KLM has nearly restored their North American network for summer 2021 to pre-pandemic levels, though capacity levels are substantially lower than 2019. The carrier’s strategy throughout the pandemic has been to maintain a network of as many destinations as possible.
On Wednesday (June 2, 2021), KLM announced that they have restored their North American network for summer 2021 to near pre-pandemic levels, though capacity remains substantially lower versus 2019. The carrier will offer a total of 16 North American destinations for summer, just one less destination than summer 2019, namely Salt Lake City. However, connectivity to Salt Lake City is still available through KLM’s partner Delta Air Lines. Over the summer, KLM also plans on adding service to Las Vegas and Minneapolis, subject to travel restrictions between the U.S. and Europe. As previously announced, for their winter 2021/22 schedule, which runs from October 31st through March 26, 2022, KLM is adding two new destinations including Cancun, Mexico and Orlando, Florida in the U.S.
In Wednesday’s announcement, KLM’s President & CEO, Pieter Elbers, said,
“It's very positive that our North American destination network has practically returned to its original level, in terms of the number of destinations. North America is an important market for KLM. This relationship goes far back, illustrated by the fact that this year we commemorate 75 years of flights to New York. Hopefully the travel restrictions for the United States, Canada and Mexico will be reduced soon, offering our passengers more opportunities to travel once again to North America. An internationally valid vaccination passport would be very helpful for this.”
Customers booking travel with KLM will enjoy maximum flexibility when changing or canceling trips. The carrier has also introduced the highest standards of hygiene throughout the travel journey and has recently been awarded Diamond APEX certification in recognition of excellence in health and safety protocols.
Source: KLM