KLM is bringing back its Boeing 747 to St. Maarten. The airline reported
in early March that the jumbo will take over again from the MD11 as of
March 29, 2009, when the summer schedule takes effect. The Holland-St.
Maarten-Curacao-Holland flights will be carried out on Tuesdays and
Thursdays. “This is a huge increase in capacity,” said Wim Iserief,
KLM’s General Manager Caribbean and Suriname. “We’re going from 294
seats in the MD11 to 428 in the Boeing; that’s like 130 seats more!”
The 747 stopped flying in St. Maarten some two years ago, when KLM
rerouted its flights; the airline flew from Holland to St. Maarten and
then on to Aruba in the MD11. Previously they flew with the Boeing to
St. Maarten and then on to Curacao and back to Holland.
Mr. Iserief explained that the summer schedule no longer includes Aruba
on the itinerary. “The results for the Aruba flights were not what we
expected, so we reconsidered what to do, as we did with all our flights
all over the world; yes, we also looked at our Hong Kong and New York
flights,” he said. The decision was for KLM to stop the four weekly
Aruba flights and service the island daily with sister airline MartinAir.
“It was a lesser decision for the business passengers –because MartinAir
doesnt have a business class-, but perfect for the tourism industry,
because MartinAir appeals to that sector of the market,” Mr. Iserief
said.
He said that for St. Maarten the increase in seats may eventually lead
to price cuts. “But that depends on the demand. This is good news for
St. Maarten,” he said.
The General Manager said that meanwhile the MD11 will continue flying to
the region, with five weekly flights, combined with stops in Quito and
Guayaquill in Ecuador. “Bonaire in total will get 10 weekly KLM
flights,” he said.
Iserief furthermore said that Curacao emerged very well from the
company’s deliberations regarding the summer schedule. “Despite the
worldwide economic receision that is also having its affect on KLM,
Curacao has maintained its market position. That is why we have decided
to increase our movements on the island, whereas we are cutting flights
and capacity on other destinations in our network,” he said.
