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On July 1, the EU again allowed residents from Thailand to re-enter the Schengen area. After some asking around, I received confirmation that NL follows the guideline and that I could have my girlfriend come.
Now we had bought a ticket for the period March-June, which was canceled after the outbreak of the Coronavirus and I received a voucher. So on July 1, I ordered a new ticket for a flight on Monday, July 6, which I wanted to pay for by handing in the voucher.
Because of the outward journey from Bangkok and the return journey from Amsterdam, the ticket was paid in Thai Baht. At first the booking went well and I received a confirmation in my mailbox. However, the payment confirmation and ticket were not forthcoming. Contacted via KLM messenger Facebook and quickly replied that the ticket was canceled without giving any reason.
Then booked a ticket again, and that went exactly the same. So I picked up the phone (on Sunday 5 July) and called KLM (after 25 minutes on hold). There I was told that there was nothing they could do in Amsterdam, because the booking apparently went through the office in Bangkok and they could see that everything had gone well except for 1 thing, which was issuing a ticket and debiting the additional payment from my credit card. I just had to call Bangkok and you guessed it, they were closed on Sundays. Please call on Monday morning from 9 am (4 am Dutch time). Flight departs from BKK that Monday at 23:50, so we thought we still have time to arrange it.
My girlfriend herself calls KLM Bangkok and is told that the computer in Bangkok is unable to settle the voucher and therefore no settlement follows and therefore no ticket is issued. We had to arrange it through KLM Amsterdam. OK, from pillar to post feeling and therefore called KLM Amsterdam at 4:30 in the morning, this time without waiting time, presented the problem again with the explicit request to immediately help me with a booking WITH TICKET. Because the lady in question wanted me to make a booking via the internet for the third time.
She indeed helped me very quickly with a ticket for the same day so that my girlfriend could still travel to BKK and catch the plane to the Netherlands. On Tuesday 7 July at 6:00 am, KLM 876 landed at Schiphol and with a delay of 5 months we were able to hug each other again.
The sequel, back to Thailand, will also take some effort, because at the end of September I have the plan to fly back with her (If Thailand lets me in).
That is good fodder for a new story.
Submitted by Ferdinand
Love that bureaucracy…:)
Glad you succeeded.
Hopefully we can in/mid September
Also to Thailand.
Have fun together!
I also have a voucher from a canceled trip from 5 to 25 May. from Bangkok-Amsterdam-Bangkok I face the same problem when I want to book a new trip with it. But I already suspected that I can do that better via Amsterdam. But first the certainty that I can return to Thailand without too many obstacles.