The Kenyan beach destination of Mombasa will be served twice a week, operating Boeing 787-9 equipment. This aircraft type will also be used to operate flights to Orlando in Florida (four times a week) and to the Mexican beach resort of Cancun (three times a week). The Airbus A330 will fly customers to Bridgetown (Barbados, three times a week) and Port of Spain (Trinidad and Tobago, three times a week). The Thai island of Phuket will be served with four flights a week, operating Boeing 777-300 equipment.

Network strategy

During the Covid-19 pandemic, KLM has done everything possible to maintain its network of destinations in order to continue carrying cargo and enabling passengers to travel when necessary – of course, in accordance with the rules and regulations prescribed by both the Dutch government and local authorities. KLM will continue to work closely with the Dutch government to uphold effective and proportionate measures tailored to the situation in the Netherlands and abroad.

This strategy has served KLM well throughout the Covid-19 crisis. With the general situation and outlook now improving, network expansion is back on the agenda, especially within and to regions where recovery will be quickest. The six new destinations fit the bill.

The aim is to offer KLM’s customers the biggest network possible. Network planning must be flexible, enabling KLM to respond quickly to market opportunities. With this expansion, the network of destinations will almost reach its pre-Covid-19 level, only utilising less capacity, and fewer frequencies and aircraft. Once demand increases, we will operate more flights and/or deploy larger aircraft.

Flight schedules

Mombasa will be combined with Nairobi on the return journey to Amsterdam. This also applies to Orlando and Miami. Phuket will be served both to and from Amsterdam via Kuala Lumpur. Bridgetown and Port of Spain will be combined and Cancun will be a non-stop connection.

The flight schedules will be as follows for the six new destinations:

(*) Arrives the next day

All times are local. Flight schedules are subject to change. Check the KLM website or KLM app for the latest details.

Safe and responsible flights

KLM has of course taken all the necessary measures to ensure that its flights are safe for both passengers and staff. For example, facemasks are mandatory when boarding and during the flight, and KLM aircraft undergo extra cleaning. The air on board is swiftly and frequently refreshed using HEPA filters. Because of this package of measures, research agency APEX awarded KLM top status for “health safety”, making it one of the world’s leading airlines in terms of hygiene.

KLM was gradually and responsibly expanding its European and intercontinental network, after the corona crisis had prompted severe restrictions on destinations and frequencies. KLM’s primary aim is to offer customers the widest range of destinations, after which we will consider increasing the number of frequencies or expanding capacity by deploying larger aircraft.

In August, KLM served almost 100% of its European network in terms of destinations, with capacity at approximately 60% compared to pre-corona levels. Effective 25 October 2020, KLM will begin operating daily flights to the Polish city of Poznan.

Intercontinentally, KLM served 80% of its destinations at 60% capacity. At present, a third of these intercontinental flights are carrying cargo only. This means seat capacity is way down. KLM will carry passengers on these flights again as soon as local travel regulations allow.

From the beginning of September, KLM will resume a twice-weekly service to the Chinese city of Hangzhou, flying via Seoul Incheon in South Korea. KLM will also operate a twice-weekly service to Cairo. Riyadh will also be added to the KLM network as a new destination (original start was September 26th, but is now scheduled for December 7th). On 29 October, KLM will also start a circle flight to add Edmonton back to the Canadian network. The flight will depart to Calgary, then call at Edmonton and fly back to Amsterdam.

Slot Waiver 

It is good news that the European Commission has announced the extension of the so-called 'slot waiver' to the entire winter timetable. It will enable KLM to respond more adequately to the rapidly changing market conditions as a result of COVID-19, even during the winter season. In addition to the financial impact, operating less well-filled flights would also be undesirable from a sustainability perspective.

Safety remains our chief priority

KLM has, of course, taken measures to ensure that its flights are safe for passengers and crew. Face masks are compulsory throughout boarding and during the flight. Extra hygiene measures have been taken on board and our aircraft are now cleaned even more thoroughly. The air on board is constantly refreshed with the aid of HEPA filters. For further information about our hygiene measures, please visit updates.klm.com or watch this video: 

https://youtu.be/frPO6b58kcU

Naturally, KLM will make adjustments in response to changing circumstances, whenever new measures are taken in the countries we serve.

The world is within reach for more people. This includes KLM’s new European destinations, as well as Sri Lanka, Costa Rica and Mauritius.

Starting this summer season:

• By popular demand, KLM is increasing the number of flights to London City Airport from 12 to a maximum of 28 each week this summer.
• Malaga is KLM’s sixth non-stop destination in Spain. The other five are Bilbao, Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, and Alicante.
• Cagliari and Catania are the ninth and tenth non-stop destinations in Italy. The other eight are Rome, Florence, Milan Linate, Milan Malpensa, Turin, Venice, Genoa, and Bologna.
• All Boeing aircraft operating on long-haul routes will be furnished with full-flat seats. The World Business Class cabins in all Airbus A330 aircraft are also scheduled for refit. Travellers can expect to see the new World Business Class completed in the course of 2018.
• And, every three months until October 2018, our World Business Class passengers can enjoy new dishes created by leading Dutch chef Jonnie Boer.
• World Business Class passengers can now choose from three different breakfasts – savoury, sweet, or delicious yogurt with granola.

Cracow
Cracow, in southern Poland, has a population of 1.7 million in its greater metropolitan area, making it the country’s second-largest city. It is also one of the country’s oldest cities, so it is an attractive business destination and a charming tourist location. Its historic city centre is on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

Montpellier
Montpellier, situated on the Mediterranean Sea, is the capital of the French region of Languedoc-Roussillon. Montpellier is the eighth-largest city in France and is home to one of Europe’s oldest universities. Montpellier is the ideal holiday destination, a historic, effervescent city with attractions that rank among the most prestigious world heritage sites.

Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and the country’s fifth-largest city after Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary. It is northern Alberta’s largest economic centre and an important location for the gas and petroleum industry.

The AIR FRANCE KLM Network
AIR FRANCE KLM’s worldwide network now consists of 212 destinations served from the hubs at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and Paris Charles de Gaulle.

Belfast is the fourteenth destination in the United Kingdom and the first in Northern Ireland that KLM serves directly. KLM flies to George Best Belfast City Airport. Cracow is KLM’s second direct destination in Poland after Warsaw. Air France also flies to Montpellier both from Charles de Gaulle and Orly in Paris.

The AIR FRANCE KLM Group flies to five destinations in Canada departing from Amsterdam Schiphol and Paris Charles de Gaulle: Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal (operated by KLM and AIR FRANCE), Calgary, and Edmonton (operated by KLM). AIR FRANCE KLM also has a code-share agreement with Canadian carrier WestJet. This offers passengers access to thirty more routes in Canada that connect to the AIR FRANCE KLM network.

Schedule
You can find flight times and frequencies at klm.com.

KLM and Air France will jointly devote special attention to Africa this summer. In addition to Luanda, KLM will also begin operating flights to the Zambian capital Lusaka in May. With the launch of services to Luanda, KLM consolidates its position in Africa. The KLM and Air France hubs now offer even more connections to Luanda, with four weekly services from Paris and Amsterdam to the Angolan capital.

“This region is of great importance in KLM’s sprawling global network. Together with Air France, we hold a strong position in the fast-growing economies of this continent. Together with our partner Kenya Airways, we offer 89 flights a week between Europe and Africa, offering travellers a network that is as seamless as possible,” says Pieter Bootsma, executive vice president of Marketing, Revenue Management & Netwerk.

Luanda will be served twice weekly with an Airbus A330-200 that can accommodate 243 passengers; 30 in World Business Class, 178 in Economy Class, and 35 in Economy Comfort.

From 27 March 2012, flight KL581 will depart from Schiphol on Tuesdays and Fridays at 21.20 hrs, arriving in Luanda at 05.00 hrs the next day. The return flight, KL582, departs from Luanda on Wednesdays and Sundays at 19.00 hrs, arriving in Amsterdam at 04.45 hrs the next day.

Kenya Airways serves 45 African destinations in 36 countries, including Lagos (Nigeria), Accra (Ghana), Johannesburg (South Africa), Luanda (Angola), Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), Lusaka (Zambia), Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of Congo) and Cairo (Egypt).

Erik Varwijk, Managing Director KLM: “The new service was developed in cooperation with our customers. Following its success during the first month, we’re seeing a demand for the service on new routes. Meet & Seat is primarily used by business travellers for networking. The ten new destinations lend themselves perfectly for this.”

About Meet & Seat
Passengers can only see other Meet & Seat participants after linking their Facebook or LinkedIn profiles to their flight. What’s more, they can decide what personal information from their Facebook or LinkedIn accounts they wish to share with other passengers.

Passengers can choose their seat via Manage My Booking from 90 days until 48 hours before departure, and therefore easily make contact with fellow travellers.

Meet & Seat is already available on flights to and from San Francisco, New York and São Paulo. KLM will soon introduce even more intercontinental routes.

Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires and Havana/Punta Cana are also served by Air France. With our dual-hub strategy through Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and Paris Charles de Gaulle, the schedules of Air France and KLM are seamlessly connected. Together, the two airlines operate 17 weekly flights to

Rio de Janeiro, 13 weekly flights to Havana, 10 weekly flights to Buenos Aires, and 7 weekly flights to Punta Cana.