march-2010

Fast forward
We live in a fast world. A
very fast world. So fast,
that sometimes it’s hard
to keep up.
For example, look at how quickly
information gets sent these days. You
can transmit texts, images and sound
around the world in a fraction of a
second. In 1793, the fi rst optical telegraph
took 13 minutes to send a message 200
kilometres away. That was a revelation
then, considering it took a horseback
messenger 20 hours to cover the same
distance. We’ve since had the telex and
fax, although nothing really prepared
us for the sheer speed and potential of
the World Wide Web. But we all use the
Internet now, as if it had always existed −
speed adjusts to speed very quickly!
“The aviation
industry has to
adjust and develop
at a high tempo”
For the record
‘Fast, faster, fastest’ also seem to be
bywords in physical transportation these
days. The speediest car can currently
reach about 400 kilometres an hour, while
the record for aircraft velocity is held by
a NASA research vessel, which achieved
7,295 kilometres an hour 30 years ago.
Jet fi ghters regularly break the speed
Optical telegraph
(19th century)
of sound, as did Concorde in its heyday.
Although our own ‘blue birds’ seem slow in
comparison − a Boeing 747 can ‘only’ reach
about 900 kilometres an hour – they still
fl y impressively fast. Amsterdam to Manila in
14 hours is swift enough, I think.
Aviation is a ‘fast’ industry; and not only
because our aircraft are equipped with
powerful jet engines. The sector has to
continually adjust and develop at a high
tempo. In the continual strive for a better
product, technical progress is essential
in our branch. But, in this case, ‘better’
doesn’t necessarily translate as ‘faster’;
it also means safer, more trustworthy
and service-oriented, but most of all
sustainable.
Comfort is key
There’s something contradictory about
a sector that is so driven by technology,
KLM HARTMAN QUARTERLY
yet whose product is basically a service
industry. I can imagine that you have
little interest in the latest engineering
gadgets that have been incorporated
in your seat, as long as you are sitting
comfortably. And the fact that the highest
technological developments in the fi eld
have been incorporated in your personal
entertainment system, also probably
doesn’t excite you much; similarly,
the complex processes that ensure that
your meal gets served on time, and that
your luggage arrives on the correct belt at
the airport.
The main thing is that you arrive
safely, comfortably and speedily at your
destination. And that’s perfectly possible at
900 kilometres an hour. In the end though,
it’s not just about speed in the aviation
industry – although if we can do it faster,
we certainly will!
PETER F. HARTMAN,
PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER,
KLM ROYAL DUTCH AIRLINES
Holland Herald TRAVELLERS CHECK 85
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