Going Dutch a thousand times over

Loyal passenger takes milestone flight with KLM.

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines this week welcomed Birmingham-based passenger David Jones on board his 1,000th flight with the Air France KLM group. Mr Jones travelled from Birmingham Airport to Nairobi, Kenya via KLM’s award winning hub at Amsterdam Schiphol.

David Jones, Technical Sales Manager at Dunlop Aircraft Tyres Ltd has been travelling with Air France KLM to destinations across Africa and the Middle East for 36 years. Since boarding his first ever KLM flight in 1981, where he flew from Cairo to Amsterdam on a DC8 aircraft, he has travelled on 836 flights operated by KLM and 162 operated by partner Air France. Today’s two sectors on KLM will result in Mr. Jones’s reaching the impressive milestone of 1000 flights with the group.

Mr Jones commented, “When travelling, particularly for business, convenience and comfort are key. Both KLM and Air France offer convenient schedules from my local airport in Birmingham which means I don’t have the hassle of having to travel to and from London. I’d much rather spend an hour or two working from the comfort of the lounge in transit rather than stuck in traffic on the M40.”

A keen aviation enthusiast, he has a log book detailing every flight he has taken since he began travelling in 1978. He has a special affinity with KLM, having travelled on a KLM Boeing 737 aircraft for his 737th flight with the group, a KLM B747 aircraft for his 747th flight and a KLM B777 aircraft for his 777th flight.

Mr. Jones’ loyalty has earned him Platinum for Life status within the group’s frequent flyer programme, Flying Blue and today travels in business class as a commercial gesture from the team at KLM to thank him for his ongoing support.

He said, “I’m delighted to be celebrating this milestone with KLM. What really differentiates them from their competitors is the friendliness of the staff on board. It is not just today that I feel valued as a loyal customer, I regularly experience the crew go that extra mile to ensure that my flight is as enjoyable as possible.”