We booked our ticket on internet and were supposed to fly from Hamburg to Amsterdam on the 31/12/2011 at 8:45AM. We checked in in time, but due to a technical problem the flight was cancelled. We went to the KLM counter and ask for an alternative. Then KLM booked us on a new flight: Hamburg - Amsterdam - St Maarten - Panama City. After about 9 hours in the Hamburg airport, we took the flight KL1782 at 3:00PMto Amsterdam. We slept one night in a hotel.
On the following day 01/01/2012 we were brought to Schiphol Airport and took the flight KL785 at 8:40AM to St Maarten. From there we had to fly with Copa Airlines, flight CM133 at 2:32PM and had to pick up our boarding cards. There was no Copa Airlines counter in the transfer area and the airport security didn't let us through without boarding cards. They send us to the Copa Airlines check in in the main hall. So we had to go through the immigration. The Copa Airlines counter was closed, so we ran to the KLM/Air France counter and ask for quick help, in this time our flight was gone. The lady did her best but couln't give us another flight for the same day. She sended us to the Hotel Mercure where we spend a night.
On the next day - 02/01/2012 - the KLM/Air France lady booked us on the flight operated by Insel Air International, flight n° 7I0521Y, departure: 1:25PM to Santo Domingo to catch the flight from Santo Domingo to Panama City.
As we checked in with Insel Air we had to pay again 100 US$ for excess luggage, because Insel Air doesn't cooperate with KLM as they told us. We had also to pay a departure tax of 70 US$ (35 US$ per person).
The Insel Air flight had to start at 1:25PM and the arrival time was 2:35PM.
The flight had about one and half hour delay. From the waiting room we called the KLM/Air France Lady again and she arranged a later flight with Copa Airlines from Santo Domingo to Panama City at 6:27PM. In Santo Domingo we had to check out go through the immigration, pick up our luggage, run through the airport and check in again. Totally exhausted we jumped in the plane which take off a few minutes later.
Arriving in Panama City we discovered that one luggage was damaged, we checked that with Copa Airlines.Instead of 14 hours, we needed 3 days to reach Panama city.
We booked and paid a trouble free direct flight to Panama City. At least we stranded 2 times and had additional costs + the 170 US$ in St Maarten.
We ask for a compensatory payment for the delay, the additional costs and the stress caused by KLM.