Reader question: Problems with KLM

I had my son fly to Thailand in March 2020 due to Military Service Call draw, his flight in April was also canceled by KLM. Due to corona, the draw for the service was also postponed. (Has just now been cleared) I received the message from KLM;
“Your flight KL…… has been cancelled;
Book a new flight through My Trip until September 30, 2020;
Or postpone your trip and receive a voucher valid for 1 year.

Dear Mr B…………….

We're sorry, your flight has been cancelled. We understand that this has a major impact on your travel plans and we are doing what we can to help you as soon as possible.

Due to the outbreak of the Coronavirus (COVID-19), the local authorities at your destination have announced entry restrictions. At the moment it is still unclear when these restrictions will expire again. That is why we cannot rebook you directly. The rebooking option remains available until September 30, 2020, you can also cancel your trip and request a travel voucher instead. So you can rest assured that you can travel at a later time.

Are you abroad and do you need help getting home? We recommend that you register for Special Assistance Abroad as soon as possible.

What you can do
– If you have booked your flight (with KLM or Air France) directly through KLM, you can easily change your flight online yourself to a later time via My Trip.
– Did you book through a travel organization? Please contact them directly, they can help you change your flight.
– If your flight has been cancelled, you can request a travel voucher as compensation. This is valid for 1 year from the day of issue. If your trip is planned before May 31, 2020 and you want to cancel yourself, you can also request a travel voucher.
– On our latest flight information page (only in English) you will find all rebooking options.
– If you have booked a KLM Package Deal (package trip), you can contact the Airtrade Customer Service Center.

We strongly recommend that you use the listed online options to change your booking.

We can well imagine that this message raises questions. The fastest way to find an answer is to consult our overview of frequently asked questions.

If this does not help you, you can of course contact us. We do what we can to help you as quickly as possible, but we cannot prevent long waiting times. Please do not come to the departure airport, unfortunately our staff at the airport cannot answer your questions at the moment.

We deeply regret this situation and apologize for the inconvenience. Your understanding is greatly appreciated by all of us.

Yours faithfully,

KLM Customer Care”

I have yet to order the ticket
I hope you can continue with this.

Kind regards, Hans M

It's just nonsense of the airlines if you bought a ticket through a broker to refer to debroke.
The moment you have a ticket, you have a transport contract with the airline, so they have to handle it.
I also had a ticket via butget air who wanted to ask for a refund which I didn't want.
I wanted to convert the ticket to an open ticket, which was possible, but apparently they didn't understand it at butget air.
Even after repeated mail only an automated answer.
I think they are somehow trying to withhold money from any refund to keep their heads above water.
In the end I arranged it myself with the airline.
It was arranged in 2 days.
Nothing but praise for turkish airlines and their office in bangkok.
Ben Geurts