The Business Case for Soul
Photo Credit: A flight attendant holding a miniature Delft Blue house., which business class travelers on KLM flights receive. KLM
Skift Take
While most airlines chase operational efficiency and cost-cutting, carriers like KLM, Finnair, Fiji Airways, and Air Tahihi Nui are winning customer loyalty through a strong national identity and cultural touches that create emotional bonds.
It was a familiar ritual for any Dutch frequent flier, but it was a new one for me. As I was descending into Bali a few years ago, an elegant blonde flight attendant approached with a small tray, each compartment holding a different miniature blue and white porcelain house. They're unmistakably Dutch, tiny replicas of Amsterdam canal homes, rendered in the country's signature Delft blue ceramic.
This is KLM's business class ritual, unchanged since the 1950s, and as your fingers close around house number 47 (or 83, or whichever one catches your eye), something remarkable happens: You're not just another passenger on another flight. You're holding a piece of Holland.
Too many airlines are defined by boring corporate sameness. United and American seem to blur into indistinguishable tubes of efficiency. KLM remembers where it's from and in doing so, reminds us why national identity can be a competitive advantage.
The KL
