KLM announces together with Northwest Airlines expansion plans on the North Atlantic route network.
AMSTELVEEN – In so doing, the two airlines can better meet market demand for more destinations, more daily frequencies, a better spread of flights across the day and seamless connections. The KLM/Northwest Transatlantic expansion plan consists of four pillars:
New Transatlantic Services
KLM/Northwest today announced the introduction of the first non-stop transatlantic service between Europe and Hartford, Connecticut. This unique Northwest operated service from Amsterdam to Hartford, Connecticut will start on July 1, 2007.
KLM/Northwest Airlines also announced an expansion of its European flight network including nonstop service from Detroit to Brussels and Düsseldorf.
Northwest’s nonstop Detroit-Brussels service will begin May 7, 2007, initially operating five days per week. Northwest’s new, nonstop Düsseldorf-Detroit service to begin on June 5, 2007, increasing the number of European destinations Northwest serves from its WorldGateway at Detroit hub from four to six. Beginning June 15, 2007, both flights will be offered on a daily basis.
Expansion on US West-Coast
KLM will replace current MD11 on Amsterdam-San Francisco by its B747-400 all passenger aircraft with reconfigured World Business Class.
Moreover KLM will add up to 5 additional frequencies on Amsterdam-Los Angeles with B777 equipment on top of the existing daily B747-Combi. These new frequencies will leave Amsterdam early morning at 0810 to provide excellent connections for passengers leaving Middle East, Africa and India and offering, as the only transatlantic airline combination, a morning arrival in Los Angeles. Both expansions will be effective per start of summer 2007.
Strengthening KLM/Northwest position on the Greater New York market
Beginning July 1, 2007, KLM/Northwest service from Amsterdam to Newark will be operated by Northwest, while KLM will start its third daily frequency from Amsterdam to New York (JFK. These new services will result in 4 daily KLM/Northwest services to the Greater New York market, ranging from an early morning departure at 0815 to Newark to an evening departure at 1820 to New York (JFK).
Additional frequencies
As part of its Transatlantic expansion plan, KLM/Northwest also announced additional Northwest flights on the Amsterdam-Detroit and Amsterdam-Boston routes and additional KLM flights on the Amsterdam-Toronto route. Beginning April 30, 2007 KLM will add 5 additional frequencies on Amsterdam-Toronto with B777 equipment on top of the existing daily B747-all passenger aircraft. On June 15, 2007, Northwest will add a fifth daily frequency between Detroit and Amsterdam in the peak summer season and a fourth daily frequency during the winter. Beginning July 15, 2007, Northwest will offer a second daily flight between Amsterdam and Boston.
All new Northwest services will be flown with modified B757-200 aircraft. The aircraft will be fitted with “winglets,” or extensions of the aircraft wing, that maximize the fuel efficiency of the 757 and in doing so, also extend its range.
Inside the aircraft, Northwest will make several improvements to the fleet dedicated to this new service to provide trans-Atlantic customers with a comfortable travel experience.
The World Business Class cabin will be configured with 16 new seats in a two-aisle-two arrangement. The World Business Class seat will provide five feet (1.5 meters) of personal space. The seat will have many features including a four–way movable headrest, a laptop computer power port, snake reading light, extendable foot rest and lumbar support, among other comforts.
World Business Class customers will be provided with a portable in-flight entertainment system with a wide variety of 40 movies, four short-subject videos, 16 music programs, 40 compact discs of music and six games to choose from, all available on-demand, allowing the ability to choose and play entertainment when desired. The seat will also have a custom-designed arm that will hold the unit for traditional-style viewing, or if the customer prefers, the system can be removed and viewed from another location.
The coach class cabin will be equipped with 144 seats configured in a three-aisle-three arrangement. The “pitch,” or distance between rows, is being increased up to four inches, providing additional legroom and comfort.
All of KLM/Northwest’s new flights are currently available for sale through KLM at www.klm.com .