As a stewardess, it’s always a thrill to be introduced to a female pilot ahead of a flight. This is not something that happens often, because there are still very few women in the cockpit, unfortunately. At KLM, only 5.8% of pilots are women. Jacqueline Vollebregt (53) is one of them. She is a captain aboard the Boeing 777/787 and has been with KLM for 27 years. I spoke to her about her experiences at the controls. As a child, did you dream of becoming a pilot? “Not at all. My mom’s academic career ended after she completed the school for home economics, much to her frustration. That’s why she ..read more

The corona crisis is still very much with us. Air traffic is still largely grounded. KLM has cut back its schedule drastically and is operating repatriation flights to bring home Dutch citizens stranded abroad. We join Boeing 777 Captain Rob Flick on a six-day trip to a destination KLM hasn’t served for almost 20 years. Wednesday, 1 April Early in the morning, I’m called by the Crew Control Centre, asking whether I’d like to operate a repatriation flight to Sydney. Is this some kind of April Fool’s joke? But my colleague is serious. “We’re not 100% sure yet, but we’re working hard on preparati ..read more

The corona crisis is having a relentless impact worldwide, forcing KLM to keep the majority of its fleet on the ground. As a result, Schiphol is packed. Not with passengers, unfortunately, but with the many aircraft parked on the ramp and even on a runway. Choreographing this sad and unique sight is quite a parking-puzzle. Small operational fleet Owing to the corona crisis, KLM has started its summer schedule with a much smaller network. The vast majority of KLM’s aircraft have therefore been grounded and parked for the coming period. In terms of our bigger aircraft, we’ve parked all our A330s ..read more

Can you meet your true love at work? It happens to a lot of people. But aboard an aircraft? Well, that’s extra special. At KLM, the spark can catch at an altitude of 33,000 feet. What is it like to meet the love of your life in mid-air? And do you like it that you both fly for work? Using Valentine’s Day as my opportunity, I spoke with KLM couple Fiona (35) and Felix (32). She’s a flight attendant, he’s a Boeing 737 co-pilot. They have been together for close to eleven years, married for six years, and have two children. How did you meet? Fiona: “We met in the summer of 2009 on a flight to Dal ..read more

If you’re in the Netherlands, there are plenty of fun aviation exhibitions to enjoy at airports and museums nationwide, with events taking place from Schiphol to Woensdrecht, from Texel to The Hague, and from Amsterdam to Breda. But also in Buren, Eindhoven, Groningen, Lelystad, Nieuw-Vennep, Soesterberg and even in the comfort of your own home. The Netherlands Transport Museum The Netherlands Transport Museum in Nieuw-Vennep is celebrating 100 years of aviation with an exhibition featuring work by artist Thijs Postma, who has been painting and drawing aircraft for decades, from the very first ..read more

When I’m working in uniform, I sometimes wonder how it has evolved over the past century. I joined KLM as a cabin attendant in 2002 and have had the pleasure of wearing two different uniforms since then. The first was the updated Nina Ricci design, which was later replaced by the current Mart Visser uniform. Because February is fashion month, I’d like to celebrate my love of vintage clothes and fashion by flying down memory lane to revisit KLM uniforms of bygone years.  Catwalk in the sky It was wonderful diving into the history of KLM uniforms, guided by my colleague Cliff Muskiet, who i ..read more

In the blog series “Time flies”, various KLM bloggers share their views of the centenary and take you back through their time at KLM. What has changed and what seems impervious to change? Boeing 777-787 Captain Hein Kuipers (55) takes over from Rob Duivis. Dreams come true “I’ve been flying for 34 years now. Those years have literally flown by! Lots of little boys, and more and more little girls, dream of becoming pilots. I’m sure it all boils down to the magic of flight, of soaring through the air. Personally, I loved the idea of keeping such a huge machine airborne and controlling its moveme ..read more

The lovely thing about the miniature Delftware houses KLM gives its World Business Class passengers is that they are copies of real, existing houses and buildings. They are not all buildings in Amsterdam, as some people think, but are scattered all over the Netherlands. One, House no. 85, is in Willemstad, Curacao: the Penha Building, which is also a UNESCO World Heritage building. A route full of KLM Houses My own base is Leiden, the oldest university town in the Netherlands. The rail link to Schiphol is excellent, so I always go to work by train. No less than three KLM houses lie on my route ..read more

A ..read more

A ..read more