The Dutch cabin union VNC has lost two court cases involving KLM Cityhopper and KLM, after judges rejected claims by two employees who had been denied transfers to the parent airline. The rulings leave KLM’s current internal mobility arrangements in place for now, while talks on a revised procedure are due to resume on 15 September.
VNC had argued that the transfer decisions lacked transparency, but the court did not accept the employees’ requests in either case. The dispute centres on movement from regional subsidiary KLM Cityhopper to KLM, an issue that has become a broader labour concern for cabin staff seeking clearer career pathways within the group.
KLM Cityhopper has put forward a revised proposal for a new transfer procedure, and the union plans to keep pressing for wider access to moves between the two carriers. The cases highlight an ongoing tension between staffing needs at the subsidiary and opportunities for employees to transfer into the mainline operation.