Who doesn’t love the ceramic glass houses that KLM Royal Dutch Airlines has given out as gifts to business class passengers. Celebrating its 97th anniversary on October 7, included the presentation of a new Delftware miniature house. The latest addition is Hotel New York in Rotterdam.  The 97th miniature was revealed at a festive event aboard the SS Rotterdam. KLM President & CEO Pieter Elbers presented the first miniatures to Ahmed Aboutaleb, the Mayor of Rotterdam, and Mr. and Mrs. Westers, who run Hotel New York. After the official presentation, the guests were brought by boat to Hotel New York for drinks and hors d’oeuvres.

“I’m thrilled that Hotel New York has been chosen as KLM’s 97th Delftware miniature,” said Peter Elbers, KLM President and CEO. “In the 19th century, the Holland-America Line maintained the most important connection between Europe and America, while today KLM’s North-Atlantic route network plays an important part in connecting the two continents. In May this year, we celebrated the 70th anniversary of our first scheduled service to New York.”

70 Years to New York

KLM’s maintained direct connection between Amsterdam and New York for 70 years is a major, symbolic milestone. Many of the key milestones in KLM’s history have some connection with North America. Moreover, North America is KLM’s second-largest market, after Europe. Together with its partner Delta Air Lines, KLM annually carries more than 2.8 million passengers between Amsterdam and a wide array of North American destinations.

The History of KLM Miniatures
KLM has been presenting its Delftware miniature houses on board since the 1950s. The miniatures are replicas of exceptional Dutch buildings. Since 1994, the number of houses in the series has kept pace with KLM’s age, with a new house being presented every year on KLM’s anniversary, October 7. The miniatures are presented to World Business Class passengers on intercontinental flights.

Air France and KLM and their partners Delta and Alitalia operate the biggest trans-Atlantic joint-venture with over 250 daily flights.