London City-Amsterdam Schiphol takes off
A link between Belgium’s VLM and the Netherlands’ KLM airlines has given London City airport (LCY) global-gateway status and doubled the number of connection possibilities at Amsterdam Schiphol for passengers using the London airport.
Schiphol, routinely voted best airport in Europe by readers of Business Traveller, is justifiably famous as a transfer hub. That’s because the entire KLM network is aimed at the transit passenger. Designed around a series of “waves”, KLM flights in and out of Schiphol depart and arrive during certain time bands throughout the day.
Ironically, these new schedules were inspired by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT). For the tie-up between VLM and KLM to go ahead, the UK’s competition body insisted these carriers surrendered some London City slots to make room for a rival.
But instead of weakening the operation, the OFT’s ruling actually strengthened it. Johan Vanneste, VLM’s managing director, said: “When we combined forces in January we decided to operate larger planes. So our new codeshare operation features 100-seat RJ85 jets in place of previous 50-seat F50 turbo-props.”
It means passengers now get faster flights and connection possibilities that weren’t offered before.
What’s on offer?
Codeshare VLM/KLM flights depart from LCY to Amsterdam at 0745, 0840, 0930, 1125, 1605, 1750, 1855 and 1945. Inbound flights leave Amsterdam at 0700, 0755, 0835, 1040, 1520, 1700, 1800 and 1855. Flight times vary between 70 and 80 minutes. Dutch time is one hour ahead of UK time.
For passengers heading further afield, the minimum connecting time in Amsterdam is 40 minutes if proceeding to another European city or 50 minutes for a long-haul destination.
There are dozens of connection possibilities. In particular, long-haul business class flights are keenly priced. These must be booked with klm.com (VLM’s website, flyvlm.com, handles point-to-point bookings).
Although a plane change is needed, you save time using LCY because check-in times, arrival times and so on are much less than at one of the capital’s bigger airports.
Examples
- New York with KLM in business class starts at £1,690 return. A passenger taking the 0745 service from LCY would reach Newark at 1325 following a 50-minute transit at Schiphol. The return flight at 1640 from Newark would get you back to LCY the next morning at 0715 after a one-hour transit. Similar timings are available if bound for the city’s JFK International airport.
- Dubai from £1,485 return would involve departing at 1125 but with a 55-minute transfer at Schiphol you would be in the Gulf at 2359. The return service at 0200 gets you into London City at 0810 following a 90-minute transit.
- Singapore for £2,028 return is possible leaving LCY at 1750 and arriving in the city state the next day at 1630 with a 60-minute plane change. Inbound you leave at 2250 to arrive the next morning at 0715 after a 90-minute transit.
- For Tokyo, pay from £2,226 return and leave at 1125 to reach Narita the next day at 1035. Transit time is 95 minutes. The daylight return involves a 1205 departure and a same-afternoon arrival at 1720 following a 50-minute transfer.
What if I only need Amsterdam?
Then you have a choice of VLM or British Airways. A third carrier, Eastern Airways, was awarded slots to compete following the OFT ruling, but it’s unclear whether the Humberside-based airline will take up the offer.
The economic situation has deteriorated since the slots were granted and Eastern Airways would find it a struggle to establish itself in the London area, where it is little known. In mid-February, Eastern still would not confirm whether it would enter the route.
British Airways plies the route with RJ100 jets up to four times daily. Timings are neatly spread throughout the working day. BA departs at 0840, 1300, 1515 and 1855, returning from Schiphol at 0720, 1125, 1615 and 1810. Flight lengths are similar to those of VLM. British Airways passengers qualify for BA Miles.
Fares with VLM start at £121 for economy, although business class, with 3-3 seating, is costly at £789. Point-to-point passengers booking online with flyvlm.com will earn points under its Encore loyalty scheme. Johan Vanneste said the plan was for Encore to merge with KLM’s Flying Blue scheme. This is expected to happen by July.
With British Airways you will find economy fares from £112, with a business class (3-2 seating) return priced between £330 and £583. Check-in times at LCY with both carriers are short. With VLM, the minimum time before departure is only 15 minutes for cabin and 20 minutes for checked bags, but you should always allow a little extra time in case of delays.
There are snacks and drinks in economy class along with the usual perks in business class. Bear in mind that London City has no business class lounge, although since it was enlarged last year the departures area has become much more spacious.
Both VLM and British Airways carry a substantial amount of business traffic and particularly that related to the finance and oil industries. This is hardly a surprise given London City’s proximity to Canary Wharf and the City.
