IRAN: Air France Plane Landed Safely After Declaring Emergency And Going Off Radar Over Iran.

The flight from Paris to Mumbai was tracked on radar flying through Europe and into western Asia before disappearing over central Iran.

It started to descend unexpectedly over Isfahan.

The pilot issued a '7700 squawk', which indicates a general emergency before it lost contact, it was reported.

The plane left Paris at 11:21am and was due to arrive in Mumbai at midnight.

Panic began on social media with the news of the planes disappearance.

One Twitter user wrote: "Just disappeared off the map, any updates?"


Tourism Observer

EUROPE: Important Plane Crashes

A Germanwings Airbus A320 crashed into the French Alps on March 24, 2015 during a flight from Barcelona to Dusseldorf. All 144 passengers and six crew members were killed. A co-pilot with mental problems intentionally crashed the plane.

Rebels in eastern Ukraine were accused of shooting down Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 on July 17, 2014 during a flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur.

All 298 people on board died, 193 of them Dutch. A Dutch investigation found pro-Russian rebels shot the plane down with a Buk surface-to-air missile launched from separatist territory in eastern Ukraine.

A Polish air force plane carrying President Lech Kaczynski crashed near the Russian airport of Smolensk on April 10, 2010. A Russian and Polish investigation found pilot error during landing in thick fog caused the crash that killed more than 90 people.

Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the twin brother of Lech and leader of the ruling PiS, suggested the crash was a political assassination.

An Air France flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris crashed in the Atlantic on June 1, 2009, killing all 228 people on board.

It took nearly two years for the black box to be recovered from the bottom of the ocean. The investigation found a combination of technical and pilot error caused the crash.

A Spanair MD-82 plane crashed after take-off from Madrid airport on August 20, 2008, killing 154 people.

Surprisingly, 18 people survived the crash and subsequent fire. The crash was caused by an improper flap and slat configuration and a failure of the pilots to follow a pre-flight checklist.

A Russian passenger plane operated by Pulkovo Aviation Enterprise crashed near the eastern Ukraine city of Donetsk on August 22, 2006, killing all 170 people aboard. The plane was flying from St. Petersburg to the Black Sea resort of Anapa.

A Helios Airways flight from Cyprus crashed on August 14, 2005 near its destination Athens, killing all 121 on board. The crash was caused by a loss of cabin pressurization that immobilized the crew. The plane flew on autopilot until it ran out of fuel and crashed.

On October 8, 2001 a Scandinavian Airlines MD-87 airliner collided with a small Cessna on take-off from Milan's Linate Airport. All 114 people on the SAS and Cessna aircraft were killed, as were four people on the ground. The accident happened in thick fog. The SAS plane crashed into a hangar.

On July 25, 2000 a Air France Concorde flight from Paris to New York crashed two minutes after take-off, killing 109 people on board and four people on the ground.

The crash was caused by the Concorde running over a piece of debris on the runway, which sent tire debris into part of the fuel tank that burst into flames.


Tourism Observer

IRAN: Airlines Flee Iran Airspace

Airlines were facing low profitability even before returning sanctions took a toll on the country's currency.

Iranians reacted with anger and frustration to the news that British Airways will suspend its service to Iran from September 23. Soon after, news came that Air France would axe its service on September 18.

Some Iranians expressed a feeling of being imprisoned in the country as they learned that international airlines were leaving Iran.

Hamid Baeidinejad, Iran’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom, responded to British Airway’s withdrawal more pragmatically, noting his hope that Iran Air, with its three weekly direct flights to London, can seize the opportunity and fill the gap.

The news appears to reflect further instances of multinational companies withdrawing from Iran in the face of returning US sanctions while bowing to the political pressure exerted by the Trump administration.

Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu took this view, stating about the withdrawals, That’s good. More should follow, more will follow, because Iran should not be rewarded for its aggression in the region.

But the airlines have communicated that commercial and not political factors were paramount in the decision to withdraw. The British Airways statement described their London to Tehran route as currently not commercially viable.

Air France echoed poor commercial viability. KLM has pointed to negative results and financial outlook.” Some Iranians, observing regularly full flights, have questioned the honesty of these statements.

The executive’s account provides a more precise picture of why numerous airlines have determined that flying to Tehran is no longer commercially viable.

These claims are not a fig leaf for politically motivated decisions, nor attempts to downplay legal barriers posed by returning sanctions which are minimal.

Instead, over the last few months, larger economic forces arose that made routes operating at high passenger loads unattractive, at least relative to the option of redeploying aircraft other routes worldwide.

The influx of international carriers into Iran led to increased competition. Such competition depressed airfares in the short term. Airlines knew that it would be difficult to become profitable quickly and had expected to wait at least two years in order to break even, the executive explains. But by early 2018, the break-even point remained out of reach.

International carriers had expected that the growth in business and tourist travel to and from Iran would boost demand and help drive airfares upward over time.

But the stalling post-sanctions economic recovery, slowed in part by President Trump’s decision to decertify the Iran nuclear deal in October as well as domestic factors, meant that the projected growth in passenger numbers was failing to materialize.

In response, as the first quarter of this year came to a close, most international carriers active in Iran began to plan reductions in their service in order to better match supply with demand.

Austrian Airlines pursued a realignment of the airline’s portfolio by suspending flights to Esfahan and Shiraz. KLM planned to suspend its flights and Air France opted to run a reduced service after switching the operation of the Paris-Tehran route to Joon, a subsidiary.

British Airways likewise planned to reduce the frequency of its flights.

These adjustments should have enabled the international airlines to increase airfares in the market by addressing oversupply, bringing profitability back within reach for the sector.

But the adjustments coincided with President Trump’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal and an acceleration in Iran’s currency crisis.

The falling value of the rial had two important effects on international airlines. First, it significantly decreased demand. Not only were airfares more expensive as the purchasing power of the rial declined, but Iranians were also struggling to get reliable access to the hard currency they need in order to spend freely when abroad.

Majid Nejad, CEO of Alibaba.ir, Iran’s leading online travel website, said compared with the same period last year, bookings to foreign destinations from Iran have fallen by half.

Second, as the rial lost value, the revenues accrued by international airlines in Iran also lost value. In order to mitigate the foreign exchange risk, some international airlines began to market tickets locally only at the highest booking classes, an airline industry price categorization.

Those few Iranians with access to foreign banks cards could still purchase tickets at any booking class online, accessing cheaper fares. Nonetheless, the move to increase prices hit demand.

But even if higher fares could protect revenues from devaluation in the short-term, the airlines faced long-standing issues around repatriation of revenues.

Last week, the Iranian Civil Aviation Organization announced that international airlines would need to buy euros at the market rate, contradicting an earlier assurance provided by the Central Bank of Iran that foreign currency would be available to the airlines at the lower government exchange rate.

The executive notes that a lack of clear communication from the central bank and aviation authority proved one of the most frustrating aspects of the whole episode.

In any case, airlines struggled to convert their rial holdings into foreign currency at whatever the rate.

The airlines executive believes that when airlines sought to convert their rial holdings in accounts at banks such as Saman Bank and Parsian Bank, the central bank failed to make the foreign currency available because they either did not have sufficient foreign currency on hand or were opting to build up reserves for more critical industries like the pharmaceutical sector.

As rial-denominated revenues languished in Iran, airlines saw their losses mount, and the routes were no longer commercially viable.

For context, the executive impresses that business is good in the aviation industry worldwide right now and that for airline executive committees dealing with the headache of operating in Iran, the option to simply reassign an aircraft and flight crew to another more profitable route became increasingly appealing.

For now, Lufthansa and Alitalia are continuing their services to Iran. For these European holdouts, the withdrawal of their competitors could offer a reprieve, reducing competition and perhaps helping to stabilize airfares.

European governments, which have been actively involved in the challenges faced by their national carriers since January, remain politically supportive. Of course, Iran Air will benefit.

Iran’s national carrier announced route expansions in May in an effort to win back market share from the international players.

No doubt, sanctions contributed to the withdrawal of international airlines out of Iran, but not for the political or legal reasons readily assumed.

Rather, international airlines would have persisted in their service to Iranian destinations, emboldened by political support from European governments, had it not been for the intractable issues surrounding commercial viability.

While the withdrawal from Iran essentially came down to fundamental commercial calculations, the executive makes sure to relay that the decision to cease operating in Iran was nonetheless difficult to make.

In his words, nothing was more painful than how deeply unfair the whole situation is for our team members in Iran. Like many other young and talented Iranians, those let go by the international carriers will be wondering what next.


Tourism Observer

POLAND: Wrocław A Cultural City Is New KLM Destination

From 6 May 2019, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines will expand its network to include the Polish city of Wrocław. The service will be operated with an Embraer 175, which has a maximum capacity of 88 passengers. This lively university city will be KLM's fourth destination in Poland.

Wrocław lies in the west of Poland and has much to offer travellers. In 2016 it was Cultural Capital of Europe.

The addition of Wrocław to our network strengthens KLM's position as an important player in the central European market. Wrocław is also a new destination for Mainport Schiphol and thereby an expansion of Schiphol's network.

The city of Wrocław has a population of more than 600,000 and is Poland's fourth largest city. Wrocław is KLM's fourth destination in Poland after Warsaw, Krakow, and Gdansk.

Air France began operating a service to Wrocław's Copernicus Airport this summer. Wrocław is a lively university city where trade and industry flourish. It has a beautiful old market square, which is lined by pastel-coloured buildings housing cafes and restaurants.

KLM will operate a daily service from Schiphol to Wrocław using Embraer 175 equipment. This aircraft has 20 business class seats, an Economy Comfort zone with 8 seats, and 60 Economy Class seats.

- KL1271 departs Amsterdam Schiphol at 11.50 hours and arrives at Copernicus Airport Wrocław at 13.35 hours.

- KL1272 departs Wrocław at 14:05 hours and arrives at Schiphol at 15.55 hours.


Tourism Observer

IRAN: Air France and British Airways Stop Flights To Tehran

Air France made it’s last flight to Tehran on September 18th. Air France cut the number of frequencies to Tehran on August 1, announcing that it would fly only once in a week instead of 3.

British Airways will close route 4 days after Air France on September 22nd with a return trip on the 23rd.

British Airways and Air France are following suit of KLM, which announced last month that it would suspend flights from Amsterdam to Iran in September.

Both airlines are issuing statements that the routes are no longer commercially viable.

As the number of business customers flying to Iran has fallen, the connection is not profitable anymore, said a spokesperson for Air France.

However, speculation that the airlines are simply giving in to political pressure after the United States pulled out of the nuclear agreement with Iran and reimposed sanctions on Iran.

After the sanctions were originally reimposed in early August, Airbus and ATR stopped their deliveries to Iran Air, Iran’s national carrier.

Air France, KLM, and British Airways originally restarted their routes to Tehran in 2015 after the nuclear deal was originally struck.

British Airways is offering refunds to passengers affected or offering to rebook passengers with other carriers.

Air France has, in recent times, transferred their Theran route to their subsidiary, JOON.

Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Germania, Alitalia, and Turkish Airlines are some of the European airlines still operating their routes to Tehran. None of them have provided any indication that they plan to cut their flights as well.


Tourism Observer

USA: United Goes Nonstop To Tahiti

United announced that it will fly between San Francisco International Airport and Papeete, the capital of Tahiti, in 2018.

United will operate nonstop service, three times weekly with Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft between SFO and Fa’a’ā International Airport (PPT), beginning Oct. 30, 2018, through March 28, 2019, subject to government approval.

United’s announcement comes on the heels of French Blue, a new Paris based airline, announcing its intentions to fly between San Francisco and Tahiti starting in May 2018.

However, our contacts at SFO say that they have not heard officially from the airline yet.

Currently, the only non-stop service to Tahiti from the U.S. mainland is out of Los Angeles on Air Tahiti Nui and Air France with economy fares in the $1,300 roundtrip range. Hawaiian Airlines also flies once a week between Honolulu and Papeete.

Until now, one stop fares from SFO via LAX have been in the $1,500.

A quick search on United’s site today showed SFO-PPT fares of $1,467 roundtrip in the first week of Oct 2018.

Searching for mileage redemptions, the cheapest we could find for October flights was 160,000 round trip.

Before this announcement, United Mileage Plus members did not have an easy way to fly to Tahiti using their miles.

Here’s the San Francisco – Papeete schedule, which still requires government approval.

Flight time between SFO and PPT is about nine hours. It is about 4,200 miles from SFO to PPT each way.

Tahiti is part of French Polynesia, which is located on the eastern side of the International Date Line, so flights arrive on the same day they depart, not two days later as they do when flying to Asia.

United says Tahiti is the “South Pacific’s gateway to more than 118 islands in French Polynesia including Bora Bora, Moorea, the Marquesas and Raiatea.


Tourism Observer

FRANCE: Air France And Qantas Re Establish Codeshare Agreement

Qantas and Air France have renewed its codesharing agreement on May 23, offering further connectivity between Europe and Australia via Asia.

Flights are available to book from June 5 for travel starting July 20, 2018.

Air France will add its flight codes to Qantas Flights between Hong Kong, and Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane as well as between Singapore (SIN) and Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Perth.

The French carrier’s customers will also be able to access codesharing services from Sydney to five cities across Australia’s domestic network: Canberra, Hobart, Adelaide, Cairns, and Darwin.

In return, Qantas will add its code to flights operated by Air France between Singapore, Hong Kong, and Paris-CDG, as a continuation of connections between Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, and Perth.

The new agreement will let the two carriers come together and codeshare onto as many as 200 flights per week.

Air France’s eligible customers can also use the Qantas lounged in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Australia.

Likewise, Qantas’ eligible customers are now able to use Air France lounges in Paris, Hong Kong, and Singapore.

We are very pleased to be re-establishing a partnership with Qantas, said Patrick Alexandre, EVP Commercial Sales, and Alliances at Air France-KLM.

Thanks to this agreement, the Air France-KLM group will be able to offer one of the best possible travel solutions for its customers from Europe to Australia, he added.

This new cooperation confirms our group’s desire to expand in the Asia-Pacific region, said Alexandre.

Alison Webster, CEO of Qantas, added that “this is great news for our customers who want to travel to Europe via Asia, giving them another option to get to Paris and more opportunities to earn Frequent Flyer Points.”

Despite the fact that Qantas and Air France are members of different alliances, the opportunity to earn miles on these codeshare flights is now possible.

The return of this popular codeshare delivers on our strategy of partnering to provide customers with access to an expanded network and more seamless travel experiences wherever they want to fly, Alison Webster says.

With the carrier recently expanding its presence out of London with direct flights to Perth on its brand-new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, Europe is finally at direct reach for the Australian carrier.

Through this codeshare with Air France, Australian customers will now have a more seamless experience.


Tourism Observer

FRANCE: Air France And bmi Codeshare On Bristol To Paris Flights.

Today, Air France and bmi will announce a brand new codeshare partnership on bmi’s Bristol to Paris service.

Beginning travel from 14th May 2018, the partnership will provide customers from Bristol Airport with access to 25 French cities via Air France’s hub at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport.

The news comes less than a month after bmi announced that it would be increasing the frequency of its Paris CDG service from its Bristol hub.

The airline currently flies twice daily between Bristol and Paris but, in response to demand from customers, will be adding a further flight three times a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays as of 14 May 2018.

As well as opening up new destinations to the South West and South Wales, the move strengthens both airlines’ network presence at Bristol Airport and is also expected to benefit inbound tourism.

Access to even more destinations from the convenience of their local airport.

Benedicte Duval, general manager for Air France KLM in UK & Ireland said, This new codeshare agreement is excellent news for our customers in the South West.

Both business and leisure passengers will now benefit from the enhanced opportunity of connecting to a range of exciting destinations across France via our hub at Paris Charles de Gaulle.

From the fashionable Cote d’Azur to the picturesque vineyards of Bordeaux, this new partnership improves connectivity and offers customers access to even more destinations from the convenience of their local airport.

A comprehensive network of strategic airline partnerships.

Jochen Schnadt, chief commercial officer of bmi, said our new codeshare enables customers from across the South West to book through-tickets with Air France to 25 cities across France.

With up to three daily services to Paris Charles de Gaulle, bmi provides seamless and convenient access to France.

This is yet another step for bmi in building a comprehensive network of strategic airline partnerships.

This new partnership delivers additional connectivity for the South West and South Wales region, enabling even more people to fly straight from their local airport.

As well as offering French corporate and leisure customers the advantage of superior access to Bristol, the South West of England and Wales.

Passengers wishing to fly from Bristol Airport to Air France destinations within France via Paris Charles de Gaulle are able to book at www.airfrance.co.uk


Tourism Observer

NETHERLANDS: KLM Suffers Severe Turbulence On A Flight To Amsterdam Injuring 4

KLM Boeing 777, performing flight from Atlanta to Amsterdam, was enroute over the Atlantic Ocean when the aircraft suffered severe turbulence causing injuries to two passengers and two flight attendants.

After assessment of the injuries the crew decided to continue the flight to Amsterdam, descending towards Amsterdam the crew requested medical assistance available at landing advising there was one should injury and one wheelchair being needed for transport.

The aircraft landed safely in Amsterdam. The injured were provided with medical care at Amsterdam.

The aircraft departed for the next flight about 5.5 hours after landing.

Also Air France-KLM has agreed to waive surcharges for leisure and corporate customers that book through Expedia Group brands Expedia, Ebookers and Egencia.

As of April 1, Air France-KLM added an €11 fee for each one-way flight segment not booked directly with its airlines – Air France, KLM and Hop.

This agreement waives that fee in all European markets, including the United Kingdom and Switzerland.

Expedia Group says the agreement is part of a collaborative effort by Air France-KLM and selected GDS partners to integrate IATA’s New Distribution Capabilities (NDC) technology standard.

Last week Travelport and Amadeus also signed deals with Air France-KLM to allow their customers to access the airlines’ content without paying the surcharge.

Air France-KLM announced the fee in November, saying it will cover the cost difference between flights booked through a global distribution system and those booked directly with the carrier.

IAG's British Airways and Iberia implemented a fee for GDS bookings last fall, and Lufthansa added a similar surcharge in September 2015.

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, legally Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij N.V., is the flag carrier airline of the Netherlands. KLM is headquartered in Amstelveen, with its hub at nearby Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.

It is part of the Air France–KLM group, and is a member of the SkyTeam airline alliance. KLM was founded in 1919; it is the oldest airline in the world still operating under its original name and had 35,488 employees as of 2015. KLM operates scheduled passenger and cargo services to 145 destinations.

On 30 September 2003, Air France and KLM agreed to a merger plan in which Air France and KLM would become subsidiaries of a holding company called Air France–KLM. Both airlines would retain their own brands, and both Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol would become key hubs.

In February 2004, the European Commission and United States Department of Justice approved the proposed merger of the airlines. In April 2004, an exchange offer in which KLM shareholders exchanged their KLM shares for Air France shares took place.

Since 5 May 2004, Air France–KLM has been listed on the Euronext exchanges in Paris, Amsterdam and New York. In September 2004, the merger was completed by creation of the Air France–KLM holding company.

The merger resulted in the world's largest airline group and should have led to an estimated annual cost-saving of between €400 million and €500 million.

It did not appear that KLM's longstanding joint venture with Northwest Airlines—which merged with Delta Air Lines in 2008—was affected by the merger with Air France. KLM and Northwest joined the SkyTeam alliance in September 2004.

In 2004, senior management came under fire for providing itself with controversial bonuses after the merger with Air France, while 4,500 jobs were lost at KLM. After external pressure, management gave up on these bonuses.

In March 2007, KLM started to use the Amadeus reservation system, along with partner Kenya Airways. After 10 years as president of the airline, Leo van Wijk resigned from his position and was succeeded by Peter Hartman.

Beginning in September 2010, KLM integrated the passenger division of Martinair into KLM, transferring all personnel and routes. By November 2011, Martinair consisted of only the cargo and maintenance division.

In March 2011, KLM and InselAir reached an agreement for mutual cooperation on InselAir destinations, thus expanding its passenger services.

Beginning 27 March 2011, KLM passengers could fly to all InselAir destinations through InselAir's hubs in Curaçao and Sint Maarten. This cooperation was extended to a codeshare agreement in 2012.

On 20 February 2013, KLM announced that Peter Hartman would resign as president and CEO of KLM on 1 July 2013. He was succeeded by Camiel Eurlings. Hartman remained employed by the company until he retired on 1 January 2014.

On 15 October 2014, KLM announced that Eurlings, in joint consultation with the supervisory board, had decided to immediately resign as president and CEO. As of this date, he was succeeded by Pieter Elbers.

KLM received the award for "Best Airline Staff Service" in Europe at the World Airline Awards 2013. This award represents the rating for an airline's performance across both airport staff and cabin staff combined.

It is the second consecutive year that KLM won this award; in 2012 it was awarded with this title as well. On 19 June 2012, KLM made the first transatlantic flight fueled partly by sustainable biofuels to Rio de Janeiro. This was the longest distance any aircraft had flown on biofuels.

As of October 2015, KLM's corporate leader is its president and chief executive officer (CEO) Pieter Elbers, who replaced Camiel Eurlings suddenly on 15 October 2014.

The president and CEO is part of the larger Executive Committee, which manages KLM and consists of the statutory managing directors and executive vice-presidents of KLM's business units that are represented in the Executive Committee.

The supervision and management of KLM are structured in accordance with the two-tier model; the Board of Managing Directors is supervised by a separate and independent Supervisory Board. The Supervisory Board also supervises the general performance of KLM.

The Board of Managing Directors is formed by the four Managing Directors, including the CEO. Nine Supervisory Directors comprise the Supervisory Board.

KLM's head office is located in Amstelveen, on a 6.5-hectare (16-acre) site near Schiphol Airport. The airline's current headquarters was built between 1968 and 1970. Before the opening of the new headquarters, the airline's head office was on the property of Schiphol Airport in Haarlemmermeer.

KLM also worked closely with ALM Antillean Airlines in the Caribbean in order to provide air service for the Dutch controlled islands in the region with KLM aircraft such as the Douglas DC-8 and McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30 being operated by KLM flight crews on behalf of ALM.

KLM Asia is a wholly KLM-owned subsidiary registered in Taiwan. The airline was established in 1995 to operate flights to Taipei without compromising the traffic rights held by KLM for destinations in the People's Republic of China.

The livery of KLM Asia does not feature Dutch national symbols, such as the flag of the Netherlands, nor KLM's stylised Dutch Crown logo. Instead, it features a special KLM Asia logo. The airline has seven Boeing 777-200ER and two Boeing 777-300ER.

KLM Asia initially operated the Amsterdam-Bangkok-Taipei route with a B747-400 Combi or a B747-400 non-combi aircraft.

Since March 2012, it has operated the revised Amsterdam-Taipei-Manila route with Boeing 777-200ER/-300ER aircraft. Some aircraft are already painted in the revised KLM Asia livery of 2014.

KLM has utilized several major liveries since its founding, with numerous variations on each. Initially many aircraft featured a bare-metal fuselage with a stripe above the windows bearing the phrase "The Flying Dutchman".

The rudder was divided into three segments and painted to match the Dutch flag. Later aircraft types sometimes bore a white upper fuselage, and additional detail striping and titling.

In the mid-1950s, the livery was changed to feature a split cheatline in two shades of blue on a white upper fuselage, and angled blue stripes on the vertical stabilizer. The tail stripes were later enlarged and made horizontal, and the then-new crown logo was placed in a white circle.

The final major variation of this livery saw the vertical stabilizer painted completely white with the crown logo in the center. All versions of this livery had small "KLM Royal Dutch Airlines" titles, first in red, and later in blue.

Since 1971, the KLM livery has primarily featured a bright blue fuselage, with variations on the striping and details. Originally a wide, dark blue cheatline covered the windows, and was separated from the light gray lower fuselage by a thin white stripe.

The KLM logo was placed centrally on the white tail and on the front of the fuselage. In December 2002, KLM introduced an updated livery in which the white strip was removed and the dark-blue cheatline was significantly narrowed. The bright blue color was retained and now covers most of the fuselage.

The KLM logo was placed more centrally on the fuselage while its position on the tail and the tail design remained the same. In 2014, KLM modified its livery with a swooping cheatline that wraps around the entire forward fuselage. The livery was first introduced on Embraer 190 aircraft.

In 2018 KLM will introduce a new livery owing to the unpopular reception to the revised scheme introduced in 2014.

KLM also has several aircraft painted in special liveries; they include the following:

PH-BVA, a Boeing 777-300ER, features an orange forward fuselage that fades into the standard blue to commemorate the Netherlands national team's participation in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

PH-KZU, a Fokker F70, has been applied with a special livery featuring Anthony Fokker, the founder of Fokker, commemorating the airline's long standing history with Fokker aircraft and the phase out of the Fokker 70 aircraft in October 2017.

Several aircraft bear the silver SkyTeam alliance livery, including PH-BVD (a 777-300ER), PH-BXO (a 737-900), and PH-EZX (a KLM Cityhopper ERJ-190).

In April 2010, KLM introduced new uniforms for its female cabin attendants, ground attendants and pilots at KLM and KLM Cityhopper. The new uniform was designed by Dutch couturier Mart Visser.

It retains the KLM blue color that was introduced in 1971 and adds a touch of orange—the national color of the Netherlands.

KLM has used several slogans for marketing throughout its operational history:

- The businessman travels, sends, and receives by KLM

- The Flying Dutchman

- Bridging the World 1994

- The Reliable Airline

- KLM, A Journey of Inspiration 2009–present.

KLM started KLM AirCares, a program that aids underprivileged children in developing countries to which KLM flies, in 1999. The airline collects money and airmiles from passengers. In 2012, new applications for support from the program were suspended because it needed an overhaul.

KLM and its partners serve 133 destinations in 70 countries on five continents from their hub at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport.

KLM codeshares with the following airlines:

- Adria Airways
- Aer Lingus
- Aeroflot
- Aerolíneas Argentinas
- Aeroméxico
- Air Astana
- Air Europa
- Air France
- Air Malta
- Air Mauritius
- Air Serbia
- airBaltic
- Alaska Airlines ends April 30, 2018
- Alitalia
- Bangkok Airways
- Belavia
- Bulgaria Air
- China Airlines
- China Eastern Airlines
- China Southern Airlines
- CityJet
- Copa Airlines
- Croatia Airlines
- Czech Airlines
- Delta Air Lines
- Etihad Airways
- Garuda Indonesia
- Georgian Airways
- Gol Transportes Aéreos
- Insel Air
- Jet Airways
- Kenya Airways
- Korean Air
- Malaysia Airlines
- Oman Air
- Pegasus Airlines
- Saudia
- Sichuan Airlines
- TAAG Angola Airlines
- TAROM
- Transavia
- Ukraine International Airlines
- Vietnam Airlines
- WestJet
- XiamenAir

As of January 2018, the KLM fleet excluding its subsidiaries KLM Cityhopper, Transavia and Martinair consists of the following aircraft:

Airbus A330-200 - 8
Airbus A330-300 - 5
Boeing 737-700 - 18
Boeing 737-800 - 27
Boeing 737-900 - 5
Boeing 747-400 - 4
Boeing 747-400M - 9
Boeing 777-200ER - 15
Boeing 777-300ER - 14
Boeing 787-9 - 12
KLM Cargo Fleet
Boeing 747-400ERF - 3 Cargo

KLM has three cabin classes for international long-haul routes; World Business Class, Economy Comfort and Economy. Personal screens with audio-video on demand, satellite telephone, SMS, and e-mail services are available in all cabins on all long-haul aircraft .

European short-haul and medium-haul flights have Economy seats in the rear cabin, and Economy Comfort and Europe Business in the forward cabin.

World Business Class is KLM's long-haul business class product. Seats in the older World Business Class are 20 inches (51 cm) wide and have a 60-inch (150 cm) pitch. Seats can be reclined into a 170-degree angled flat bed with a length of 75 inches (190 cm).

Seats are equipped with a 10.4-inch (26 cm) personal entertainment system with audio and video on demand in the armrest, privacy canopy, massage function and laptop power ports. World Business Class seating is in a 2–2–2 abreast arrangement on all Airbus A330s.

In March 2013, KLM introduced a new World Business Class seat to the long-haul fleet. Dutch designer Hella Jongerius designed the new cabin. The diamond-type seat is manufactured by B/E Aerospace and is installed on all Boeing 747-400s and Boeing 777s.

The new seats are fully flat and offer 17-inch (43 cm)-high definition personal entertainment systems. When fully flat, the bed is about 2 metres (6.6 ft) long.

The cabin features a cradle-to-cradle carpet made from old uniforms woven in an intricate pattern, which is combined with new pillows and curtains with a similar design.

A completely new design of Business Class seat was introduced with the launch of KLM's Boeing 787; this aircraft's business class seats are based on the Zodiac Cirrus platform used by Air France.

The new seats lie fully flat, with a 1-2-1 layout so every passenger has direct aisle access, a large side-storage area and 16-inch (41 cm) HD video screen.

Dutch design group Viktor & Rolf has designed and provides amenity kits to World Business Class passengers. A new design will be introduced each year and the color of the kits will change every six months.

The kit contains socks, eye mask, toothbrush, toothpaste, earplugs and Viktor & Rolf lip balm.

Europe Business Class is KLM's and KLM Cityhopper's, short-haul business-class product. Europe Business Class seats are 17-inch (43 cm) wide and have an average pitch of 33 inches (84 cm). Middle seats in rows of three are blocked to increase passengers' personal space.

Europe Business Class seats feature extra legroom and recline further than regular Economy Class seats. In-seat power is available on all Boeing 737 aircraft. Europe Business Class has no personal entertainment.

Seating is arranged 3–3 abreast with the middle seat blocked on the Boeing 737 aircraft, and a 2–2 abreast arrangement on the Embraer 190 aircraft.

Economy Comfort is the premium economy product offered on all KLM and KLM Cityhopper flights. Economy Comfort seats on long-haul flights have 4 inches (10 cm) more pitch than Economy Class, a 35–36-inch (89–91 cm) pitch and recline up to 7 inches (18 cm); double the recline of Economy.

Economy Comfort seats on short-haul flights have 3.5 inches (8.9 cm) more pitch, totaling 33.5–34.5-inch (85–88 cm), and can recline up to 5 inches (13 cm) (40%) further. Except for the increased pitch and recline, seating and service in Economy Comfort is the same as in Economy Class.

Economy Comfort is located in a separate cabin before the Economy Class; passengers can exit the aircraft before Economy passengers.

Economy Comfort seats can be reserved by Economy Class passengers. The service is free for passengers with a full-fare ticket, for Flying Blue Platinum members and for Delta Air Lines SkyMiles Platinum or Diamond members.

Discounts apply for Flying Blue Silver or Gold members, SkyTeam Elite Plus members and Delta SkyMiles members.

The Economy Class seats on long-haul flights have a 31-to-32-inch (79–81 cm) pitch and are 17.5 inches (44 cm) wide. All seats are equipped with adjustable winged headrests, a 9-inch (23 cm) PTV with AVOD, and a personal handset satellite telephone that can be used with a credit card.

Economy Class seats in Airbus A330-300 aircraft are also equipped with in-seat power. The Economy Class seats on short-haul flights have a 30-to-31-inch (76–79 cm) pitch and are 17 inches (43 cm) wide. The Economy Class seats on short-haul flights do not feature any personal entertainment.

The long-haul Economy Class seating is in a 3–4–3 abreast arrangement on the Boeing 747-400, Boeing 777-300ER aircraft and on Boeing 777-200ER aircraft, a 3-3-3 abreast arrangement on the Boeing 787-9 aircraft, and a 2–4–2 abreast arrangement on the Airbus A330 aircraft.

The short-haul Economy Class seating is in a 3–3 abreast arrangement on the Boeing 737 aircraft and a 2–2 abreast arrangement on the Embraer 175 and 190 aircraft.

KLM's in-flight entertainment system is available in all classes on all widebody aircraft; it provides all passengers with Audio/Video on Demand (AVOD).

The system includes interactive entertainment including movies, television programs, music, games, and language courses. About 80 movies including recent releases, classics and world cinema are available in several languages. The selection is changed every month.

The in-flight entertainment system can be used to send SMS text messages and emails to the ground. Panasonic's 3000i system is installed on all Boeing 747-400, Boeing 777-200ER, and on most of the Airbus A330-200 aircraft.

All Airbus A330-300 and Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, and some Airbus A330-200 aircraft are fitted with the Panasonic eX2 in-flight entertainment system.

KLM provides a selection of international newspapers to its passengers on long-haul flights; on short-haul flights they are only offered to Europe Business Class passengers.

A selection of international magazines is available for World Business Class passengers on long-haul flights. All passengers are provided with KLM's in-flight magazine, the Holland Herald.

On board flights to China, South Korea and Japan, the airline offers in-flight magazines EuroSky (China and Japan), in either Chinese or Japanese, and Wings of Europe (South Korea) in Korean.

On 29 May 2013, KLM and Air France launched a pilot scheme to test in-flight Wi-Fi internet access. Each airline equipped one Boeing 777-300ER in its fleet with Wi-Fi, which passengers can use with their Wi-Fi-enabled devices.

Wireless service was available after the aircraft reached 20,000 feet (6,100 m) in altitude.

World Business Class passengers are served a three-course meal. Each year KLM partners with a leading Dutch chef to develop the dishes that are served on board.

Passengers in Europe Business Class are served either a cold meal, a hot main course, or a three-course meal depending on the duration of the flight. All chicken served in World and Europe Business Class meets the standards of the Dutch Beter Leven Keurmerk or Better Life Quality Mark.

KLM partnered with Dutch designer Marcel Wanders to design the tableware of World and European Business Class.

Economy Class passengers on long-haul flights are served a hot meal and a snack, and second hot meal or breakfast, depending on the duration of the flight.

On short-haul flights, passengers are served sandwiches or a choice of sweet or savory snack, depending on the duration and time of the day. If the flight is at least two hours long, stroopwafel cookies are served before descent.

Most alcoholic beverages are free of-charge for all passengers. After a successful trial period, KLM introduced à la carte meals in Economy Class on 14 September 2011; Dutch, Japanese, Italian, cold delicacies, and Indonesian meals are offered.

Special meals, include children's, vegetarian, medical, and religious meals, can be requested in each class up to 24 or 36 hours before departure.

On flights to India, China, South Korea, and Japan, KLM offers authentic Asian meals in all classes. Meals served on KLM flights departing from Amsterdam are provided by KLM Catering Services.

In September 2016, KLM launched world's first in-flight draft beer under the partnership with Heineken. The new service made its premiere this week aboard a flight to Curacao in the airline's World Business Class cabin.

Since the 1950s, KLM presents its World Business Class passengers with a Delft blue, miniature, traditional, Dutch house. These miniatures are reproductions of real Dutch houses and are filled with Dutch genever.

Initially the houses were filled with Bols liqueur, which in 1986 was changed for Bols young genever.

In 1952, KLM started to give the houses to its First Class passengers. With the elimination of First Class in 1993, the houses were handed out to all Business Class passengers.

The impetus for these houses was a rule aimed at curtailing a previously widespread practice of offering incentives to passengers by limiting the value of gifts given by airlines to 0.75 US cents.

KLM did not bill the Delft Blue houses as a gift, but as a last drink on the house, which was served in the house.

Every year, a new house is presented on 7 October, the anniversary of KLM's founding in 1919. The number on the last-presented house thus represents the number of years KLM has been in operation.

Special edition houses—the Dutch Royal Palace and the 17th century Cheese Weighing House De Waag in Gouda—are offered to special guests, such as VIPs and honeymoon couples.

KLM offers various check-in methods to its passengers, who can check in for their flights at self-service check-in kiosks at the airport, via the Internet, or via a mobile telephone or tablet.

At destinations where these facilities are not available, check-in is by an airline representative at the counter. Electronic boarding passes can be received on a mobile device while boarding passes can be printed at airport kiosks.

Since 4 July 2008 KLM, in cooperation with Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, has been offering self-service baggage drop-off to its passengers. The project started with a trial that included one drop-off point. The number of these points has gradually increased.

As of 8 February 2012 there are 12 of them. KLM passengers can now drop off their bags themselves. Before they are allowed to do that they are being checked by a KLM employee.

In November 2012, KLM started a pilot scheme at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol to test self-service boarding. Passengers boarded the aircraft without interference of a gate agent by scanning their boarding passes, which opened a gate.

KLM partner airline Air France ran the same pilot at its hub at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport. The pilot ran until March 2013, which was followed by an evaluation.

KLM is the first airline to offer self-service transfer kiosks on its European and intercontinental routes for passengers connecting through Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.

The kiosks enable connecting passengers to view flight details of connecting flights, to change seat assignments or upgrade to a more comfortable seat.

When a passenger misses a connecting flight, details about alternative flights can be viewed on the kiosk and a new boarding pass can be printed.

Passengers who are entitled to coupons for a beverage, meal, the use of a telephone, or a travel discount can have these printed at the kiosk.

KLM has bus services for customers living in certain cities without flights from KLM, transporting them to airports where they may board KLM flights.

It operates buses from Nijmegen railway station and Arnhem Central Station in the Netherlands to Amsterdam Schiphol, and from Ottawa Railway Station to Montreal Dorval Airport in Canada.

In addition KLM has codeshares with Thalys and SNCF services so passengers from various French cities may travel to Charles de Gaulle Airport and passengers from Belgium may go to Schiphol from Antwerp or Charles de Gaulle from Brussels.

Air France-KLM's frequent flyer program, Flying Blue, awards miles based on the distance traveled, ticket fare and class of service. Other airlines that adopted the Flying Blue programme include Air Europa, Garuda Indonesia, Kenya Airways, Aircalin, and TAROM.

Miles can also be earned from all other SkyTeam partners. Membership in the program is free. Two types of miles can be earned within the Flying Blue program; Award Miles and Level Miles.

Award Miles can be exchanged for rewards and expire after 20 months without flying. Level Miles are used to determine membership level and remain valid until 31 December of each year.

Award Miles can be earned on Flying Blue partner airlines including Alaska Airlines, Air Corsica, Airlinair, Bangkok Airways, Chalair Aviation, Comair, Copa Airlines, Gol Transportes Aereos, Japan Airlines, Jet Airways, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, TAAG Angola, Twin Jet, and Ukraine International Airlines, as well as SkyTeam partners.

Award Miles are redeemable for free tickets, upgrades to a more expensive seating class, extra baggage allowance, and lounge access. They can also be donated to charity through KLM AirCares, or can be spent in the Flying Blue Store.

The Flying Blue programme is divided into four tiers; Ivory, Silver (SkyTeam Elite), Gold (SkyTeam Elite Plus) and Platinum (SkyTeam Elite Plus).

The membership tier depends on the number of Level Miles earned and is recalculated each calendar year. Flying Blue privileges are additive by membership tier; higher tiers include all benefits listed for prior tiers.

There is an additional fifth tier, Platinum for Life, which can be obtained after 10 consecutive years of Platinum membership. After the Platinum for Life status is obtained, re-qualification is not required.

Level Miles can be earned with Air France, KLM, Air Europa, Kenya Airways, TAROM, and other SkyTeam partners.

The most notable accident involving a KLM aircraft was the 1977 Tenerife airport disaster, which led to 583 fatalities.

The Tenerife disaster, which occurred on 27 March 1977, remains the accident with the highest number of airliner passenger fatalities.

583 people died when a KLM Boeing 747-206B attempted to take off without clearance, and collided with a taxiing Pan Am 747-121 at Los Rodeos Airport on the Canary Island of Tenerife, Spain.

No one on the KLM 747 survived while 61 of the 396 passengers and crew on the Pan Am aircraft survived. Pilot error from the KLM aircraft was the primary cause.

Owing to a communication misunderstanding, the KLM captain thought he had clearance for takeoff. Another cause was dense fog, meaning the KLM flight crew was unable to see the Pan Am aircraft on the runway until immediately prior to the collision.

The accident had a lasting influence on the industry, particularly in the area of communication. An increased emphasis was placed on using standardized phraseology in air traffic control (ATC) communication by both controllers and pilots alike, thereby reducing the chance for misunderstandings.

As part of these changes, the word "takeoff" was removed from general usage, and is only spoken by ATC when actually clearing an aircraft to take off.

On 24 April 1923, Fokker F.III H-NABS departed Lympne for Rotterdam and Amsterdam. The aircraft was not heard from again. It was presumed to have crashed into the sea, killing the pilot and both passengers.

On 25 June 1925, Fokker F.III H-NABM struck trees and crashed at Locquignol, France while flying too low in poor visibility, killing all four on board.

On 9 July 1926, Fokker F.VII H-NACC crashed in thick fog near Wolverthem, Belgium, killing both pilots.

On 22 August 1927, Fokker F.VIII H-NADU crashed near Sevenoaks, England. One crewmember was killed.

On 14 July 1928, Fokker F.III H-NABR crashed at Waalhaven after striking several ship masts after takeoff; one passenger drowned when the fuselage sank.

On 20 December 1934, KLM Douglas DC-2 PH-AJU "Uiver" crashed at Rutbah Wells, Iraq, killing all occupants. The aircraft had participated in the Mac Robertson Air Race in October 1934, and won the handicap division.

It was on its first flight after return from the race and was en route to the Netherlands East Indies carrying Christmas mail when it crashed.

On 6 April 1935, KLM Fokker F.XII PH-AFL "Leeuwerik" struck a mountain 15 km (9 mi) from Brilon, Germany after it encountered severe snow and thunderstorms, killing all seven on board.

On 14 July 1935, KLM Fokker F.XXII PH-AJQ "Kwikstaart" crashed and burned just outside Schiphol after both left side engines failed due to a defect in the fuel system, killing four crew and two passengers. Fourteen occupants survived.

On 20 July 1935, KLM Douglas DC-2 PH-AKG "Gaai" crashed near the San Bernardino Pass near Pian San Giacomo, killing all three crew and all 10 passengers.

On 9 December 1936, KLM Douglas DC-2 PH-AKL "Lijster" crashed into a house after taking off from Croydon Airport, London. The accident killed 15 of the 17 people on board the aircraft.

On 3 April 1937, KLM Douglas DC-3 PH-ALP "Pluvier" was being delivered to KLM when it struck Mount Baldy, Arizona, killing all eight on board.

On 28 July 1937, KLM Douglas DC-2 PH-ALF "Flamingo" crashed in a field near Beert, Belgium. The crash was caused by an in-flight fire and killed all 15 on board.

On 6 October 1937, KLM Douglas DC-3 PH-ALS "Specht" crashed on take-off from Talang Betoetoe Airport, killing three crew and one passenger; the co-pilot and seven passengers survived.

On 14 November 1938, KLM Douglas DC-3 PH-ARY "IJsvogel" struck the ground and crashed near Schiphol Airport for unknown reasons, killing six of 19 on board.

On 9 December 1938, KLM Lockheed Model 14 Super Electra PH-APE "Ekster" crashed on take-off from Schiphol Airport because of engine failure while on a training flight, killing the four crew.

On 10 June 1939, KLM Koolhoven F.K.43 "Krekel" stalled and crashed at Vlissingen, killing all three on board.

On 28 December 1941, KNILM Douglas DC-3 PK-ALN "Nandoe" (formerly KLM PH-ALN) 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, KLM Douglas DC-3 PH-ALI "Ibis", which had escaped the Dutch occupation and was operating under lease to BOAC, operating BOAC Flight 777, was shot down by eight German Junkers Ju 88 fighters over the Bay of Biscay while on the scheduled Lisbon-Bristol route.

All 13 passengers and four KLM crew perished. The aircraft had survived attacks in November 1942 and April 1943.

On 14 November 1946, a KLM Douglas C-47 crashed at Schiphol Airport during a failed landing in poor weather. All 21 passengers, including the Dutch writer Herman de Man, and the five crew were killed.

On 26 January 1947, KLM Douglas DC-3 PH-TCR crashed after take-off from Copenhagen, killing all 22 on board, including Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden.

On 20 October 1948, KLM Lockheed L-049 Constellation PH-TEN "Nijmegen" crashed near Prestwick, Scotland, killing all 40 aboard.

On 23 June 1949, KLM Lockheed L-749 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 L-749 Constellation PH-TDF "Franeker" crashed into a 674-foot (205 m) hill in Ghatkopar near Bombay, India, killing all 45 aboard. Thirteen of those killed were American news correspondents.

On 2 February 1950, KLM Douglas C-47A PH-TEU crashed in the North Sea 40 mi (64 km) off the Dutch coast due to an apparent in-flight fire, killing all seven on board. The aircraft was operating an Amsterdam-London passenger service.

On 22 March 1952, Flight 592, a Douglas DC-6 (PH-TBJ "Koningin Juliana") crashed at Frankfurt, killing 45 of the 47 occupants.

On 23 August 1954, Flight 608, a Douglas DC-6B (PH-DFO, "Willem Bontekoe") crashed between Shannon, Ireland, and Schiphol in the North Sea, 40 kilometres (25 mi) from IJmuiden for reasons unknown. All 21 passengers and crew died.

On 5 September 1954, Flight 633, a Lockheed Super Constellation, ditched in the River Shannon after takeoff from Shannon Airport. Twenty eight of the 56 people on board, 46 passengers and 10 crew were killed.

On 14 July 1957, Flight 844, a Lockheed Super Constellation, crashed in the sea near Biak, after takeoff from Mokmer Airport at Biak on its way to Manila.

The pilot made a low farewell pass over the island, but the aircraft lost altitude, crashed into the sea and exploded. Nine crew and 49 passengers died; there were 10 survivors.

On 14 August 1958, Flight 607-E, a Lockheed Super Constellation flying from Amsterdam to New York via Shannon, crashed into the ocean 180 kilometres (110 mi) off the coast of County Galway, Ireland, killing all 99 on board.

On 12 June 1961, Flight 823, a Lockheed L-188 Electra, crashed on approach to Cairo International Airport due to pilot error, killing 20 of 36 on board.

On 25 October 1968, KLM Aerocarto Douglas C-47A PH-DAA flew into Tafelberg Mountain, Suriname, following an engine failure while on a survey flight. The aircraft collided with the mountain in cloudy conditions, killing three of the five people on board.

On 26 October 1921, KLM Fokker F.III (H-NABL) crashed while on approach to Rotterdam from London. The aircraft landed in low visibility, struck the ground and crashed upside down.

The pilot, the sole occupant, survived and although the aircraft was written off, it was rebuilt and re-registered H-NABR and returned to service, but was destroyed in a 1928 crash.

On 17 July 1935, KLM DC-2 (PH-AKM, "Maraboe") crashed near Bushehr, Iran. All occupants were rescued.

On 2 June 1939, KLM DC-2 (PH-AKN, "Nachtegaal") crashed at Schiphol Airport during a single-engine training flight, killing one person on the ground; all four crew survived.

The aircraft was rebuilt and returned to service until it was destroyed in a German air raid on 10 May 1940.

On 10 May 1940, during the German invasion of the Netherlands, nine KLM aircraft - five DC-2's and four DC-3's were destroyed in a German air raid at Schiphol Airport by aircraft from KG 4.

On 15 November 1942, KLM DC-3 (PH-ALI, "Ibis"), which had escaped the Dutch occupation and was operating under lease to BOAC as G-AGBB, was attacked by a Messerschmitt Bf 110 fighter.

The aircraft was able to land in Lisbon where repairs were carried out. The port wing, engine nacelle and fuselage were damaged by cannon and machine gun fire.

On 19 April 1943, KLM DC-3 (PH-ALI, "Ibis") was attacked by six Bf 110 fighters. Captain Koene Dirk Parmentier evaded the attackers by dropping to 50 ft (15 m) above the ocean and then climbing steeply into the clouds.

The aircraft again sustained damage to the port aileron, shrapnel to the fuselage and a fuel tank. A new wingtip was flown to Lisbon to complete repairs. Despite these attacks, BOAC continued to fly the Lisbon–Whitchurch route. The aircraft was later destroyed in the crash of Flight 777-A.

On 6 November 1946, KLM Douglas DC-3 (PH-TBO) crashed near Shere on approach to Croydon Airport after a flight from Amsterdam. All 20 passengers and crew survived the accident.

On 27 December 1947, KLM C-47 (PH-TCV) crashed near Leeuwarden after the left wing struck a church steeple; the aircraft belly-landed and skidded across some ditches which broke off both propellers. All 15 on board survived.

On 16 June 1948, KLM Douglas DC-4 (PH-TCF, "Friesland") landed short of the runway, bounced and landed hard on the runway at Schiphol Airport due to pilot error. All 27 passengers and crew survived. The pilot had come in too low and too slow.

On 23 March 1952, 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 aircraft. A Thai ground crewman ran into the burning aircraft and returned with an infant who had been left behind.

On 1 January 1953, KLM C-54 (PH-TDL) force-landed in the desert 17 miles from Dhahran Airport due to fuel exhaustion after the crew diverted twice due to poor visibility. All 66 passengers and crew on board survived.

On 25 May 1953, KLM Convair 240 (PH-TEI, "Paulus Potter") lost altitude just after takeoff from Schiphol Airport. The aircraft belly-landed on the runway and slid off, crossed a road and came to rest in a field.

All 34 passengers and crew survived, however two people who were watching the aircraft died when the aircraft crossed the road.

On 11 June 1961, KLM Douglas DC-7C (PH-DSN) lost an engine at 17,000 feet over the Atlantic en route to Amsterdam from Windsor Locks; the aircraft landed safely at Prestwick with no casualties to the 81 passengers and crew on board.

On 25 November 1973, Flight 861 was hijacked over Iraq by Palestinian terrorists. The aircraft took off in Amsterdam and was bound for Tokyo. After several hours it made its final landing in Dubai.

The passengers were released earlier in Malta. Everyone survived the hijacking.

On 4 September 1976, Flight 366, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9-33RC (PH-DNM) flying from Malaga to Amsterdam with an intermediate stop in Nice, was hijacked shortly after takeoff from Nice by Palestinian terrorists.

After aborted attempts to land in Tunis, the aircraft landed in Larnaca, Cyprus. After refueling, the hijackers attempted to reach Palestine before the aircraft was turned around by Israeli F4 Phantoms.

After returning to Cyprus, the passengers were released unharmed and the hijackers surrendered.

On 3 June 1983, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 (PH-DTE, "Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart") was substantially damaged after landing at Panama City International Airport.

During landing, the aircraft veered off the runway into muddy ground. The nose gear collapsed and the airplane sustained damage. After repair the plane was put back into service.

On 15 December 1989, Flight 867 flew through a volcanic plume causing nearly US$80 million of damage to the brand-new Boeing 747-406M. The plane landed in Anchorage, Alaska, with no reported injuries or fatalities.

On 28 November 2004, Flight 1673, a Boeing 737-400 (PH-BTC), suffered a birdstrike upon rotation from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.

The aircraft continued onwards to Barcelona International Airport, where the nose gear collapsed. No injuries or casualties were reported. The aircraft was written off.

On 24 September 2017, a Boeing 777 leaving Kansai International Airport lost a 4 kg fuselage panel falling into the city of Osaka smashing a car window.

The aircraft landed safely at Amsterdam Airport, and no injuries or fatalities were reported.

PLEASE FLY WITH KLM



Tourism Observer

KENYA: Kenya Airways, Air France And KLM In Partnership - Higher Fuel Costs Reason For KQ High Losses

Air France has formally joined the Kenya Airways and KLM joint venture (JV), as the French carrier launched direct flights between Nairobi and Paris.

The new agreement, which was signed Monday, allows passengers to connect to 26 and 57 other destinations beyond Nairobi and Paris, respectively.

Air France, which merged with KLM in 2004, will operate three weekly flights between Nairobi and Paris.

The airline will fly the latest-generation Boeing 787 on this route, the Dreamliner with 30 seats in Business class, 20 in Premium Economy class and 225 seats in Economy class.

Air France, KLM and KQ customers will also reserve flights operated on a code share basis by one of the three airlines on Amsterdam and Nairobi routes following signing of the partnership.

We are back on the Nairobi and Paris route because of the growing economic ties between the two countries.

To date, we have over 80 French companies that have selected Nairobi as their regional hub and this is one of the many opportunities we are looking to tap.

Our latest route will serve to strengthen our African routes, said Air France, senior vice president Africa, Frank Legre.

The agreement allows the three carriers to conduct concerted marketing and sales activities, align and coordinate pricing of tickets as well as exchange of staff in select areas.

KLM and KQ entered into a master co-operation agreement in 1995, which has seen them share revenues on certain routes based on a pre-determined ratio after deducting expenses.

We are accelerating our offensive on the long haul flights by forging partnerships and new alliances. We are set to unveil new routes and partnerships soon said Air France, Executive Vice President, Customer Division, Anne Rigail.

Meanwhile, Kenya Airways is set to introduce a more spacious but higher-priced Economy class on its nine Dreamliner aircraft in a bid to grow its revenues.

The national carrier, known as KQ by its international code, says it will increase the recline angle and legroom on 27 seats currently assigned to Economy class and charge up to Sh10,200 more for the convenience.

KQ made the announcement Wednesday when reporting that its revenue for the nine months to December stood at Sh80.8 billion and that its net loss for the period was Sh6.1 billion.

Any time one of the aircraft is grounded for an extended period, we shall make the necessary adjustments to the first three rows in Economy, said Vincent Coste, KQ’s chief commercial officer.

Customers can book these seats for between $50 and $100 depending on the season and length of the flight.

Airlines have over the years increasingly paid more attention to business class customers who pay significantly higher than their fellow passengers on the same trip.

Offerings such as bars and lie-flat beds aimed at increasing the cabin space for this special set of passengers have, inevitably, disenfranchised those who sit in Economy class.

KQ is now looking to book extra ancillary revenue from this new offering which it says has proved successful including among its partner airlines such as KLM and Air France.

Dreamliners are the commonly used aircraft on long-haul routes such as Europe and the upcoming one to New York hence KQ’s decision to retrofit for extra comfort to woe customers.

This aircraft has 30 seats in Premier World or Business class and 204 in Economy.

At the moment, the airline charges between Sh3,100 and Sh11,780 for passengers in need of seats with extra legroom, with the cost varying depending on the length of the flight and your loyalty programme ranking.

National carrier Kenya Airways’ shareholder value has moved into positive territory riding on last year’s balance sheet restructuring that reduced its annual debt payment obligations, leaving room to revamp its operations.

KQ’s equity position stood at Sh417 million in the nine months between April and December 2017 compared to negative Sh45 billion in the year to March 2017, according to a financial report that was released.

The change in fortunes follows a complex restructuring of the business that saw Kenya Airways main creditors, 10 commercial banks and the government convert Sh44.2 billion loans into equity to save it from total collapse.

Financial results that were released on Wednesday, however, show that Kenya Airways is still a multi-billion shilling loss-making operation that produced a Sh6.08 billion loss for the nine months to December 2017.

The results do not have a comparable period because KQ has changed its reporting period from March to the calendar year.

Michael Joseph, who chairs the company’s board, said the change in reporting cycle has been done to sync the airline’s books with those of stakeholders such as travel agents, financiers and lessors.

We are now concentrated on the industrial restructuring of the business, which includes finding ways of increasing our revenues and keeping costs at a manageable level, he said.

KQ’s precarious equity position that left it with less assets than its debt load meant that if it were to be liquidated, shareholders would be left with nothing.

Kenya Airways’ total debt now stands at Sh139.6 billion compared to total assets of Sh140.1 billion.

The airline made loan repayments of Sh9.1 billion during the period under review, a significant drop from the Sh25 billion paid out in the full year to March 2017.

Despite this improvement in its leverage, the carrier posted a loss for the nine months to December mainly driven by a 14 per cent increase in fuel costs and a 20 per cent drop in customer numbers.

KQ airlifted 3.4 million passengers during the nine months to December earning Sh80.8 billion in revenues but its operating costs consumed Sh79.5 billion.

Sebastian Mikosz, the airline’s chief executive, said attention is now turning to route expansion, cost optimisation and improvement of service delivery.

Top on the list are the direct and daily New York flights set to commence in October and which Mr Mikosz expects to boost KQ’s revenues by between eight and 10 per cent.

Kenya Airways (KQ) has posted a Sh6.1 billion net loss for the nine months to December as it announced a change in its financial calendar to sync with the calendar year.

The national carrier's management has attributed the loss position to higher fuel costs and the negative impact of a prolonged electioneering period.

Fuel costs, which went up 14 per cent in the period, remain the biggest challenge to KQ's profitability.

However, the airline is optimistic of 2018's outlook amid a planned rollout of daily flights between Nairobi and New York this October, non-stop flights to Cape town and direct flights to Mauritius.

Chief executive Sébastian Mikosz said the full financial impact of the new US route will be felt in 2019, adding he expects a revenue boost of between 8 and 10 per cent.

The firm will be recalling its Dreamliner from Oman Air to serve this long haul route.

Kenya Airways will, in partnership with its European partners, roll out economy comfort class on all aircraft in the next 12-15 months as part of its strategy to increase revenues.

Michael Joseph, KQ's chairman, said Wednesday at an investors' briefing that Polish consultants are still part of the team alongside consultants from other countries, adding that focus on the Polish misplaced.



Tourism Observer

GERMANY: Lufthansa Introduces A La Carte Dining

Lufthansa has announced a new a la carte dining option for economy and premium economy passengers on long-haul flights.

From May customers will be able to choose from seven paid-for meals costing between €13 and €33, with choices including grilled steak, a Japanese Bento Box, hearty Bavarian snacks, an Asian vitality menu with quinoa, Mediterranean pasta with shrimp, and a Thai curry.

The meals will be available on almost all of the carrier’s intercontinental flights from Frankfurt and Munich, and can be ordered at lufthansa.com up to 24 hours before departure.

Lufthansa is keen to stress that the a la carte options do not replace the existing food and drink offerings in Economy and Premium Economy Class, but complement them at the passengers’ individual request.

The German carrier joins a number of major airlines in offering a la carte service alongside the free meal option.

Air France recently added a My Fun Menu to its existing paid-for meal range, featuring a burger, crisps, yoghurt and doughnut, while British Airways offers a paid-for menu on selected flights from Heathrow.

British Airways meals come with three courses presented on business class china dishes on a tray with a proper wine glass, bread, crackers, butter and cheese on the side.

The drinks are the normal economy choice, you don’t get business class wines, for example.

Sinead Ferguson, BA’s menu design manager, said: When you’re asking customers to pay, you want to give them a much more enhanced meal, and I believe we have achieved that.

One of the meals I was keen not to do was a curry as we can serve a curry throughout the cabin – people can eat that for free. I was also keen not to give vegetarians a plate of pasta.

The pre-paid meals are available to order online on outbound flights from London Heathrow to most long-haul destinations from 30 days to 24 hours before departure.

BA has extended the offering to outbound flights from Gatwick, as well as to various inbound flights as well.

We’d like to get it on inbound routes but it creates a few more challenges as around the world we have various caterers and the most important thing is people get the same standard as going out, said Talbot.

Talbot added that for those not wanting to fork out extra on food, BA tickets will always include a free standard economy class meal.

In December 2013, in an effort to reduce passenger disappointment at not getting their first choice of meal in premium economy, business and first.

BA introduced the option of pre-ordering food from the existing onboard menu at no extra charge on routes out of Heathrow.

Talbot said: Pre-order for premium customers will start in April next year from Gatwick, and from London City to JFK, so there is guaranteed choice.

Beginning with one of BA’s most popular starters: vegetarian sushi. The tray pops with colour – I enjoyed both the beetroot goat cheese maki and the fire roasted red pepper maki.

A grilled green asparagus nigiri is offered as well, alongside slices of pickled ginger and wasabi with a cute plastic fish-shaped bottle of soy sauce.

A fairly generous portion of chicken pay ca paw with egg rice and wok-fried vegetables serves as the main.

It is worth noting that the chicken is coated in a corn flour-type breading and, while it was tender and the sauce was nice with little spice, the coating was not quite as crisp as I had hoped.

Ferguson wanted to create a meal that was rich in “umami” – the fifth taste after salt, sweet, bitter and sour that I best described as savoury.

She said: Tomatoes, mackerel, mushrooms, Parmesan and soy, for example, are all umami-rich ingredients. In the design of airline meals it makes a difference as our taste bids are impaired at altitude.

Instead of a traditional side of bread, the meal offers crunchy prawn crackers kept in an air-tight bag with sweet chilli sauce. The dessert is a smooth green tea tiramisu.

Catering to those who want to maintain a healthy lifestyle while travelling, this tray has a calorific value of 838kcal not including bread, cheese and crackers and costs £15.

Thai-style avocado rolls with a sesame dipping sauce serve as the tray’s starter, with the main being sustainably sourced poached cod with steamed seasonal vegetables presented en papillote, a method of cooking where food is put into a folded paper pouch and then baked.

A Kaiser roll, butter, cheddar cheese and crackers come on the side. Dessert is a Greek yoghurt and honey mousse bar with grapefruit carpaccio.

Although I am not a huge fan of fish, I found the en papillote method to be quite nice especially when paired with the shredded steamed vegetables. It didn’t have much flavour, though, and the fish still had the skin on.

The rice paper around the rolls was too thick but the dessert was divine – not too simplistic or light. For a healthy meal, the overall tray was quite high in calories.

Vegetarians are often greeted with the same meal over and over again – pasta. Pasta can be great, but BA wanted to offer something better.

Priced at £15, this vegetarian meal even had my taste buds buzzing, and I’m a meat eater.

The tray was full of colour, and with my first bite of the glazed goat cheese with marinated beetroot salad, I knew I was in for a treat.

To be honest, I didn’t even know I liked beets – in fact, I have to say this was my favourite starter from all of the trays.

The main course was polenta crespelle – substantial Italian-style pancakes stuffed with mascarpone cheese and wilted spinach with a wild mushroom and truffle cream sauce.

The presentation was appealing, as was the flavour, although the sauce was a bit rich and I am unsure if I would be able to eat the entire portion.

However, for a vegetarian dish I believe it would be quite filling and is a huge step up from a quick and easy pasta.

A Kaiser roll and crackers with cheese and butter are again offered on the side, while the dessert is a lemon meringue pie, featuring a homemade lemon curd.

Paired with a perfect meringue, the flavour of real lemon made it almost impossible not to gobble down the entire thing. This was definitely my favourite dessert.

For £16, travellers can enjoy a traditional English meal. The Taste of Britain tray features Loch Fyne smoked salmon with crème frâiche and caper berries to start.

The salmon was very fresh with understated presentation making it a nice, simple choice with a heavier main to follow. It works nicely with the Kaiser roll; crackers and cheese are again provided.

The main is slow-roasted Wiltshire pork belly locally sourced. I felt the pork got most of its flavour from the fat, which wasn’t what I was looking for.

However, the celeriac mash and sautéed broccolini that it was paired with was quite nice.

To finish is a classic dessert of summer pudding filled with juicy berries not too sweet nor too sour and Cornish clotted cream on the side. One of my favourites.

Gourmet menu

Priced at £18, the Gourmet Dining meal is the most frequently ordered tray. The intention was to create a truly luxurious tray of food.

Passengers begin with poached king prawns dressed in a simple Marie Rose sauce, which has sliced mushrooms running through it.

At first, this may look and sound like an odd pairing, and while I wondered if the sauce was a bit too ordinary for the juicy prawns, it was surprisingly appetising. It was my second-favourite starter.

The main was braised cheek of beef from Herefordshire, which was perfectly cooked and tender, with smooth potato mousseline and roasted root vegetables surrounding it.

Accompanied by a Madeira shallot jus with a thicker consistency, I was surprised to find that it was not too rich, or at least not quite as rich as the sauce featured in the vegetarian meal.

The usual Kaiser roll, spread and crackers are included on the tray, along with BA’s first chocolate-based dessert.

The decadent chocolate ganache bar with passion fruit coulis is an unusual combination of sweet with a hint of tart fruit. Alongside crushed, toasted hazelnuts, the flavours really work together well.

Great British Breakfast

This is the only tray I didn’t try. Priced at £15, it appears to be step up from the typical economy breakfast.

The traditional English breakfast includes a Cumberland sausage, bacon, a potato rosti, a grilled tomato and a mature Cheddar cheese omelette.

There are no baked beans as this would have made the dish look messy after re-heating.

The tray also features seasonal fruits, freshly baked vanilla and chocolate madeleines, bread, chunky cherry compote, Greek yoghurt and a bag of homemade granola to sprinkle on top.

Lufthansa Group carrier Swiss also offers a similar a la carte menu on intercontinental flights.

Air France has launched a new My Fun Menu option for passengers on its long-haul services departing Paris CDG and Orly.

The paid-for menu – which adds to the carrier’s existing A La Carte choices on long-haul flights – includes a burger made from French beef, with Emmental cheese and Bearnaise sauce, as well as a packet of Kettle crisps, a mini Yop yoghurt, a doughnut with caramel filling, and a bag of Haribo sweets.

The option is available for purchase for flights departing from April 1, and costs €13, or 4,500 Flying Blue miles.

Air France says that the new feel good menu will delight the taste buds of the most demanding gourmands, although it adds that it notably meets the expectations of teenagers and young adults.

The airline now offers a total of five paid-for meal choices on long-haul flights, including a seafood Ocean Menu, and a menu designed France’s Lenotre group of restaurants and boutiques.

Air France continues to offer a complimentary food and drink offering on its long-haul flights, described as follows on its website:

The meals combine a gourmet touch, balance and originality, providing a choice of two hot dishes accompanied by a fresh box containing fruit, cheese and butter.

This complete meal also comes with coffee, tea and an after-dinner drink served by the cabin crew.



Tourism Observer

FRANCE: Kenya Airways Shifts To Terminal 2E Home Of Air France At Paris’ Charles De Gaulle (CDG) Airport

Kenya Airways will move its operations at Paris’ Charles De Gaulle (CDG) Airport to Terminal 2E from there present location at Terminal 2C in an effort to give better services to its customers traveling to and from the French capital.

The move will commence 29th of October will see passengers’ access state of the art passenger lounges, seamless connections throughout Europe and Americas and great shopping outlets.

Terminal 2E is also home to Kenya Airways’ Skyteam partner Air France.

This means any passengers transiting across Europe and connecting Trans-Atlantic flights from USA, Canada and South America using our partner airlines will not need to change terminals, enhancing connectivity.

This is part of our continuous improvement of customer service.

Passengers traveling through Paris will enjoy a more convenient and spacious environment, with easier connections to and from other major European and Trans-Atlantic cities, as well as the many services available to our Skyteam partners‘ said Vincent Coste, Kenya Airways Commercial Director.




Tourism Observer

VENEZUELA: Air France Joins Others Suspends Flights To Caracas

Air France joins the list of airlines that have either canceled or suspended flights to Caracas, Venezuela, amid rising political tensions in the South American country.

The French carrier has canceled its flights on July 30, 31, and August 1, staying away from the controversial weekend polls where a Constituent Assembly convened by the country’s President, Nicolas Maduro, is due to be held on Sunday.

Elisabeth Throssell, spokesperson for the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, said the situation in Venezuela is “very tense and difficult,” and that numerous protests might take place during the weekend.

Air France’s decision to cancel all their flights to Caracas during the weekend is likely to be taken in favor of its over nighting crew, which often stay at a hotel that’s 20 minutes away from the airport in a not-too-safe area.

On top of Air France’s cancellation, the United States government, looking after its citizens, ordered all family members of employees at its embassy in Caracas to leave on Thursday, July 27.

American Airlines which remains the only US carrier to continue flying regularly to Caracas, with two daily flights from Miami to Caracas, and one daily flight from Miami to Maracaibo sent an internal memo to its employees:

American has proudly served Venezuela for almost 30 years.

As safety is our top priority, we would not operate flights to any airport we believed did not meet the highest standards of safety and security.

We are monitoring the situation in Venezuela closely and we remain in close contact with relevant stakeholders to ensure the safety of our team members and customers.

Even though American Airlines remains vigilant, today the airline sent a Boeing 767-300(ER) in lieu of its customary 737-800 to aid stranded Avianca passengers and those US Embassy members that were ordered to flee the country yesterday.

Likewise, Delta Air Lines submitted a letter to the Venezuelan Aviation Authority announcing the termination of its Atlanta-Caracas service effective September 17, 2017.

The reason for the cancellation is poor performing economics and the instability of the market.

As the situation in Venezuela develops, current international travel availability is completely sold out, raising the level of anxiety among the country’s citizens as the most crucial weekend in Venezuela’s recent history begins.



Tourism Observer
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