KLM unhappy with Ryanair gaining Schiphol slots

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  • Anonymous
    Guest

    AMcWhirter
    Participant

    Ryanair has been awarded a number of slots at Amsterdam Schiphol and is expected to announce a series of routes starting in a couple of months’ time.

    The decision to award the slots to Ryanair has been heavily criticised by the CEO of KLM.

    Quoted in the Dutch newspaper telegraaf.nl the CEO says that the awarding of slots to Ryanair is taking away valuable resources from Schiphol and threatens the integrity of the airport’s global hub status.

    KLM is unhappy because it is mainly a transfer airline (it takes passengers via rather than to or from Amsterdam) and so does not welcome point-to-point rivals who do not interline.

    Many years back, readers may remember the time when KLM tried, without success, to stop Easyjet from setting up a Schiphol hub.

    News item from telegraaf.nl in Dutch language.

    http://www.telegraaf.nl/dft/nieuws_dft/24441580/___Schiphol_wordt_verkwanseld___.html


    transtraxman
    Participant

    Is it enough to say “sour grapes”!!

    or do we need a comment to say that the dinosaurs are at last getting their comeuppance.


    canucklad
    Participant

    I’m surprised the Dutch didn’t incentive Ryanair to set up shop ,as was mooted ages ago, at Amsterdam’s northern airport.

    Thus appeasing KLM and at the same time stimulating economic growth at an underused airport.

    I do have a bit of sympathy with KLM though, reducing KlM”s lucrative AMS originating traffic will ultimately impact on the transfer markets greatest selling point……price.


    FDOS_UK
    Participant

    “Quoted in the Dutch newspaper telegraaf.nl the CEO says that the awarding of slots to Ryanair is taking away valuable resources from Schiphol and threatens the integrity of the airport’s global hub status.”

    What a bizarre quote; taking away resources!

    Ryanair is an airline and slots are there for airlines to use, so if there are free slots, awarding them to Ryanair is using resources.

    I suspect KLM are concerned, as they are about to be skinned alive on point-to-point flights, by a company they cannot compete with.

    If they are more intelligent than the above quote suggests, they will explore ways of working with Ryanair.


    Simon01
    Participant

    Yes very much Kl don’t want the completion at Ams.
    If they are the great airline they believe they are they will
    work with Ryanair as suggested by fods uk
    Competition is a fact of life in the airline industry.


    TominScotland
    Participant

    Seems that KLM memories are short. What about their own (failed) efforts with Buzz (2000-2003) which included flights from Stansted to major hubs such as Frankfurt. Ironically, Buzz was sold to Ryanair….

    The yellow was a challenge….


    MartynSinclair
    Participant

    I wonder what the reaction would be, from BA, if Ryan or Easy were allocated slots at Heathrow…


    Tallinnman
    Participant

    MS – which is why Willie’s now against the 3rd runway!


    Edski777
    Participant

    First of all: this is definitely not an issue with LHR and BA. But AMS is a huge airport with plenty of runways and available slots.
    It all comes down to one word: competition. KLM doesn’t like it that major competitors with a lower cost-base are now flooding AMS.
    First the ME3 came, Easyjet appeared and now Ryanair. All are seen as unfair competition, although they are actually just “competition” ther is hardly anything unfair about it.
    All the above mentioned airlines pay for the airport services and are subject to the EU and Dutch commercial codes.
    Nevertheless KLM will survive in my opinion as they offer a very convenient feeder and long haul system. In the end they may even benefit from the likes of Easyjet and Ryanair as they will extend the feeder choices of travellers. For instance: KLM offers 26 destinations in the UK and Ireland with a single terminal convenient transfer to short and long haul destinations.
    In stead of fighting the new kids on the block they should explore the commercial opportunities and start focussing on growing and selling again.
    I would worry more about the French at Air France than about Ryanair or Easyjet. With the recently announced plan for lay offs at KLM, rumoured to be as much as 20% of the current 30.000 strong workforce, and nothing whatsoever at AF, the management at KLM has an even greater challenge.

    And as for Willy: he would have every right to get nervous if Ryanair, Easyjet, Norwegian or any other LCC would sneak in at LHR. BA would have some real competition at their homebase for the first time.
    BA management will experience what other airlines at airports with spare capacity have already encountered. A whole new game.

    But basically: whether it is KLM at AMS or BA at LHR: they will cry foul every time a competitor enters what they believe to be their “nest”.
    As others already said: they better grow up and fast.


    AMcWhirter
    Participant

    In fact, Easyjet has been serving Amsterdam since it began life in the 1990s.

    Luton-Amsterdam was one of, if not its first, international route(s).

    I remember taking an Easyjey Amsterdam-Luton midweek 1700hrs B737 flight in those days and being amazed by the fact that, not only was the flight virtually full, but over 90 per cent of the passengers were business people. I knew then that a revolution was about to start in the short-haul airline business here in Europe. My ticket had cost something like £25 one-way AMS-LTN.

    I say “amazed” because it was a different era and the conventional carriers were putting out the message that business people needed their comforts and so would not patronise low-cost carriers.

    By contrast, the Gulfies were slow to arrive at Schiphol. Emirates has only been there for several years, Etihad for even less while Qatar appeared only a couple of months ago.

    It was only when Easyjet began to add a few extra routes (in Stelios’ time) that KLM tried to block it.

    That led to officials from the EC competitions dept raiding KLM’s Amstelveen HQ early one morning in search of proof, documents etc.

    KLM backed down and Schiphol later developed a low-cost airline zone connected to its single terminal.

    In recent years, Easyjet and a few other low-cost carriers have began developing services at Schiphol.

    At least 60 per cent of KLM’s passenger traffic is transfer. It relies on its “waves” of short-haul flights to feed its long-haul services and vice versa. One cannot exist without the other.


    AMcWhirter
    Participant

    Edski777
    Participant

    Ryanair announced that the ticket price for a one way AMS – DUB will be from € 9,99. Travel between Nov 1 and Dec 16.

    Xmas shopping in Amsterdam anyone?


    LuganoPirate
    Participant

    I’m not sure this will really effect KLM’s transfer traffic since the extra for a through fare flying UK – AMS when combined with a long haul flight is marginal. Add in the extras such as baggage restrictions, through check in and the hazard of a delayed inward flight leading to a missed connection, the saving, if any, can’t be justified.

    I think KLM ‘s worry is intra Europe point to point, and frankly they deserve to lose the business seeing the fares they charge for an ever reducing offer. No wonder people are leaving the legacies in droves for the LCC’s!


    seasonedtraveller
    Participant

    I regularly travel from MAN to Billund with BA. Ticket cost is average £400-£450. There is no competition on this route.

    For this price I get a measly 5 tier points each way.

    If only there was a LCC option……….

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