KLM has been forced to apologise over an email that stated staff would intervene if passengers objected to sitting near same sex couples
It is the third scandal in three days for the Dutch airline which faced backlash over its breastfeeding policy on Wednesday and for releasing information on which seats people are most likely to die in a crash on Thursday.
The customer services email suggested staff would intervene during a flight if anyone felt uncomfortable about a same-sex couple being on board.
A staff member named ‘Aaron’ suggests passengers in same-sex relationships could be approached by cabin crew who would ‘act and respond accordingly’.
It’s been a tough week for KLM, which have faced backlash over its breastfeeding policy as well as for releasing information on which seats people are most likely to die in a crash (stock)
The email reads: ‘Same as with the same sex relationship [sic] that you gave as an example, if needed be the cabin crew can approach the said party and base [sic] on the response they were given, then they would act and respond accordingly.’
In a Twitter message the airline recognised the reply is ‘offending’ and distanced itself from it.
A KLM spokesman told the Telegraph that it had launched an investigation into why a staff member had sent an email, adding that it ‘does not represent our official point of view at all.’
The email has sparked outrage online, with some threatening to never travel with the airline again.
In a Twitter message the airline recognised the reply is ‘offending’ and distanced itself from it
‘I hope the email circulating from your reservations team about this & same sex couples ref others being uncomfortable is a fake. Otherwise your organisation is shameful & despicable & I’ll never fly with you,’ they wrote.
Another person tweeted: ‘Gay brothers and sisters, @KLM will approach you and let you know someone has complained about you holding hands on board. The crew will decide the best course of action.’
The latest controversy comes after KLM’s breastfeeding policy was criticised when a mother was told on Wednesday she could be asked to cover up to avoid ‘causing offence’.
The Dutch airline found itself in hot water once again after warning that passengers seated in the middle of the plane are more likely to die if the jet were to crash
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines scrambled to deny that it was making light of flight fatalities following a bizarre tweet which quoted the worrying statistics (stock image)
Heather Yemm, from Newcastle, tweeted the airline and didn’t expect the response she got – which said they permitted it, but mothers may be asked to cover up if other guests complain.
The full response said: ‘Breastfeeding is permitted at KLM flights. However, to ensure that all our passengers of all backgrounds feel comfortable on board, we may request a mother to cover herself while breastfeeding, should other passengers be offended by this.’
The Dutch airline found itself in hot water once again on Thursday, after warning that passengers seated in the middle of the plane are more likely to die if the jet were to crash.
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines today scrambled to deny that it was making light of flight fatalities following a bizarre tweet which quoted the worrying statistics.
A spokesperson told MailOnline: ‘The post by the KLM India team was based on publicly available aviation information and does not reflect KLM’s opinion.
‘KLM apologises for any distress the tweet may have caused. We will review our Twitter protocol to better ensure appropriate content. The post has now been deleted.’
The airline added: ‘A number of KLM’s local teams have their own presence on social media.
‘This is specifically the case in markets where it is important to operate with local know-how.
‘KLM has general guidelines, protocols and training for the creation of social-media content. People do make mistakes, however, and this tweet was an error of judgement.’
It’s been a tough week for KLM, which has faced backlash over its breastfeeding policy as well as for releasing information on which seats people are most likely to die in a crash