june-2012

Cooperate
and connect
TEAMWORK IS THE WAY FORWARD
Next month, the Olympics
begin in London. Athletes
from around the world
will gather in the British
capital to show off their
skills and compete with
one another before a
worldwide audience.
Sport unites the world; sport brings
people together. KLM has something in
common with sport; we have been bringing
people together for more than 92 years. In
the beginning, we did this from our home
base in The Netherlands, but a network
quickly developed which still forms the
basis for the destinations we fl y to today.
Of course, we don’t operate our
network on our own; we have partners.
KLM has partners across the globe
with whom we maintain a wide variety
of cooperative relationships. Growth
‘Building better
connections means
better service’
opportunities for business are naturally
a consideration, but our fi rst priority is to
provide our customers with the maximum
number of options, both in destinations
and fl ight frequency. In recent months,
KLM has strengthened and expanded
partnerships in a number of areas. In
Eastern Europe, for example, agreements
with Ukraine International allow us to
offer more frequent fl ights to Kiev – just
in time for this month’s European Football
Championship in Ukraine, but continuing
well after Euro 2012 ends. In Africa, we
are strengthening our Joint Venture with
Kenya Airways, improving connections
between the Amsterdam and Nairobi hubs.
Building better connections between
the two airlines’ networks ensures that
our customers have more choice and
better service.
Within the KLM Group ties are being
strengthened as well. KLM and transavia.
com now have codeshare agreements
which allow the two networks to work
together seamlessly. Customers from
around the world can fl y more easily to
transavia.com destinations via Schiphol,
giving them more choice and more comfort.
KLM HARTMAN QUARTERLY
Bringing people together isn’t just
something we do on a network level.
Starting this month, Meet & Seat is
available on fl ights from Amsterdam to all
intercontinental destinations. Via LinkedIn
and Facebook, you can choose who you
sit next to during your fl ight. You could
even choose to meet each other before
your fl ight if you like.
Corporate social responsibility is
also a primary concern for KLM, and we
want to do our part to safeguard the
environment. That’s why KLM actively
supports the World Wide Fund for Nature
in their efforts to protect the Coral
Triangle. You can read more about this
project in this issue of Holland Herald
(page 50). On intercontinental fl ights,
Infl ight Entertainment also features a fi lm
about this unique wildlife area in Asia (see
page 93).
PETER F. HARTMAN,
PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER,
KLM ROYAL DUTCH AIRLINES
Holland Herald TRAVELLERS CHECK 87