Air France and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines have extended their flexible cancellation policy through 31DEC, 2021, allowing passengers to rebook or receive a refund for cancelled tickets without having to provide any documents justifying why. Cancellations must occur prior to departure.
“Our customers and partners have been telling us directly, and the surveys have been confirming it, the vast majority of people who’ve been asked dream of being able to travel again,” explained Catherine Guillemart-Dias, Vice-President and General Manager of Air France KLM Canada.
AF-KLM’s flexible booking policies also cover provisions for essential travellers having not received their COVID test results prior to departure or having tested positive.
Until further notice, non-essential travel to France and the Netherlands is prohibited. Canadian passport holders are not permitted entry into the Netherlands except to connect to an onward destination and must remain in the airport transit zone.
Providing rebooking flexibility is therefore imperative if the entry requirements are not being met at time of booking.
The travel restrictions are being strictly enforced by KLM personnel at Canadian gateways and it is recommended passengers arrive early to allow for the additional processing.
The entry ban does not apply for pax who hold a passport from an EU country.
A spokesperson for KLM tol Open Jaw: ”Canadians, unless they have a business purpose for which they get a diplomatic note issued by the Dutch Consulate, are not allowed in the Netherlands. However, they still can fly on KLM and transit via Schiphol towards their final destination. Doing so, they will need to do a PCR test 72 hours prior to arriving in Amsterdam (and get a negative result) and also have to be compliant with the entry requirements of the destination country.”
Netherlands Entry Ban
From the Government of Canada’s travel advisory pages:
“Travellers arriving from Canada are not allowed entry to the Netherlands. However, in limited circumstances, some travellers may be allowed to enter the Netherlands if they meet specific criteria and follow certain procedures.
It is your responsibility to verify this information with the appropriate foreign diplomatic office and to ask if you may be allowed entry, based on your individual circumstances and your itinerary.
Travellers arriving from Canada may transit through Schiphol International Airport in Amsterdam if they have a boarding pass proving their onward travel and remain in the airport’s international transit zone.
Local authorities may impose additional requirements without notice and your travel plans could be severely disrupted. You should not depend on the Government of Canada for assistance related to changes to your travel plans.”
Air France and KLM continue to operate flights from Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary for a total of 24 weekly flights in MAR and APR.
Travellers who must connect via Schiphol or Charles de Gaulle to arrive at their destination must meet the entry rules of their destination country as well as the requirements of the Netherlands if connecting through Amsterdam.
The government of the Netherlands plans to modify the measures in place as of 31MAR 2021.
More information for AF and KLM can be found here: airfrance.traveldoc.aero and klm.traveldoc.aero.
