I have a flight booked form Cairo to Amsterdam Schiphol via KLM and then a Thalys train from Amsterdam Schiphol to Brussels. As Brussels is not my final destination anyway I want to intentionally skip the train from Amsterdam airport to Brussels Midi. I have read many reviews about skipping a flight leg can lead to cancelling your entire flight but does the train booked with the flight included in this rule? What are the risks?
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7Apparently, KLM is quite aggressively applying this rule. This is because there's a huge discount on their Brussels tickets, where KLM does not have a dominant market position.– MSaltersCommented Jan 19, 2015 at 12:29
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2@MSalters ... and the Dutch have a reputation for frugality– smciCommented Jan 19, 2015 at 18:11
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So for the way back, do you have to board it at brussels or can you just board it at say a stop before Schipol? Like at Rotterdam– user36135Commented Oct 11, 2015 at 8:26
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3 Answers
Train segments are handled differently to airline segments, and the implications for skipped segments are slightly different.
Unlike air segments, the airline has no real way of knowing if you actually boarded the train, only that you picked up the tickets. So as long as you pickup your train tickets (not just your boarding passes!) at Schiphol then your will be considered to have "flown" that segment, and thus you will not face any implications from skipping it - because as far as the airline is concerned you didn't skip it. This is true even if you have subsequent segments - they will NOT be canceled in this case, as the airline will consider that you have used this segment. You'll even get frequent flyer miles for having "flown" it!
It looks like you're only going one way - but if you are returning the same route then on the return it's a different story. You will be required to check-in at your origin, which (presuming something like Brussels Midi->Amsterdam->Cairo) is in Brussels. If you turn up at Amsterdam and try and check-in they will deny you, as they will know that you skipped the Brussels Midi->Amsterdam train leg.
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6How does checking in at a train station work? Do you just pick-up your train tickets or do you check-in your luggage, get your boarding passes, etc?– JonathanReez ♦Commented Jan 19, 2015 at 13:07
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2The Thalys service from Brussels to Amsterdam does not require check in. I regularly take that train and I would not even know how or where to check in, and I suspect a question to that effect would be met with incredulity from the Thalys crew. I mostly regularly travelled on that Thalys without being checked for a ticket except visually while boarding. There is no way Thalys or KLM can know whether I was on that train or not. Commented Jan 19, 2015 at 15:56
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6This question is not specifically about the Thalys service - it's about the KLM "flight" that codeshares with Thalys rail services. When traveling on a KLM ticket you DO need to check-in, and this is also where you receive your train ticket. See klm.com/travel/gb_en/plan_and_book/ticket_information/… for where to do this.– DocCommented Jan 19, 2015 at 16:20
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6@Doc: post the important part: Save your stamped train ticket: if you have a flight after having travelled part of the way by train, you will have to present your train ticket at the check-in desk at the airport.– smciCommented Jan 19, 2015 at 18:08
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1@smci: I have only posted a comment, not an answer, so I cannot edit it anymore. If this requirement is indeed true, then that means one should be aware of the extra action needed, as many tickets do not get stamped anymore, but scanned only for validity (if they get checked at all!) One has to actively go and find a crew member to ensure a stamped ticket. Commented Jan 19, 2015 at 18:14
You can skip the train ride after the flights, but not the other way around. For example, KLM sells flight tickets starting from a train station in Belgium, where you have to check-in in Belgium already, therefore you cannot just show up in Amsterdam and try to board on the plane. It may still be possible somehow, but it's not guaranteed, hence not recommended. In your case, if you get out of the plane in the Netherlands and intentionally miss the train ride, there is nothing KLM can/would do about your situation, since your journey has already ended, there is no legs to cancel afterwards. On the other hand, if you're planning to take a plane back to Cairo as a part of the same ticket bought together, then you're taking a significant risk, because if KLM finds out that you didn't board on the train, they may cancel the remaining flights during the journey on the same ticket.
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I regularly travel to and from Bruxelles Midi, and the only train that has a check-in is the Eurostar to London. I have never checked in on a Thalys or other train from Brussels or anywhere else in Belgium. Commented Jan 19, 2015 at 15:51
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6This question is not specifically about the Thalys service - it's about the KLM "flight" that codeshares with Thalys rail services. When traveling on a KLM ticket you DO need to check-in, and this is also where you receive your train ticket. See klm.com/travel/gb_en/plan_and_book/ticket_information/… for where to do this.– DocCommented Jan 19, 2015 at 16:22
My family had a round flight Mexico City to Brussels with stopover in Amsterdam(Schiphol) and train(Thalys) from there to Brussels-Midi. They skipped the train from Amsterdam to Brussels but on the way back they had to take the train from Brussels-Midi as the boarding pass was given in there and eventually exchanged in Schiphol. Another thing to note is that they used Thalys and the train staff stamped the tickets on the way back but those stamps were never checked at the airport.
