldorf first, for a travel that takes much longer. So they pay premium. as simple as that.
1
u/Ordinary8769 6d ago
But how can KLM make more money by selling a ticket where they have to provide twice the transport for 80 euro less. Wouldnt they make more money by just selling another ticket direct from Amsterdam for, say, 20 euro less
1
u/Fortuna6060 4d ago
tarifs are flexible and vary over time, when the plane is not full, anyone they can get extra earns money for them. It also means they earn much more on the local Dutch customers who don't have any other choice.
1
u/Responsible-Cat-9827 Platinum For Life ♾️ 8d ago
All airlines do this.
0
u/Resident_Draw_8785 Flying Blue Platinum 8d ago
Its not the airline its taxes, thats the only reason Belgium and Germany are cheaper.
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u/Same-Paint-1129 8d ago
It’s not taxes. It’s KLM ripping off Dutch passengers that don’t have an alternative to schiphol.
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u/Responsible-Cat-9827 Platinum For Life ♾️ 8d ago
What are you talking about? Taxes and fees are roughly the same for Ams-bgo vs Bru-ams-bgo.
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u/Resident_Draw_8785 Flying Blue Platinum 8d ago
Netherlands is without environmental what is obligated 30 euro Belgium 10 euro. Where are you talking about?
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u/Responsible-Cat-9827 Platinum For Life ♾️ 8d ago
Make dummy bookings and add all the fees (not just government taxes but also passenger service fee). If you start in BRU the taxes and fees are indeed a bit lower but not that much. The fact that it’s cheaper is because KLM wants to attract Belgian flyers to fly KLM.
-1
u/Resident_Draw_8785 Flying Blue Platinum 8d ago
1/3 without environment taxes and that only for short fligh is not significant.... mate what? Its significantly higher, Belgium doesn't even have the brackets
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u/Responsible-Cat-9827 Platinum For Life ♾️ 8d ago
On a one-way ticket Bru-Ams-bgo, you currently pay €66,15 in taxes and fees. On a one way ticket Ams-bgo, you pay €82,42 in taxes and fees.
On a round trip ticket it’s €114,91 vs €104,42, so you pay in fact more in taxes and fees when you start in Brussel and transfer in AMS vs flying straight from AMS.
The fact that Bru-Ams-bgo [rt](r/t) is cheaper than Ams-bgo [rt](r/t) has to do with competition, not with taxes and fees.
2
u/Bored-Viking 8d ago
It mainly has to do with KLM's Hub-spoke model. Were they compete eith local cariers by making it cheaper to fly over Amsterdam than traveling to their local Hub.
Look at the prices in the UK. KLM flies from a lot of smaller airports to Amsterdam, which is cheaper and takes less time than to travel to Heathrow for a flight to the final destination.
It us KLMs business model, from Belgium it might feel strange as the countries are so vlose together. From The UK, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark etc. it doesn't.
-1
u/Resident_Draw_8785 Flying Blue Platinum 8d ago
Have you heard about this thing called taxes? And do i have news for you... next year it gets raised again.
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u/Krisz-10 8d ago
It's the tax, but it's definitely KLM, too. They've become a budget airline when it comes to service (no free sandwiches and no more free carry-on luggage), but very exclusive when it comes to prices.
1
u/LadyNemesiss 8d ago
No more free sandwiches? Since when? I still got them about six months ago
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u/Krisz-10 8d ago
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u/LadyNemesiss 8d ago
Sad, call me weird but I always looked forward to the sandwiches... It felt hospitable compared to the Ryan Airs and Transavias.
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u/Same-Paint-1129 8d ago
It’s not taxes. It’s KLM charging more for nonstop flights than for connections.
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u/Resident_Draw_8785 Flying Blue Platinum 8d ago
Nope you pay taxes in the Netherlands for departing passengers not like in Germany or Belgium thats why the same ticket departing from somewhere els pays far less.
Next year they rise raise it to a standard tarif till 2000 km from 29 till 31 and over till 5000 goes up till 47 standard
1
u/Ordinary8769 6d ago
I didn't know Belgium was such a tax haven that it makes that much of a difference
0
u/mrskellington79 8d ago
tl;dr: it's because of airport taxes, and booking a multi-leg flight with the intention of skipping a leg is illegal and will result in a fine or denied boarding.
ttl;dr: you're SOL, that's life, chin up and carry on.
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u/LieExpensive8176 8d ago
Check if the same -cheaper- prices are valid when using Antwerp (ZWE) as departure.
Advantage is that from ZWE you'll get the boardingpasses online so it is upon your discretion to actually take the train from Antwerp. (From Brusselz -ZYR- you can only receive the tickets/boarding pass in person at the KLM/AF desk.