KLM

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KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
File:KLM logo.png
IATA ICAO Callsign
KL KLM KLM
Founded1919
HubsAmsterdam Schiphol Airport
Frequent-flyer programFlying Blue
AllianceSkyTeam
Fleet size107 (+19 orders)
Destinations250
Parent companyAir France-KLM
HeadquartersAmstelveen, The Netherlands
Key peopleP. F. Hartman (CEO), F. Gagey (CFO)
Websitehttp://www.klm.com
KLM can also refer to KLM (Human Computer Interaction)

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (in full: Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij, literally Royal Aviation Company; usual English: Royal Dutch Airlines) is an airline subsidiary of Air France-KLM based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. It operates domestic and worldwide scheduled passenger and cargo services to over 90 destinations. Its main base is Amsterdam Schiphol Airport.[1]

Prior to its merger with Air France, KLM was the national airline of the Netherlands. KLM is the oldest airline in the world still operating under its original name. It has 30,118 employees (at March 2007).[1]

Air France merged with KLM in May 2004, resulting in the creation of Air France-KLM. Air France-KLM is incorporated under French law and its headquarters are located at Roissy-Charles de Gaulle Airport near Paris. Air France-KLM is the largest airline company in the world in terms of operating revenues, and the third largest in the world (largest in Europe) in terms of revenue-passenger-kilometres (RPKs).[2] Both Air France and KLM continue to fly under their distinct brand names.[1]

Air France-KLM is part of the SkyTeam alliance with Delta Air Lines, Aeroméxico, Korean Air, Czech Airlines, Alitalia, Northwest Airlines, Aeroflot and Continental Airlines.

History

KLM aircraft at Schiphol Airport
File:KLM Northwest Airlines Worldwide Reliability Logo.svg
The "Worldwide Reliability" logo with Northwest Airlines, 1993-2002

KLM was founded on October 7, 1919, making it the oldest carrier in the world still operating under its original name. The first KLM flight was on May 17, 1920, with a flight from London Northolt to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport carrying two English journalists and a number of newspapers. It was flown by an Aircraft Transport and Travel Airco de Havilland DH16, callsign G-EALU, piloted by Jerry Shaw. In 1920 KLM carried 440 passengers and 22 tons of freight. In 1921 KLM started regularly scheduled services. By 1926 they were offering flights to Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Brussels, Paris, London, Bremen, Copenhagen, and Malmo; using primarily Fokker F2 & F3.[3]

Intercontinental service to the Netherlands East Indies (today's Republic of Indonesia) started in 1929 using Fokker F7-B, although the first non-scheduled KLM flight had been made in 1924 by Fokker F7 registration H-NACC piloted by van der Hoop. In 1930 KLM carried 15,143 passengers. The first transatlantic KLM route was between Amsterdam and Curaçao in December 1934 using the Fokker F-XVIII "Snip." On May 21, 1946, KLM was the first continental European airline to launch scheduled service to New York. In 1950 KLM carried 356,069 passengers. On 25 July 1957 the airline introduced its first flight simulator for the Douglas DC7C, the last KLM aircraft with piston engines which was used for the opening of the first trans-polar route from Amsterdam-Tokyo on November 1, 1958.

KLM Boeing 737-300. The nose carries the words Air France KLM.

In March 1960, KLM introduced the first Douglas DC-8 jet aircraft into the its fleet. In 1966 KLM introduced the Douglas DC9 on European and Middle East routes. The new Schiphol Airport opened in April 1967 and in 1968 the Douglas DC8-63 entered service, with 244 seats the largest aircraft at the time. KLM was the first airline to put the higher gross-weight Boeing 747-200B in to service in February 1971 with Pratt & Whitney JT9D engines, beginning the era of widebody jets. In 1980 KLM carried 9,715,069 passengers. In 1983, KLM reached a deal with Boeing to convert some of its Boeing 747-200s to SUD (stretched upper deck) configuration. This consisted of returning the aircraft to the Boeing factory in Everett,Washington. The work started in 1984 and finished in 1986, the aircraft became Boeing 747-200SUD, which the airline operated in addition to Boeing 747-300 aircraft. In June 1989, KLM introduced the first Boeing 747-400. Later that year, in July, KLM acquired 20% of Northwest Airlines, eventually forming a strong alliance between the two airlines. In 1990 KLM carried 16,000,000 passengers. In March 1994 both KLM and Northwest Airlines introduced World Business Class on intercontinental routes, and in July 1995, KLM introduced its first Boeing 767-300ER.

In March and June 2002, KLM announced that it would be renewing its intercontinental fleets by replacing the Boeing 767s, Boeing 747-300s, and eventually the McDonnell Douglas MD-11 with Boeing 777-200ERs and Airbus A330-200s. The first Boeing 777 was received on October 25, 2003, entering commercial service on the Amsterdam-New York route, while the first Airbus A330-200 was introduced on August 25, 2005 and entered commercial service on the Amsterdam-Washington Dulles route.

File:Convair 240 , KLM , PH-TEB , Kodachrome by Chalmers Butterfield.jpg
KLM Convair

As of March 2007 KLM started using the Amadeus reservation system, along with partner Kenya Airways.

Corporate organization

KLM is listed on the stock exchanges of Amsterdam, New York and Paris.

Subsidiaries:

Former subsidiaries:

  • KLM Helicopters
  • KLM uk was a KLM subsidiary until merged with KLM Cityhopper.
  • Buzz, the low-cost airline of KLM uk
  • KLM exel, a commuter airline.
File:KLM Asia Boeing.jpg
Boeing 747 in KLM-Asia livery

Merger

On 30 September 2003, Air France and KLM announced that they would in future be known as Air France-KLM. This entity was first offered on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange on 5 May 2004. The takeover of KLM by Air France marked the end of the oldest independent airline in the world. The Royal adjective will likely remain for the foreseeable future. Its independent identity is guaranteed to 2008, but eventually it is anticipated that its operations will be merged into those of the French company. In the meantime, it does not appear that KLM's longstanding joint venture with Northwest Airlines will be affected. Both KLM and Northwest joined the SkyTeam alliance in September 2004. [citation needed]

Presidents - CEOs

KLM Delft Blue houses

Selection of KLM Delft Blue Houses

Since 1952 KLM has presented its first class and since 1993 its Business Class passengers with small Delftware, blue and white porcelain reproductions of old Dutch canal houses, which are filled with Bols jenever liquor.[4] There are 87 different houses, each numbered and representing the number of years the KLM is in operation. Each year a new house is presented and will receive the next consecutive number. All houses are reproductions of actual historic houses in the Netherlands or its former colonies and are now collectibles.

Destinations

Main article: KLM destinations

Fleet

The KLM fleet consists of the following aircraft

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines Fleet
Aircraft Total Passengers
(Europe Select*/Economy) 		Routes Notes
Airbus A330-200 9
(1 order) 		251 (30/221) Africa, Middle East, North America and Europe
(one daily London Heathrow flight)
Boeing 737-300 14 127 (39/88) Europe
Boeing 737-400 13 147 (39/108) Europe
Boeing 737-700 (7 orders)
(7 options) 		Europe
Boeing 737-800 15
(7 orders) 		171 (54/117) Europe
Boeing 737-900 5 189 (51/138) Europe
Boeing 747-400 22 Standard
428 (42/386)
————————————
Passengers & Cargo
280 (42/238) 		Africa, Mexico, Asia, North America,
Caribbean and South America
Boeing 747-400ERF 4 Cargo Asia One aircraft operated by Air France Cargo until 2008
Boeing 777-200ER 15 (plus 3 on order) 327 (35/292) Africa, Asia, North America and South America
Boeing 777-300ER (4 orders) 428 (35/393) Entry into service: 2008
McDonnell-Douglas MD-11 10 294 (24/270) Africa, Caribbean, North America, Asia
KLM Boeing 737-400 taking off

The average age of the KLM fleet is 10.6 years as of September 2007. [5]

Cabin

KLM offers Business Class and Economy class on its aircraft. On shorthaul aircraft, Flexible Economy Class is called Europe Select, while on longhaul aircraft Business Class is called World Business Class.

World Business Class

World Business Class offers a 60 inch pitch on all longhaul aircraft. The Boeing 777-200ER and Airbus A330-200 aircraft offer a 170 degree angled lie-flat seat with a 10.4" TV monitor with AVOD (Audio Video on Demand), email/text messaging, a privacy canopy, a massage function, and laptop power ports. Boeing 747-400 and McDonnell Douglas MD-11 aircraft offer cradle seats with a 150 degree recline and personal TVs offering 12 channels of video and 12 channels of audio,. All WBC seats offer personal reading lamps, leg/foot rests, and personal telephones (on the back of the game console on the Boeing 777 and Airbus A330 aircraft).

KLM Cityhopper Fokker F100 takes off

The Boeing 747-400 and McDonnell Douglas MD-11 aircraft are being configured with the new World Business Class seats as well as new inflight entertainment in economy, although this upgrade will not include personal televisions in economy. Pre-departure perks include a fully flexible reservation, check-in desks, lounge access, priority boarding, and 150% Flying Blue miles. Onboard, passengers are treated to a three course meal with menus, pre-departure beverages, and snacks, which are available throughout the flight.

Europe Select

Europe Select is offered on all Boeing 737 aircraft, is KLM's premium product on shorter sectors, offering a 33 inch pitch, a meal service on board (hot or cold meals depend on the length of the flight), priority boarding, extra baggage allowance, double Flying Blue miles, and fully flexible booking.

KLM Economy

KLM Economy offers a 31" pitch on all longhaul aircraft except the Airbus A330-200, which offers a 32" pitch. Boeing 777-200ER and Airbus A330-200 aircraft offer personal TVs with AVOD and personal telephones on the back of the gaming console, headrests, and an email/text messaging function. All other longhaul aircraft offer mainscreen movies. KLM Cityhopper aircraft offer no entertainment.

KLM Asia

KLM Asia (荷蘭亞洲航空公司 Hanyu Pinyin: Hélán Yàzhōu Hángkōng Gōngsī) is a wholly KLM owned subsidiary, registered in Taiwan, Republic of China. The airline was established in 1995 in order to operate flights to Taipei, without compromising its landing rights in the People's Republic of China, which regards the Republic of China territories (including Taiwan) as part of its territory.

KLM Asia's livery does not feature Dutch national symbols, such as the Dutch flag, nor a stylised Dutch Crown. Instead, it features a KLM Asia logo.

KLM Asia fleet

KLM Asia has 6 Boeing 747-400 Combis.

  • PH-BFC - City of Calgary
  • PH-BFD - City of Dubai
  • PH-BFF - City of Freetown
  • PH-BFH - City of Hong Kong
  • PH-BFM - Mexico City
  • PH-BFP - City of Paramaribo

Incidents and accidents

[11]

  • On March 22, 1952, a KLM Douglas DC-7 PH-TBJ crashed in Frankfurt, killing 42 of 47 occupants [1].
  • On March 23, 1952, a KLM Lockheed Constellation, PH-TFF "Venlo", suffered a propeller failure and subsequent engine fire during landing in Bangkok. All 44 passengers and crew escaped shortly before the fire completely consumed the plane. A Thai ground crewman ran into the burning aircraft and returned with an infant who had been left behind.[12]
  • On September 5, 1954, KLM Flight 633, a Lockheed Super Constellation, PH-LKY "Triton", ditched in the River Shannon after takeoff from Shannon Airport in Ireland. 28 out of 56 people on board (46 passengers and 10 crew) were killed.
  • On March 27, 1977, KLM Flight 4805, a Boeing 747-206B, PH-BUF "Rhine" & Pan Am Flight 1736, a Boeing 747-121, N736PA "Clipper Victor", collided at Tenerife North Airport on the island of Tenerife, Canary Islands, killing 583 people. The incident has the highest number of fatalities (excluding ground fatalities) of any single accident in aviation history.
  • On December 15, 1989, KLM Flight 867, a Boeing B747-400, PH-BFC flew through a Volcanic Plume causing nearly US$80 million worth of damage to the aircraft. The plane landed safely in Anchorage, Alaska with no reported injuries or fatalities.[13]

Gallery

References

  1. ^ a b c "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International. 2007-04-03. pp. 101–102.
  2. ^ All Business
  3. ^ a b c (Dutch) Albert Heijn, ed (1969) KL-50 - logboek van vijftig jaar vliegen. Meijer, Amsterdam.
  4. ^ "See". A Taste of the House of Bols. Lucas Bols, B.V. Retrieved 2007-09-17. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  5. ^ http://airfleets.net/ageflotte/KLM.htm
  6. ^ Airliner World January 2007
  7. ^ "Uiver verbrand, inzittended gedood", De Telegraaf, vol. 42, no. 15920, p. 1, 21 December 1934{{citation}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  8. ^ De Telegraaf 17 Jul 1935, cited in Heijn (1969)
  9. ^ "DC-3 PH-TCR bij start in Copenhagen verongelukt". Retrieved 2007-10-27.
  10. ^ De Tijd (Netherlands) 24 June 1949, cited in Heijn (1969)
  11. ^ "Constellation "Franeker" stort neer bij Bombay". 2005-12-15. Retrieved 2007-10-27. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ KLM PH-TFF Bangkok Crash
  13. ^ Science News - Danger in the Air

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to KLM.


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