KL911 From Ireland, joined Jul 2003, 4977 posts, RR: 14 Posted (5 years 8 months 3 weeks 3 days 14 hours ago) and read 2851 times:
First flight, 3 September 1957
Today it's 50 years ago that KLM started with the route AMS-IAH. This happened with a brandnew DC-7C, named zuiderzee. Depending on configuration this DC-7 could carry between 44 and 76 passengers.
Lijndienst Amsterdam-Houston vijftig jaar geleden geopend
03-09-2007
SCHIPHOL - Op 3 september 1957, maandag een halve eeuw geleden, opende KLM haar lijndienst tussen Amsterdam en Houston. Dat gebeurde met de toen splinternieuwe DC-7C ‘Zuiderzee’ die een maand eerder door fabrikant Douglas was afgeleverd. Afhankelijk van de configuratie kon de DC-7C tussen 44 en 76 passagiers vervoeren.
" The European consumer would crawl naked over broken glass to get low fares." Michael O'Leary
CV990 From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 1, posted (5 years 8 months 3 weeks 3 days 13 hours ago) and read 2818 times:
Hi!
Congratulations KL for this half of century flight celebration. Just adding to this good post the plane involved was PH-DSI and although there's no photos on the A.Net photo engine of the plane in KL livery I'm enclosing a photo of the plane 28 years latter, now has cargo and flying for Trans-Air-Link.
CV990 From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 3, posted (5 years 8 months 3 weeks 3 days 12 hours ago) and read 2746 times:
Hi!
Thanks FlySSC, now we have the celebration "completed" with the DC-7C wearing the KL colours!!! Very nice indeed! Just to have a perspective of the livery used by the DC-7C in colour here is the younger brother PH-DSK with the same livery.
FlySSC From France, joined Aug 2003, 7313 posts, RR: 61 Reply 4, posted (5 years 8 months 3 weeks 3 days 12 hours ago) and read 2722 times:
Other sources indicate actually that the first flight was operated on September 6th 1957.
This was the first European service to Houston (Hobby Airport). The flight had an enroute stop at TORONTO.
Today, KLM and its mother company Air France operate a total of 27 flights weekly between Europe and IAH : AF from CDG 2 x Daily = B772ER + A332 and KL from AMS 1 x Daily B744 + 6 x Weekly B737
Thomasphoto60 From United States of America, joined Jan 2000, 3723 posts, RR: 25 Reply 6, posted (5 years 8 months 3 weeks 3 days 8 hours ago) and read 2524 times:
Now if only KL would do the honor of naming one of their 74E's after our fair city to mark this event, that would indeed be a treat.
JRadier From Netherlands, joined Sep 2004, 4598 posts, RR: 51 Reply 10, posted (5 years 8 months 3 weeks 3 days 6 hours ago) and read 2379 times:
Quoting FlySSC (Reply 7): Jurgen, isn't the B74E a B744 ? Silly Wink
it is, but a 744 doesn't have to be a 74E . Makes quite a difference, about 152 economy seats vs 7 pallets. It was about completing it tho, not proving you wrong.
For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and ther
ATCT From United States of America, joined Mar 2001, 2038 posts, RR: 40 Reply 11, posted (5 years 8 months 3 weeks 3 days 2 hours ago) and read 2176 times:
Their still all H/B744's from the ATC side of the house :P
Just messin, Anywho awesome news KLM!!!
ATCT
Real pilots fly planes that take and measure oil in gallons
Thomasphoto60 From United States of America, joined Jan 2000, 3723 posts, RR: 25 Reply 13, posted (5 years 8 months 3 weeks 3 days ago) and read 2087 times:
Well it would appear that KL is not as pumped about the past 50 years as the City Of Houston was. According to a city employee who is a member of the Houston Spotters Club, KLM and Houston were planning several activities to commemorate this service, but KLM had a change of heart at the last minute, saying and this is an exact quote " they just wanted to forget the whole thing". I've pasted in a copy of the thread form Houston Spotters below......
there were plans between the City and KLM to celebrate the 50th anniversary...KLM pulled out the very last minute, saying they just "wanted to forget the whole thing."
Some of the things discussed were:
Fly over HOU by flight 661 on its way to IAH
Rename that particular 747 "City of Houston" for the anniversary flight.
Drew Coats and the museum were to help supply some KLM memorabilia for KLM to display at IAH.
It's not so much that KL pulled out of the proposed commemorations, but their poor choice of words that came off as somewhat disrespectful to me.
IAD380 From United States of America, joined May 2006, 804 posts, RR: 0 Reply 14, posted (5 years 8 months 3 weeks 2 days 22 hours ago) and read 2010 times:
Quoting FlySSC (Reply 9): Quoting FlySSC (Reply 4):The flight had an enroute stop at TORONTO.
Actually, I think the original routing was AMS-YUL-HOU-MEX. These flights made additional stops in PIK or SNN when KL flew the DC-6 on this route. An old KL timetable from April 1957 that is posted on timetableimages.com indicates that flights to MEX originally stopped in Monterrey, Mexico. Apparently, Houston replaced Monterrey Mexico in September 1957. I think that flights to MEX stopped in Montreal and Houston until the 1980s, although KL gradually upgraded the aircraft, first to a DC-8, then to a DC-10, and finally to a 747. Ultimately, YUL, IAH, and MEX became daily nonstop destinations on KL.
IAD380 From United States of America, joined May 2006, 804 posts, RR: 0 Reply 16, posted (5 years 8 months 3 weeks 1 day 6 hours ago) and read 1775 times:
Quoting KL911 (Reply 15): On a side note, when was KLM's first non-stop AMS-IAH and with what aircraft?
If I recall correctly, KL flew a daily AMS-IAH-MEX flight with a 747 after it eliminated the stopover in Montreal in the early or mid 1980s. At that time, KL started a daily dedicated flight to YMX. I don't think that KL offered dedicated nonstop flights to both IAH and MEX from AMS until the 1990s.
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