TRAINSPOTTING author Irvine Welsh has branded KLM “filthy scamming airline c***s” after they refused to let him on a flight.
The Scot was fuming when airline staff told him they could not accept his negative NHS Covid test and denied him boarding a flight to Belgrade, Serbia yesterday.
The 62-year-old hit out at the Dutch company on Twitter shortly after the incident and claimed he was refused the NHS test result as “there’s no money in it for them”.
He revealed to his 360,000 followers that he was now unable to attend an event in Serbia.
The author, from Edinburgh, also raged that festival organisers would have to refund tickets.
In a series of tweets, he said: “Turned away from airport heading to Belgrade as KLM do not accept the NHS Covid test as there’s no money in it for them.
“Filthy scamming airline c***s.
“They are all turning this s*fest into the dystopia where the profiteering scammers and the bureaucratic w*****s meet.”
When KLM asked for Welsh’s booking code to try and help, he replied: “You cannot assist me now.
“There is no way I can now attend the event which is sold out and for which the festival organisers will have to refund tickets.
“Save your regrets for them.
“Yes p****d off that I didn’t get to see Belgrade for the first time.
“But even more p****d off that people looking forward to the event will be disappointed.
“But also that people have to meet those added costs and hassles to travel to see families and take holidays.
“I’m starting to think that the layers of s**t they already have and continue to impose upon us is not actually that much to do with them having our health interests at heart.
He concluded: “Anyway, ranting over. I still love everyone and I’m going back to my bed.”
The airline responded to Welsh, tweeting: “KLM will accept passengers who meet the governmental requirements of their transit or destination country.
“It is up to the authorities of the respective countries to determine which rules apply.
“These rules vary between countries, and include validity of tickets, passports and visa, as well as possible additional requirements regarding vaccinations, invitation letters and funds.
“These governmental requirements are stated in the IATA Travel Information Manual (TIM), and airlines have to accept or deny passengers accordingly.
“For remarks about governmental requirements, we kindly refer you to the respective local authorities.”
Welsh responded “Get to f***”.
The tweets have over 3,000 likes and over 100 comments combined, with Welsh’s angry tweets receiving mixed reactions.
@LewisLouis3 said: “No countries accept the NHS test, has to be a private company. Total scam. Had to spend hundreds recently on private tests”.
@FRRREID said: “Everyone knows you can’t use the NHS tests to travel.
“Nothing to do with airlines, it’s each country’s government that sets the rules. They are the ones profiteering not the airlines.”
@XOXO73XO said: “We flew KLM last week. Woman had the same NHS test. Was turned away.
“It’s a disgrace but you are well warned before departure about which test you need.
@ThisBeMara added: “Ah money, how sweet it is to have, even sweeter to fleece out of people on population scales during times of crisis.”
