The merger of KLM with Air France in May 2004 created Air France-KLM, which is incorporated under French law with headquarters at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport. Both Air France and KLM continue to fly under their distinct brand names. Air France-KLM is part of the SkyTeam alliance with Aeroflot, Aeroméxico, Air Europa, Alitalia, China Southern Airlines, Czech Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Kenya Airways, Korean Air, TAROM and Vietnam Airlines.
History
Pre World War Two
A 1919 advertisement
KLM was founded on 7 October 1919, making it the oldest carrier in the world still operating under its original name, though the company stopped operating during the Second World War - apart from the operations in the Dutch Antilles in the Caribbean. The first KLM flight was on 17 May 1920, from Croydon Airport, London to Amsterdam carrying two British journalists and a number of newspapers. It was flown by an Aircraft Transport and Travel Airco DH.16, callsign G-EALU, piloted by Jerry Shaw. In 1920 KLM carried 440 passengers and 22 tons of freight. In 1921 KLM started scheduled services.
By 1926 it was offering flights to Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Brussels, Paris, London, Bremen, Copenhagen and Malmö, using primarily Fokker F2 & Fokker F.III.
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, Save 70.0% on select products from BALEAF with promo code 70FKOUX3, through 1/31 while supplies last., Jewellery and Clothes of First Ladies, Intercontinental service to the Netherlands East Indies (today's Republic of Indonesia) started in 1929. This was for several years the world's longest scheduled air route. The service used Fokker F.VIIb, although the first non-scheduled KLM flight had been in 1924 by Fokker F7 registration H-NACC piloted by Van der Hoop. In 1930 KLM carried 15,143 passengers. The Douglas DC-2 was introduced on the Batavia service in 1934.
The first transatlantic KLM route was between Amsterdam and Curaçao in December 1934 using the Fokker F-XVIII "Snip." The first of the airline's Douglas DC-3 aircraft were delivered in 1936 and these replaced the DC-2s on the service via Batavia to Sydney. KLM were the first airline to serve Manchester's new Ringway airport from June 1938. KLM was the only civilian airline to operate the Douglas DC-5, using four examples in the Dutch East and West Indies between May 1940 and late 1941.
The 1940s and 1950s
On 21 May 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 DC-7C - the last KLM aircraft with piston engines - which opened the first trans-polar route from Amsterdam via Anchorage to Tokyo on 1 November 1958. Each crew flying the transpolar route over the Arctic was equipped with a winter survival kit, including a 7.62 mm selective-fire AR-10 carbine for use against polar bears in the event the plane was forced down onto the polar ice.
The 1960s and 1970s
In March 1960, KLM introduced the first Douglas DC-8 jet into its fleet. In 1966, KLM introduced the Douglas DC-9 on European and Middle East routes. The new terminal buildings at Schiphol Airport opened in April 1967 and in 1968, the Douglas DC-8-63 entered service. With 244 seats it was the largest airliner of the time. KLM was the first airline to put the higher gross-weight Boeing 747-200B into service in February 1971 with Pratt & Whitney JT9D engines, beginning the era of widebody jets.
1980 to date
In 1980, KLM carried 9,715,069 passengers. In 1983, it reached agreement with Boeing to convert some of its Boeing 747-200s to stretched upper deck configuration. The work started in 1984 at the Boeing factory in Everett, Washington and finished in 1986. The converted aircraft were called Boeing 747-200SUD, which the airline operated in addition to Boeing 747-300s. In June 1989, KLM introduced the Boeing 747-400. Later that year, in July, KLM acquired 20 per cent of Northwest Airlines, starting an alliance between the two airlines. In 1990, KLM carried 16,000,000 passengers. In March 1994, KLM and Northwest Airlines introduced World Business Class on intercontinental routes, and, in July 1995, KLM introduced its Boeing 767-300ER.
Wikinews has related news: European airlines question flight bans
In March and June 2002, KLM announced it would renew 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. Some 747s will be first to retire. The MD-11s will remain in service until 2014/2015. The first Boeing 777 was received on 25 October 2003, entering commercial service on the Amsterdam–Toronto route, while the first Airbus A330-200 was introduced on 25 August 2005 and entered commercial service on the Amsterdam–Washington Dulles route.
PH-BXA, a Boeing 737-800 aircraft painted in a retro livery
In March 2007 KLM started using the Amadeus reservation system, along with partner Kenya Airways.
In September 2010 KLM announced that the passenger division of Martinair would be integrated within KLM. All personnel and routes will be transferred to KLM. By November 2011 Martinair will only consist of the cargo division and the maintenance division.
Corporate organisation
A KLM Cityhopper Fokker 70 lands at Leeds Bradford Airport, England
KLM is listed on the stock exchanges of Amsterdam, New York and Paris.
Subsidiaries:
KLM Cityhopper (formerly: NLM CityHopper)
KLM Cargo
KLM flight academy
KLM Engineering & Maintenance
Kenya Airways (26%)
Martinair
transavia.com
Former subsidiaries:
KLM Helicopters
KLM UK was a KLM subsidiary until merged with KLM Cityhopper.
KLM alps
Buzz, the low-cost airline of KLM UK
KLM exel, a commuter airline.
KLM Asia, a Taiwanese-registered subsidiary
De Kroonduif was a KLM subsidiary and the was the national carrier of Netherlands New Guinea between 1955 and 1963
KLM Asia
KLM Asia Boeing 747-400 Combi registration PH-BFC "City of Calgary"
KLM Asia (荷蘭亞洲航空公司 Hanyu Pinyin: Hélán Yàzhōu Hángkōng Gōngsī) was 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 the traffic rights held by KLM for destinations in the People's Republic of China. KLM Asia is no longer in operation but its aircraft still fly in the KLM Asia livery.
The livery of KLM Asia does not feature Dutch national symbols, such as the Flag of the Netherlands, nor does it use KLM's stylised Dutch Crown logo, instead featuring a special KLM Asia logo. KLM Asia has 6 Boeing 747-400 Combi aircraft (included in the KLM fleet as 747-400M).
Merger
Air France-KLM
On 30 September 2003, Air France and KLM announced that they would in future be known as Air France-KLM. This entity was offered on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange on 5 May 2004. The merge with Air France marked the end of the oldest independent airline in the world. The Royal adjective was retained, and KLM's independent identity guaranteed to 2008, after which date its operations may be merged with those of the French company. As of November 2010, KLMs operations continued under its own titles. In the interim, it did not appear that KLM's longstanding joint venture with Northwest Airlines (since merged with Delta Air Lines), would be affected. Both KLM and Northwest joined the SkyTeam alliance in September 2004.
Presidents - CEOs
KLM Airbus A330-200 at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport
Albert Plesman (1919—1953)
Fons Aler (1953—1961)
Ernst van der Beugel (1961—1963)
Horatius Albarda (1963—1965)
Gerrit van der Wal (1965— 1973)
Sergio Orlandini (1973—1987)
Jan de Soet (1987—1991)
Pieter Bouw (1991—1997)
L. M. van Wijk (1997—2007)
Peter Hartman (2007—present)
Head office
KLM company head office in Amstelveen
KLM's head office is in Amstelveen, on a 16-acre (6.5 ha) site near Schiphol Airport. By 1968 KLM decided that its new head office would be located there and began plans to construct the building, scheduled to be completed at the end of 1970.Previously the airline's head office was on the property of Schiphol Airport in Haarlemmermeer.
KLM Delft Blue houses
Selection of KLM Delft Blue Houses
Since 1952, KLM has presented its long-haul first-class passengers with small Delftware, blue-and-white porcelain reproductions of old Dutch canal houses, filled with jenever. In 1993, amidst the change-over from three to two cabins on its long-haul service, these canal houses (in Dutch, "huisjes") were made available to its "WorldBusiness Class" passengers.
Initially, these houses, ranging in size from 5 to 11 cm. (about 2 to 4 inches) were filled with Rynbende jenever (a Dutch liquor and precursor to gin made from juniper berries); once Rynbende (Simon Rynbende & Sons) was acquired by Henkes, the houses were filled with Henkes jenever, and, when that company was acquired by Bols, they became filled with Bols jenever.
The impetus for these houses was a rule aimed at curtailing a previously widespread practice of offering significant incentives to passengers by limiting the value of gifts given by airlines to 75 US cents; however, no limit was placed on the provisions of duty-free liquor, so KLM was able to provide this more-valuable gift, camouflaged as liquor. Prior to giving out these Delft-blue liquor-filled houses, KLM gave Delft-blue tiles as gifts, but these tiles broke the 75 cent limits.
There are 90 different houses as of 2009, with an additional house added every year on the 7th of October; this being the anniversary of KLM's founding (KLM, the world's oldest commercial airline, being 90 years old in 2009), each numbered and representing the number of years KLM has been in operation. Each year, a new house receives the next sequential number. All houses are reproductions of historic houses in the Netherlands or its overseas dependencies, although the specific location of every archetype of some of the first ten huisjes was not recorded.
In addition to the 90 standard houses, sealed and filled with jenever (with numerous variations on the wording on the bottom or back of the houses in different manufacturing batches and with different jenever manufacturer names), there are variants that are not filled with gin, which are distributed to passengers on certain long-haul flights to Islamic countries who forbid import or export of liquor. In 2006 when, in response to terrorist activities, liquids were banned or restricted on various flights, KLM's trans-Atlantic flights to the United States briefly also offered the same liquor-free huisjes. Until the early 1980s, the houses distributed on those routes were packaged as "ashtrays" with an open chimney and a semi-circular hole cut into the rear of the house, ostensibly for a cigarette.
Additional, larger, special Delftware have periodically been offered to VIPs and honeymoon couples; for most of the 1980s and 1990s, this was a model of the Royal Palace; since 2003, this was the "Waag". These are particularly prized by collectors and at auctions they are often valued at about $1000.
Destinations and routes
KLM destinations
KLM is the only carrier on 61 of the routes it operates, representing 45% of its ASKs from the airport. On around 10% of flights (14 routes) it faces competition from two other airlines. Eight of these routes are within Europe - Barcelona, Copenhagen, Helsinki, London-Heathrow, Milan-Malpensa, Oslo-Gardermoen, Prague and Vienna; the other six are Aruba, Bangkok, Curaçao, Taipei, Toronto and Tripoli.
KLM is currently in the midst of major fleet renewal programme. All the Boeing 737-300/-400s are being replaced by newer Boeing 737-700/-800s. The last Boeing 737-700/-800 will be delivered in 2011. Hereafter, KLM is seeking new aircraft to replace the long-serving MD-11 aircraft. Air France-KLM has sent out requests for proposals for 100 aircraft of the type A350 and Boeing 787 to replace these MD-11 aircraft (along with the A340s and older 747-400s of Air France). This replacement is projected to start in 2014. The Boeing customer code for KLM is 06.
KLM offers business class and economy class on all of its aircraft. On longhaul aircraft, a third class called 'comfort economy class' is offered. On shorthaul aircraft, Business Class is called Europe Select, while on longhaul aircraft Business Class is called World Business Class.
World Business Class
Boeing 777-200ER old style World Business Class
World Business Class offers a 60 inch pitch on all longhaul aircraft. All aircraft offer a 176 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. KLM's newest addition to the fleet, the Boeing 777-300ER features the new Business Class seats based on the Business seats of merger partner Air France. All WBC seats offer personal reading lamps, leg/foot rests and personal telephones (at the back of the controller)
Pre-departure facilities include a fully flexible reservation (except WBC Holiday Fare which may have restrictions) check-in desks, lounge access, priority boarding and 125% to 175% Flying Blue miles. Onboard, passengers are given a three course meal with menus, pre-departure beverages and snacks, which are available throughout the flight.
Europe Select
Europe Select, KLM's premium product on shorter sectors. It offers 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.
Economy Class
Boeing 777-200ER Economy Class
Economy Class offers a 31" pitch on all long haul aircraft except the Airbus A330-200, which offers a 32" pitch.
Boeing 777-300ER Economy Class
On short haul European flights on KLM and KLM Cityhopper, aircraft have no in flight entertainment and contains a 31" seatpitch. Passengers flying Economy Class long-haul routes outside of Europe receive a hot meal service (often more than one depending on the flight duration), with real metal cutlery. Passengers flying within Europe in KLM Economy Class receive a snack to suit the time of day. Freshly prepared sandwiches made the day of flight are served on most morning flights. Drinks (including alcohol) are free on KLM for all passengers, with the exception of champagne.
In 2010, KLM has refurbished the interior of its 747 fleet (the whole wide-body fleet is refurbished). This update includes AVOD/PTV in Economy Class with a private screen for each seat and inflight information. KLM's 747-400s and 777-300ERs economy seating are ten-abreast (3-4-3) for the majority of the fleet, the 777-200ERs and MD-11s are nine-abreast (3-3-3), while the A330s are eight abreast (2-4-2). The majority of the 777-300ERs economy seating are nine-abreast (3-3-3) however.
Economy Comfort Class
Economy Comfort Class is offered only on intercontinental flights. It provides a greater seat pitch, up to 35" and greater recline, up to 7", than regular economy seats, but the same luggage allowance and in-flight service applies. There is no priority (dis-)embarking, but since the Economy Comfort zone is located in the front of the aircraft, KLM does advertise quick disembarkation as an advantage of Economy Comfort Class. It can be reserved by any passenger holding any economy class ticket, but a fee may apply.
Codeshare agreements
As of September 2010, KLM has codeshare agreements with the following airlines, besides all SkyTeam members:
KLM SkyTeam alliance (2004-present) and "Worldwide Reliability" Northwest Airlines alliance (1993-2002) logos
KLM codeshares (A-I)
Airline
Aer Lingus (AMS-DUB)
Air Astana (Europe and Asia routes)
Alaska Airlines (Routes in USA and Canada)
CityJet (part of Air France-KLM group, Europe routes)
Comair (oneworld affiliate member, South-Africa domestic routes)
Copa Airlines (future Star Alliance member, Americas routes)
Cyprus Airways (AMS-LCA/PFO)
KLM codeshares (J-Z)
Airline
Estonian Air (Estonia, Europe, North Africa, Arabian States and Mediterranean routes)
Garuda Indonesia (future SkyTeam member, Indonesia, Asia, South West Pacific and Middle East routes)
Gulf Air (Pakistan/Oman routes)
KLM Cityhopper (Regional arm of KLM)
Malaysia Airlines (AMS-KUL)
Meridiana (AMS-FLR) until March 27 2011
Rossiya (Russia, CIS, Europe and Asia routes)
Thalys (High Speed Train)
Ukraine International Airlines (AMS-KBP)
Incidents and accidents
For sourcing and full list of accidents from 1943 see:Aviation safety database
This list does not include KLM cityhopper, which had two accidents accident involving fatalities in 1994.
The most notable accident in which a KLM flight has been involved was the 1977 Tenerife disaster. After this accident KLM flights have not led to fatalities.
Accidents involving fatalities
On 20 December 1934, KLM Douglas DC-2, PH-AJU "Uiver" crashed at Rutbah Wells, Iraq, killing all occupants. It participated in the Mac Robertson Air Race in October 1934 and won the handicap division. It had returned to the Netherlands in November and the crew were heroes. It was on its first flight after return from the race and was enroute to the Netherlands Indies carrying the Christmas mail.
On 14 July 1935, KLM Fokker F.XXII PH-AJQ "Kwikstaart" crashed and burned just outside Schiphol, killing four crew and two passengers - 14 other occupants survived.
On 20 July 1935, KLM Douglas DC-2, PH-AKG "Gaai" crashed in an Alpine pass in the San Bernardino Pass near Pian San Giacomo, killing all three crew and all ten passengers.
On 9 December 1936, KLM Douglas DC-2, PH-AKL crashed into a house after taking off from Croydon Airport, London the accident killed 15 out of 17 on board the DC-2 (see 1936 KLM Croydon accident)
On 28 December 1941, KNILM Douglas DC-3, PK-ALN (formerly KLM PH-ALN) "Nandoe" was destroyed on the ground by Japanese fighters at Medan, North Sumatra, Dutch East Indies, killing all crew members and passengers.
On 1 June 1943, the BOAC Douglas DC-3 (formerly KLM PH-ALI) "Ibis" was shot down by eight German Junkers Ju-88 fighters over the Gulf of Biskay while on the scheduled route Lisbon-Bristol. All thirteen passengers and four KLM crewmembers perished. For more information see: BOAC Flight 777.
On 14 November 1946 - A KLM Douglas C-47 crashed at Schiphol Airport, caused by a failed landing in bad weather. All 21 passengers and the 5 crew were killed. One passenger was the Dutch writer Herman de Man.
On 26 January 1947, KLM Douglas Dakota PH-TCR crashed after takeoff from Copenhagen, killing all 22 onboard, including Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden.
On 20 October 1948, KLM Lockheed Constellation PH-TEN "Nijmegen" crashed near Prestwick, Scotland, killing all 40 aboard.
On 23 June 1949, KLM Lockheed Constellation PH-TER "Roermond", piloted by Hans Plesman (the son of CEO Albert Plesman) crashed into the sea off Bari, killing 33 occupants.
On 12 July 1949, KLM Lockheed Constellation PH-TDF "Franeker" crashed into a 674 ft Ghatkopar hill near Bombay, India, killing all 45 aboard. Thirteen of the dead were American news correspondents.
On 22 March 1952, a KLM Douglas DC-7 PH-TBJ crashed in Frankfurt, killing 42 of 47 occupants
On 23 August 1954; a KLM Douglas DC-6B, PH-DFO "Willem Bontekoe", crashed between Shannon and Schiphol in the North Sea, 40 km from IJmuiden - all 21 passengers and crew died.
On 5 September 1954, Flight 633, a Lockheed Super Constellation, PH-LKY ditched in the River Shannon after takeoff from Shannon Airport, Ireland. 28 out of 56 people on board (46 passengers and 10 crew) were killed.
In 1957, a KLM Super Constellation PH-LKT crashed in the sea near Biak, after takeoff from Mokmer airport at Biak on its way to Manila. The pilot made a low farewell flypass over the island, but the aircraft lost altitude, crashed into the sea and exploded. Nine crew and 49 passengers died; there were 10 survivors. See KLM Flight 844.
On 14 August 1958, KLM Flight 607-E, a Lockheed Super Constellation, PH-LKM en route from Amsterdam to New York, via Shannon Airport, crashed into the ocean 180 km off the coast of Co. Galway, Ireland. 91 passengers and 8 crew members perished.
On 27 March 1977, Flight 4805, a Boeing 747-206B, PH-BUF, and Pan Am Flight 1736, a Boeing 747-121, N736PA, collided at Tenerife North Airport, Canary Islands, killing 583 people. The incident has the highest number of on-board fatalities (excluding ground fatalities) of any single accident in aviation history.
Notable incidents without fatalities
On 17 July 1935, KLM DC-2 PH-AKM "Maraboe" crashed near Bushehr, Iran. All occupants were rescued.
On 6 November 1946, KLM Douglas DC-3 PH-TBO crashed near Shere as the flight was on approach to Croydon Airport after a flight from Amsterdam. None of the 20 passengers and crew were killed in the accident.
On 23 March 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.
On 25 November 1973, KLM Flight 861, a Boeing 747-206B, PH-BUA "Mississippi" was hijacked above Iraq by Palestinian terrorists. The plane took off in Amsterdam and was bound for Tokyo. After 70 ours the plane made its final landing in Dubai. The passengers were released earlier in Malta. Everyone survived the hijack.
On 15 December 1989, KLM Flight 867, a Boeing 747-400, PH-BFC flew through a volcanic plume causing nearly US$80 million worth of damage to the then brand-new aircraft. The plane landed in Anchorage, Alaska, with no reported injuries or fatalities.
On 28 November 2004, KLM Flight 1673, a Boeing 737-400, PH-BTC had a birdstrike upon rotation from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. The plane continued onwards to Barcelona International Airport, where the nose gear collapsed. No injuries or casualties; the aircraft was written off.
Corporate responsible issues
Alleged support to Nazi war criminals
KLM has been accused of helping Nazi war criminals to escape from Europe at the end of the Second World War. Suspected war criminals were forbidden by the Allies to leave Germany but historical research done by Dutch journalists show that KLM asked the Swiss authorities to allow some former Nazi to cross the borders without proper documents in order that they could then escape to South America. KLM has always denied that it played such a role.
Philanthropy
KLM started KLM AirCares in 1999. KLM AirCares is a programme that aids underprivileged children in developing countries that KLM flies to
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