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In the last 24 hours, KLM has updated its schedules for winter 2020/21 and when you compare the services the airline plans to offer to the services offered pre-Covid, it doesn’t make for pretty reading. Three US cities are set to lose service altogether, while even major partner hubs like Atlanta will be seeing reduced capacity.
KLM Cuts Winter Services To Three US Cities
For Winter 2020/21 KLM’s latest schedules show the airline eliminating service on the following 3 routes:
- Amsterdam – Boston
- Amsterdam – Las Vegas
- Amsterdam – Miami
Unless KLM has a change of heart (which seems unlikely given the way Covid-19 is back on the rise in Europe) this means that there will be no non-stop service to Amsterdam from Boston, Las Vegas, or Miami until the summer season starts at the end of March.
As far as Las Vegas and Miami go, KLM hasn’t yet resumed flight to either of these cities since the pandemic took hold so the cancellation of these routes for winter season is simply a continuation of the status quo. Boston, on the other hand, is currently served 3x/week with the last flight scheduled for 24 October.
KLM’s Other US Routes
Atlanta
Atlanta is the hometown of KLM’s US partner – Delta – but that doesn’t appear to have been enough to have saved the route from a number of capacity cuts.
Overall the service between Amsterdam and Atlanta will be reduced from 14 weekly flights to 9 (compared to winter 2019/20) and the 787-10 that was scheduled to operate flights KL623/624 has been downgraded to a 787-9.
Chicago
The Amsterdam – Chicago route is one that bucks the downsizing trend as the previously planned 5 weekly flights are currently still in place and for a period of time, the 787-9 that’s set to operate on this route for most of the winter is being replaced with a larger 787-10.
Compared to the summer season this is a service reduction (KLM currently serves Chicago daily out of Amsterdam using its 787-10 aircraft) but there’s no change compared to last winter.
Houston
KLM currently offers a daily 787-9 service between Amsterdam and Houston and, as things stand, that is set to continue through winter 2020/21.
Los Angeles
KLM returned to LA in August and has gradually been increasing the number of flights it offers to the current peak of 9/week (operated by a combination of 777-300ER, 787-9 & 787-10 aircraft). This service will be dropping down to a daily service for winter 2020/21 (in line with winter 2019/20) with the 787-9 being the aircraft to give way.
New York (JFK)
Unsurprisingly, New York is the US city that gets the most love from KLM with a double-daily service during summer season and a double daily service through winter too. The only thing of note in the latest schedule change (from a nostalgic point of view), is that KLM has finally removed its 747 from the Amsterdam – JFK route. Considering this aircraft’s last flight for KLM was back in March, it’s about time!
San Francisco
Los Angeles may have survived the cuts and downsizing but San Francisco hasn’t been so lucky. KLM is reducing the number of weekly flights it offers between Amsterdam and San Francisco to four (the airline operated a daily service last winter) and the 787-10 that was supposed to be taking over on this route from late October has been replaced by a smaller 787-9.
Still, on a positive note, four flights per week is one more flight per week than the airline has been offering since it restarted the route earlier this summer.
Washington D.C.
There’s mixed news on the Amsterdam – Washington Dulles route. On the one hand, KLM will be reducing the number of flights it offers on this route to 4/week (it operated 7 weekly flights last winter) while on the other, the airline has now scheduled a Boeing 787-9 in place of the A330-300 that was expected to operate this route in winter 2020/21 – both aircraft offer roughly the same number of seats but the Dreamliner offers a noticeably better Business Class cabin.
Bottom Line
With Covid-19 resurgent in Europe and with international travel years away from recovering, KLM has made cuts to a number of its routes between Amsterdam and the United States for winter 2020/21. Three routes have been eliminated from the schedules and three other US destinations will be seeing less service than originally planned.
This may not be the end of the changes to KLM’s winter services to the US but it certainly gives us a very good indication of how the airline feels about its immediate future.
No Detroit? Used to be a NWA hub with a close partnership with KLM.
KLM leaves AMS-DTW to Delta (which is currently scheduled to operate a daily service in winter 2020/21 with an A350-900)
American vacationing in Europe at the moment (transited AMS).
I’m impressed the media keeps trying to push the ‘cases’ narrative.
I don’t know any normal person here who cares in the least about ‘cases’
Almost no one is dying from Coronavirus here (look up the data yourself on any site) – for the last ~3 months.
I don’t understand why ‘cases’ matter, when they have no bearing on number of deaths?
Having a great time here, encourage anyone who has PTO to get on a plane and enjoy.
The scientists seem to care so I’m going to assume that they’re not worrying without good reason.
I’m actually going through a massive first world dilemma right now. I missed out on cheap business award space IAH-AMS-MUC on KLM for this Christmas — I’m returning to Germany to see family. Now I’m looking to reposition to LA for the LA-AMS-MUC flight. It’s showing a 777-300 for late December when I pick my seats, not 787. I just find it to be a huge pain to get out to LA the morning of although I will do it for the business class experience. Ugh I’m kicking myself for missing out on the IAH space.
I love first world problems so keep them coming – they make a joyous change to everything else that keeps appearing on my screens 🙂
[…] KLM Cuts Service To 3 US Cities & Reduces Capacity To Others […]
I believe Delta is flying AMS-BOS daily this winter. I guess not enough traffic for double daily. MIA and LAS make sense since there probably won’t be much European leisure travel to the US this winter.