New KLM Service Connects Travellers and Amsterdam Locals

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines will soon offer travellers the opportunity to experience Amsterdam while socialising with a local.

The “Layover with a Local” service will allow travellers waiting for their connecting flights at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol meet up with Amsterdam locals who enjoy meeting new people.

“This initiative fits KLM’s positioning as a social airline”, said Tjalling Smit, SVP of Digital at Air France-KLM.

The social profile of both the traveller and local makes the perfect match to give travellers with a layover an authentic Amsterdam experience during their brief visit to Holland.

“Around 70 percent of KLM’s passengers catch connecting flights at Schiphol, which is why we created this service that turns layover time at the airport into a unique and social experience in Amsterdam with a new friend”, Mr Smit said.

The “Layover with a Local” service is intended for travellers with a layover of six hours or more at Schiphol.

According to Mr Smit, travellers who catch a brief glimpse of Amsterdam this way may decide to come back in future to get the full Amsterdam experience.

Based on flight information, selected travellers can sign up for the “Layover with a Local” app, which turns a transfer at Schiphol into a city trip to Amsterdam. Travellers are matched with an Amsterdam local based on languages and social interests. After touching down at Schiphol, the app provides travellers with clear instructions as well as a free train ticket from the Dutch Railways to Amsterdam’s city centre, where they hook up with the local. After the get-together, the app helps travellers get back to the airport on time.

The “Layover with a Local” app will be available from mid-March and the service is initially for travellers departing from the United States, Canada and Italy. To sign up in advance, press here.