Free seat selection still possible
In addition, passengers with special needs due to physical disabilities will be assigned seats early on in the booking process. KLM will also ensure that families with young children can sit together. Seat selection at check-in, from 30 hours ahead of departure of intercontinental flights, will remain free of charge for all passengers with a standard Economy Class ticket.

Choice and control
With this new approach to seat reservation, KLM can optimally meet the wishes of its passengers. This ties in with KLM’s efforts to offer passengers greater choice and control. Other services that expand passengers’ range of choices include the option of Economy Comfort seating and à-la-carte meals on intercontinental flights.

Full-Flat Seat
The new full-flat seat offers customer optimum comfort. It can be reclined horizontally so the passenger can lie fully flat. The seat position in the cabin and the partition between television screens ensure greater privacy for passengers. There are also storage compartments in the seats beside the passengers and under the television screens. The number of seats in World Business Class will be reduced from 42 to 35 aboard the Boeing 747-400. KLM has chosen the Diamond Seat manufactured by B/E Aerospace.

Design Concept
The guiding principle of new design is to ensure that passengers feel at home on board. That involves a transition from a business-like look to a greater sense of being at home. This has been achieved by using a characteristically warm colour palette, more sustainable materials, and by enhancing personal comfort. The design is timeless, recognisable and unified by the decorative dot patterns that feature on every item.

KLM Blue
Naturally, the new interior features the fresh and recognisable KLM blue. To ensure the sense of comfort on board, Hella Jongerius has blended warmer and darker colours into the existing colour range making the KLM blue sparkle even more. The five new colours are aubergine, dark brown, midnight blue, cobalt and dark grey.

Innovative and Sustainable
Sustainability is another point of focus for KLM in all new developments. The new design therefore had to be innovative as well as sustainable. In meeting this requirement, Hella Jongerius sought new solutions within the existing options available to the airline industry. The carpeting, for instance, was manufactured partly of discarded KLM ladies’ uniforms. KLM recycles all of its discarded carpets in collaboration with carpet manufacturer Desso based on the cradle-to-cradle principle. This is in line with the CSR policy KLM has pursued for years.

July 2013 will see the inaugural flight of the first KLM aircraft with the new interior including the new seat. KLM’s Boeing 747-400 fleet, consisting of 22 aircraft, will be redecorated first. It is expected that the entire 747-fleet will be redecorated by April 2014. Work on KLM’s 15 Boeing 777-200s is planned for the summer of 2014.

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.

Meet & Seat facilitates contact with fellow travellers who have the same background or interests, making air travel even more stimulating for KLM passengers. They can find out whether someone they know will be travelling on the same flight, or discover who else will be attending the same conference in the USA, for example. Through Meet & Seat they might arrange to have a coffee before their flight, select adjoining seats or decide to share a taxi afterwards.

Passengers can only see other Meet & Seat participants after linking their Facebook or LinkedIn profile to their flight. They can decide what personal information from their Facebook or LinkedIn account they would like to share with other passengers.

Meet & Seat is available using Manage My Booking on intercontinental flights only. 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.

KLM Meet & Seat starts with a pilot project on flights from Amsterdam to San Francisco, New York and São Paulo. Shortly afterwards, it will roll out to other intercontinental destinations.