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1921>
The importance of advertising...
Plesman stressed the importance of advertising emphasing the fact that the company should not only seek publicity for KLM, but for air transport in general.
In 1921, the first international poster was printed.
It was designed by the artist Ernest B.H. Lander and depicted the KLM flagship, a Fokker F-II, flying over a typical Dutch landscpae. The plane's interior was depicted in a brochure, which also made mention of a new phenomenon: aerial photography!
Ticket to Paris
Vliegticket van de KLM voor de luchtroute Amsterdam-Parijs.
Op 2 mei 1921 werd een dagelijkse dienst Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Brussel-Parijs geopend.
In 1924 vloog de KLM driemaal daags naar Parijs met een Rotterdamse tussenstop.
De vlucht duurde 3,5 uur en kostte ƒ 39,50. De terugreis was iets duurder, namelijk ƒ 48,00 |
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First booking office in Amsterdam
The re-opening of the service to London and Hamburg, on 14 april 1921, was attended by Prince Hendrik of the Netherlands.
By then the company had its own aircraft, Fokker F-IIs and F-IIIs, and its own pilots.
The KLM bought 8 F-IIIs and that was a well considered choice, because at that time de F-III was a beautiful constructed airliner.
The Fokker F-III was faster than the F-II.
It was an improvement of the F-II, with a 240 HP Siddeley Puma watercooled six cylinder engine.
The Fokker F-III seated five passengers and had a separate cargo hold. The pilot was seated in an open cockpit near the engine.
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He communicated with the passengers by means of written messages, which were passed back and forth via a hatch.
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Preparing for new services
Beside these F-IIIs KLM also bought two DH IXs (De Havilland). In the summer of 1921, the KLM had a fleet of sixtien aircrafts.
Plesman had not wasted time during the winter months: he had prepared the opening of a service to Brussels and Paris.
Schiphol was the homebase, but was far from a ideal airport: it was a piece of swampy grass with some primitive hangars. But changes were made very fast. The first progress was made by opening the hotel and restaurant "KLM Cafe Restaurant Schiphol".
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The first booking
office 'Leidseplein' was opened in the center of Amsterdam in the summer of 1921.
The coöperation with the city of Amsterdam was excellent.
Here worked the administation, here where the bookingoffices, here grew a new modern businessactivity.
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