Over the next two years Dutch airline KLM will redesign and enlarge its international Crown Lounge at Amsterdam Schiphol.

The work will be completed in stages and the Crown Lounge will remain open until the work is completed in the spring of 2019.

Seating capacity will be increased from 800 to 1,400.

KLM says the new lounge is intended “to create the ultimate customer experience. It will receive an entirely new interior design with a completely new look, creating a fresh experience.”

“The lounge will be fitted with the latest technology and service will be outstanding. There will be new concepts for everything from dining and refreshments and the service provided by lounge staff to logistics and the kitchen design. KLM is creating the lounge of the future.”

KLM’s Crown Lounge can be found between Pier E and Pier F and is for use of business class passengers on intercontinental flights. It is on the second floor of the terminal and will be extended with a third floor during renovations.

Amsterdam Schiphol is pleased KLM will redevelop its Crown Lounge. Schiphol, as a leading hub airport in Europe, needs to update facilities in order to both retain and woo lucrative premium fare passengers.

And KLM needs to improve its ground facilities to better compete with its Asian and Gulf rivals who are chipping away at its local market share.

When I first wrote about KLM for Business Traveller in the early 1980s it was by far the dominant player at Schiphol.

KLM is still easily today’s main player at Schiphol (thanks to the fact that KLM is a transit, rather than a point-to-point, airline) but over the years carriers like Cathay Pacific of Hong Kong, SIA of Singapore, Emirates of Dubai, Qatar Airways of Doha and Etihad of Abu Dhabi have captured more and more of its Dutch market share.

Readers who have been fortunate to use the lounges in Hong Kong, Singapore or the Gulf will testify that these airports’ lounge facilities are superior to those at Schiphol.

In other news KLM will be enhancing the onboard service in its World Business Class from the summer. Although no official announcement has yet been made, Dutch media reports that KLM will introduce a “dine and demand” service starting, initially, on routes between Amsterdam, Tokyo and Johannesburg.

Business Traveller will provide more details as and when available.

klm.com