A Year Of Anniversaries For KLM
Wasn’t that a party! KLM Royal Dutch Airlines recently celebrated the first King’s Day in the Netherlands in each of its 4 Canadian stations, and this week, it marked 40 years of service to Toronto — where its first flight landed on April 29, 1974.
The first King’s Day honours The Netherland’s new King — Willem-Alexander — who ascended to the throne in 2013 on Queen Beatrix ‘last’ Queen’s Day.
To mark the occasion, KLM surprised some 80 travel agencies in the Greater Toronto area with a birthday cake for their team and a special thank you postcard.
Fabien Pelous, vice-president and general manager, AIR FRANCE KLM Canada and Femke Kroese, AIR FRANCE KLM Canada’s commercial director attended Dutch Community celebrations in Montreal and Toronto where KLM offered a pair of tickets to be drawn amongst attendees.
As well, the carrier’s 4 Canadian stations — from East to West — were decorated in orange and blue; and KLM staff greeted passengers and crews offering either cakes, tulips or the famous ‘stroopwaffels.’
Pelous said: “On the eve of Dutch Heritage Month in Ontario, this is a year to celebrate for KLM in Canada. In addition to Toronto’s 40th, it will be 5 years since we resumed our flights to Calgary on May 3, and 65 years that KLM landed in Canada for the first time on May 29, 1949 as the second European airline to fly to Montreal. Then, on October 7, we will honour 95 years of existence of the oldest airline in the world: Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij.”
KLM’s summer schedule includes 35 weekly flights from Canada to Amsterdam — 7 from Montreal; 14 from Toronto; 7 from Calgary; and 7 from Vancouver; as well as a daily bus shuttle from Ottawa to Montreal-Trudeau.
