KLM at 99 years, World Business Class booth and a COMPETITION
Today, 7 October 2018, the date when KLM turned 99 years old. We can say that it is one of the oldest airlines in Europe and the only one still flying under the name received at launch. KLM is the acronym for Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij.
Today, KLM turns 99 years old. It is one of the oldest airlines in the world and the only one in Europe that still flies under its launch name. He is currently part of the Air France - KLM group, both SkyTeam member companies.
It owns a fleet of 120 aircraft (of which 3 are cargo) and flies to 145 from destinations around the world. The fleet is a modern one, consisting of aircraft: 9 x A330; 50 x 737 (700,800,900); 12 x 747-400 (will be withdrawn to 2020 and replaced with the modern A350 and 787); 29 x 777 (200ER and 300ER); 13 x 787-9.
The important moments in KLM history
| The important moments in KLM history | |||
| September 12, 1919 | Regina Wilhelmina gave her the name of "Royal" for the fresh company KLM | ||
| October 7, 1919 | The company KLM - Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij officially appears. | ||
| October 21, 1919 | The first KLM office was opened at Heerengracht, The Hague. | ||
| May 17, 1920 | The first KLM pilot, Jerry Shaw, flew from London to Schiphol with a De Havilland DH-16-type aircraft. | ||
| April 4, 1921 | After a break in the winter season, KLM resumed flights with its own pilots and planes: Fokker F-II and F-III. | ||
| May 9, 1921 | KLM opened its first passenger office in Leidseplein, Amsterdam. | ||
| October 1, 1924 | KLM initiated the first intercontinental flight on the route Amsterdam - Batavia (Colonial Jakarta) with Fokker F-VII. | ||
| Sep, 1929 | KLM started regular service between Amsterdam and Batavia. Until the start of World War II, this was the longest route in the world. | ||
| Dec 1933 | KLM transported Christmas and New Year postcards in record time on the Amsterdam - Batavia route. The flight lasted 4 days with a Fokker F-XVIII Pelikaan. The postcards arrived at Christmas time. | ||
| Deireadh Fómhair 1934 | Douglas DC-2 Uiver operated a passenger and cargo flight from London to Melbourne. | ||
| Dec 1934 | KLM operated the first transatlantic flight on the Amsterdam - Curacao route with a Fokker F-XVIII Snip. | ||
| Sep 1945 | KLM resumed its work after World War II, beginning with domestic flights. | ||
| May 21, 1946 | KLM started the regular service on the route Amsterdam - New York, using a Douglas DC-4 Rotterdam aircraft. | ||
| November 1, 1958 | KLM opened the Amsterdam-Tokyo route, a service operated over the North Pole. The flights were operated with Douglas DC-7 Caraïbische Zee. | ||
| Márta 1960 | The "JET" era at KLM debuted with Douglas DC-8. | ||
| September 12, 1966 | NLM ("Netherlands Airlines") was founded. It was later renamed NLM Cityhopper. | ||
| April 1967 | The Schiphol Center came into service | ||
| February 1971 | The "widebody" era at KLM debuted with the first Boeing 747-206B. | ||
| March 1, 1971 | KLM opened its headquarters in Amstelveen, south of Amsterdam. | ||
| November 1975 | KLM has added Boeing 747-306B Combi to the fleet, an important service for KLM cargo. | ||
| Márta 1988 | KLM has taken over the European Command Service of the Netherlands. | ||
| Meitheamh 1989 | KLM introduces Boeing 747-400, the most advanced 747 of those times. | ||
| July 1989 | KLM has taken over 20% of the American carrier Northwest Airlines, an important step towards creating a global network. | ||
| April 1, 1991 | KLM merged NLM Cityhopper with NetherLines and gave birth to KLM cityhopper. | ||
| Deireadh Fómhair 1991 | KLM increases its participation in the Transavia charter carrier from 40% to 80%. | ||
| Dec 1991 | KLM launches Flying Dutchman, the first European airline to launch a loyalty program | ||
| January 1993 | With the agreement of the US Department of Transportation, KLM and Northwest Airlines are stepping up their partnership. | ||
| Sep 1993 | KLM and Northwest Airlines began operating all flights between the US and Europe as part of a joint venture. | ||
| November 1993 | For the first time in its history, KLM carried 10 millions of passengers in one year. | ||
| Márta 1994 | KLM and Northwest Airlines introduced the World Business Class, a new product on intercontinental flights. | ||
| July 1995 | KLM has introduced the Boeing 767-300ER into operational service | ||
| January 1996 | KLM buys 26% from Kenya Airways. | ||
| January 1998 | KLM and Malaysian Airlines Systems announce commercial cooperation investigation. | ||
| February 1998 | The KLM-Northwest Airlines alliance received the title of "Airline of the Year" from the American magazine Air Transport World. | ||
| November 1, 1999 | KLM founded AirCares, a communication and fundraising platform for noble causes, focusing on underprivileged children around the world. | ||
| Dec 1999 | KLM was the first airline in the world to obtain ISO 14001 certification. | ||
| Spring 2002 | KLM has announced the first phase of an intercontinental fleet renewal program - 3 x Boeing 747-400ER and 8 x Boeing 777-200ER to replace Boeing 747-300; 2 x Boeing 777-200ER to replace 2 x MD-11. KLM sent an order to Airbus for 6 x A330-200. At the end of the program, the KLM intercontinental fleet consisted of Boeing 747-400, Boeing 777-200ER and Airbus A330-200. | ||
| October 25, 2003 | The first Boeing 777-200ER KLM landed in Schiphol. The aircraft will fly to Cape Town, Nairobi and New York. | ||
| May 5, 2004 | The Air France Group - KLM is born. The idea of unity between the two companies was born in September 2. | ||
| Sep 2004 | KLM, Northwest and Continental joined SkyTeam, the international airline alliance that included Air France, Delta Air Lines, Alitalia, Korean Air, CSA Czech Airlines and Aeromexico. | ||
| Meitheamh 2005 | AIR FRANCE - KLM introduces the "Flying Blue" loyalty program. | ||
| Aug 25, 2005 | Airbus delivers the first Airbus A330 KLM | ||
| Dec 2006 | KLM introduces kiosks where passengers could print their own boarding passes. | ||
| March 30, 2008 | The Open Skies Agreement allows free flights between Europe and the United States. | ||
| May 23, 2008 | The U.S. Department of Transportation guarantees antitrust immunity to KLM, Air France, Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines. They can take better advantage of the Open Skies agreement and better optimize their transatlantic flights. | ||
| Dec 31, 2008 | KLM takes ONLY Martinair. | ||
| Jan 12, 2009 | Air France-KLM takes over 25% from Alitalia. | ||
| Oct 7, 2009 | KLM celebrates 90 years since its inception | ||
| Mar 30, 2010 | The last Fokker 50 KLM has been retired. KLM takes 'goodbye' from turboprop aircraft. | ||
| April 14, 2010 | KLM introduces new uniforms by Mart Visser. | ||
| November 2011 | The Crown's logo celebrates 50 for years. It was created by the British F. Henrion. | ||
| Jun 30, 2011 | The first biofuel flight to Paris. | ||
| Sep 2011 | The last Fokker 100 was withdrawn from the KLM fleet | ||
| March 8, 2013 | First intercontinental biofuel flight to New York. | ||
| March 20, 2013 | Presentation of the new World Business Class interior designed by Hella Jongerius. The new completely flat passenger seat for Wordl Business Class is also unveiled. | ||
| May 29, 2013 | The first test flight of Wi-Fi internet on board. | ||
| April 30, 2014 | KLM Cityhopper receives the first Embraer E190, which is painted in the new KLM livery | ||
| November 11, 2014 | KLM operates 3 special flights with MD-11 in the Netherlands. | ||
| November 14, 2015 | KLM receives the first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. All Dreamliner KLM aircraft will have flower names. The first was named "Anjer" (Carnation). | ||
| May 21, 2016 | KLM celebrates 70 years of flights to New York. | ||
| September 12, 2016 | KLM Cityhopper celebrates 50 since its founding. | ||
| October 29, 2017 | The last Fokker 70 on the last commercial flight. | ||
| Aug 23, 2017 | The 10 Boeing 787-9 KLM (Margareta) was delivered | ||
KLM World Business Class chairs
And now back to the World Business Class booth. Seats can be made bed. They have an opening of 180 degrees and can be turned into a completely horizontal bed. They have a total length of 207 cm, being among the longest seats in the world. At the presentation event in Bucharest, Roxana Ciuhulescu tested the new World Business Class chairs. He still fit perfectly, announcing that he is 198 cm.
The WBC booth was designed by Dutch designer Hella Jongerius. Together with the KLM specialists, he created individual passenger spaces, a warmer and more friendly atmosphere on board, emphasizing comfort.
KLM is among the most sustainable airlines in the world, which is also found in the new World Business Class seats. At the same time, the carpets in the new World Business Class booth were made from old KLM uniforms.
If you want to test the comfort of World Busines Class chairs, you can do it at Promenda Mall between October 06-15, 2018. Two life-size chairs will be displayed on the ground floor of the mall (opposite H&M) to be tested by the curious.
You also have the chance to win two World Business Class plane tickets on the route Bucharest - New York (click for details) if you participate in the contest organized on the KLM Romania Facebook page. And don't forget about KLM promotion with air tickets from 99 €.