KLM

KLM’s Trans-Atlantic joint venture partner Northwest Airlines has announced a cancellation of flights between Detroit - Düsseldorf and Hartford - Amsterdam, effective October 1, 2008. As from the same date flights between Minneapolis/St. Paul and Paris will be suspended, to be resumed on March 28, 2009.

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines will introduce new meals on board as of June 1. Inspired by the Euro 2008 soccer championship, all World Business Class meals have been created by a Swiss master chef. The accompanying wines were produced in Austria. Economy Class passengers will be offered a choice of Oriental and Western meals from leading brands.

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines has announced that as of June 1st it will only issue e-tickets for its flights. The transition to 100% e ticketing is in line with the airline industry’s goal of driving paper out of the ticket process. Eliminating paper tickets will save the equivalent of 50,000 mature trees each year and save the airline industry up to USD 3 billion annually.

Due to the high level of fuel prices KLM is increasing its fuel surcharge by 4 euros per segment on intra European flights and by 10 euros per segment on all intercontinental flights. This increase is valid on KLM tickets which are purchased in The Netherlands.

The leading mobile messaging provider End2End Connectivity has today announced that it has been selected by KLM Royal Dutch Airlines to provide the SMS delivery of flight status notifications (FSN).

During the boarding of flight KL0734 from Aruba Airport Reina Beatrix to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol on April 24 at around 21:00 local time, one of the passengers told fellow passengers that he had placed a bomb in one of the onboard toilets. This was reported to the captain, whereupon the passenger in question was immediately arrested and removed from the aircraft, along with his baggage.

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines this week launched BluelinQ via its website klm.nl. The new service will enable passengers to travel quickly, simply and economically to and from Schiphol. BluelinQ is primarily aimed at passengers traveling from outside the Randstad area.

In April and May, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines is once again organizing its annual Food & Wine Festival. This year the theme is South America. The South American Experience will take place from March 30 to May 31. Meals made to recipes by the famous Brazilian chef Mara Salles will form part of the experience, accompanied by specially selected wines from Chili and Argentina.

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines opened its new Crown Lounge at Houston Airport in early March, just ahead of the start of its Summer Schedule. The lounge is almost twice the size of its predecessor and is highly appreciated by passengers.

To capture the dynamic success and innovative spirit of the first 3 years of Flying Blue, KLM have completely redesigned the look and feel of the programme, uniting the corporate colours of Air France and KLM in a modern, stylish look.

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines is launching a new Japanese meal service on flights to and from Japan. The recipes for the new meals being served in both World Business Class and Economy Class were created at Hotel Okura Amsterdam under the guidance of master chef Akira Oshima.

From the minute you book your ticket to the time you take off, “Manage My Booking” makes it easy for you to make practically all your travel arrangements.

Following in the footsteps of Air France, KLM expands the range of its own check-in service using mobile phones. On September 4, passengers traveling alone to Amsterdam from any European KLM destination (or vice versa) can check in by using their mobile phone.

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines continues to pursue its policy of ongoing fleet renewal. Forming part of the current fleet renewal program two Boeing 777-300ERs, two Airbus A330-200s, and three Boeing 737-700s have been ordered for introduction in 2010 and 2011.

When the winter schedule takes effect on October 28, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines will introduce a new kind of breakfast to its economy class passengers on intercontinental routes.

KLM announces together with Northwest Airlines expansion plans on the North Atlantic route network with a new daily nonstop service from Amsterdam to Portland, Oregon.

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines will start direct flights between Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and Panama City Tocumen Airport in summer 2008. Panama City will be KLM’s 62nd intercontinental destination. Effective March 30, 2008 KLM will operate three weekly non-stop flights between Amsterdam and this destination in Central America.

Air France KLM, the world’s leading airline group in terms of turnover has recently finalized its new joint management team for the UK & Ireland. The team, based at the head office in Bedfont, is headed up by Christine Ourmières, General Manager Air France KLM UK & Ireland.

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines will start operating a daily service to Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.A., in cooperation with Northwest Airlines. Dallas-Fort Worth will be KLM’s 61st intercontinental destination. The service will start March 30, 2008 and will be operated with Airbus 330-200 equipment, offering 30 World Business Class seats and 221 Economy Class seats.

Booking.com, Europe’s leading online hotel reservations’ company (part of Priceline.com, Nasdaq:PCLN) has been selected by KLM (part of Air France-KLM, the largest European airline group), as a strategic partner for the distribution of hotels. As a result, visitors to Klm.com can now choose from over 35,000 hotels in more than 9,000 destinations worldwide.

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines now offers the convenience of e-tickets to passengers traveling to any of the 124 destinations served by KLM. In addition, KLM e-tickets can be used when flying with 72 interline partners. Because e-ticket data are automatically recorded in KLM’s computer systems upon reservation, customers with an e-ticket only have to present their identity document when checking in for a flight.

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines today announced it will start direct flights between Amsterdam and Linköping. Starting on March 30th 2008, KLM will fly the Amsterdam - Linköping route twice daily, using Fokker 70 jet service. This makes KLM the first of the large international airlines to begin activities in Sweden outside the major metropolitan areas.

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and its partner China Southern Airlines yesterday signed a contract with travel organization ATP for the transportation of the Netherlands delegation to and from the Olympic Games, which will be held in the Chinese capital Beijing in August 2008.

The European Low Fares Airline Association (ELFAA) strongly criticised plans by the Dutch government to impose a EUR 25 (GBP 17) tax on all air passengers leaving airports in the Netherlands and called on travellers to sign an online petition against the tax.

KLM cityhopper (KLC) and the Air France regional subsidiary Régional Compagnie Aérienne Européenne (Régional) today confirmed an order with the Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer for 20 regional jets of the E170/175 and E190/195 family, as well as options for 18 other aircraft. KLM cityhopper’s share of this agreement includes 10 confirmed orders for E190 aircraft and 9 options.

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines will in the coming months renew and extend its range of personal inflight entertainment aboard its intercontinental fleet. During the coming three months, passengers will be able to use the Texting/Email function of the inflight entertainment system free of charge. As of September, the range of audio and video programs will be extended substantially.

Air France KLM formally welcomed the first “Hole in One” member of the Flying Blue Golf Club last week at the Grand Hotel Huis ter Duin in Noordwijk aan Zee, The Netherlands.

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and the Dutch wing of the World Wildlife Fund (Wereld Natuur Fonds – WNF) today signed an agreement on the far-reaching reduction and compensation of CO2 emissions by KLM. Both organizations share the opinion that CO2 emissions must be addressed rigorously because global warming poses a serious threat to people and animals.

During a working visit to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AAS) last week, the Dutch Minister of Transport, Public Works & Water Management Camiel Eurlings officially took the new Engine Water Wash system developed by KLM Royal Dutch Airlines into operation in one of KLM’s hangars at Schiphol-East.

KLM, Kenya Airways, Martinair and Amadeus, a global leader in technology and distribution solutions for the travel and tourism industry, today announced that the three airlines are now using Amadeus Altéa Reservation to drive their global sales.

This week, the European Council of Transport Ministers unanimously approved the aviation agreement concluded by European and US negotiators on 2 March. The agreement means considerable new opportunities for the traveling public, airlines and labor on both sides of the Atlantic.

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines will launch non-stop service to the Peruvian capital Lima on Sunday, March 25, 2007. The six flights per week to Jorge Chávez International Airport will be operated with Boeing 777-200ER equipment. Frequency will be raised to daily service as of December 1, 2007. In so doing, KLM will better meet the wishes of its passengers, who demand the broadest possible range of nonstop, daily frequencies.

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and KLM cityhopper will alter catering service in KLM Economy on short and medium-haul flights to European destinations. Passengers will be served a new, more elaborate sandwich on flights operated during “mealtimes.” Outside these hours, passengers will have the choice of a sweet or savory snack.

Following the success of Club China and the Flying Blue Golf Club, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines is proud to announce the launch of Club Africa today at the Royal Tropical Institute in Amsterdam. Club Africa is designed as an exclusive community where business people can enhance their network and business contacts. Club Africa offers a unique online networking portal and is supported by live networking events.

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines’ first Boeing 737 with winglets arrived at Schiphol Airport on Saturday, March 17, 2007. The Boeing 737-800 PH-BXV was delivered to KLM at the Boeing plant in Seattle on Friday, March 16. Winglets are vertical wingtips that improve the aerodynamics of an aircraft, reducing fuel consumption and related CO2 emissions.

The Association of Strategic Alliance Professionals (ASAP) has named the KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Northwest Airlines transatlantic joint venture as recipient of its global 2007 ASAP Individual Alliance Excellence Award. The awards recognize and celebrate companies that have achieved dramatic success in their alliances and alliance programs.

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines’ partner Northwest Airlines will initiate a second daily roundtrip service between Detroit and Frankfurt during the coming peak summer season, beginning May 7 through October 27.

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines will be the first airline in the world to introduce Self Service Transfer Kiosks (SSTKs) on its European and Intercontinental routes.

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines has launched a trial at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol involving the transmission of messages to travelers using Bluetooth technology.

Booking made easy: that’s the latest version of the KLM online booking tool. As soon as passengers have selected their airport of departure and destination, the new KLM online tool will give a more convenient overview of available tariffs and conditions, starting with the lowest available fares. The same screen gives the total price of the ticket as well as at-a-glance information. Passengers can view and compare alteration or cancellation options (including conditions), as well as Flying Blue Miles earning and Award Upgrade possibilities.