For KLM, I would say that I'd neither pay more to avoid it, nor pay more to fly it. I flew it long-haul from Vancouver, and short-haul within Europe. For long-haul, I'm comparing it to United, Air Canada (Boeing and Airbus), Continental (757 and 777), Northwest (A330), and Air Transat (but anything beats Air Transat, and I'd pay more for KLM vs. Air Transat).

For short-haul, the comparative list is longer, but I really can't distinguish enough to do a blow-by-blow comparison.

If you are flying a nonstop that gets you where you want, I'd choose KLM over any option that has a connecting flight, if you are happy with the price. For me, price tends to trump everything, because I am always looking for a bargain-basement deal.

And I think the meals on KLM are better than any of the above airlines, not that that is a huge factor.

<i>If you are flying a nonstop that gets you where you want, I'd choose KLM over any option that has a connecting flight</i>

I agree. Whatever the differences, I prefer the route that gets me their quickest.

More recent longhaul cancellations:

4/2 HKG
4/4 NRT
4/5 YUL

and their respective return trips.