Comments on: KLM cancels free train service to Schiphol Amsterdam Airport http://www.pulpmovies.com/blog/2003/05/268 Films. Politics. Technology. Sun, 23 Nov 2008 12:31:55 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 By: Paul Pritchard http://www.pulpmovies.com/blog/2003/05/268#comment-43 Paul Pritchard Sun, 29 Jun 2003 20:20:08 +0000 http://www.pulpmovies.com/blog/2003/05/268#comment-43 According to the <a href="http://www.klm.com/nl_en/index.jsp">KLM website</a>...<br /> <br /> "After consultation with the NS rail company, KLM has decided to end the contract for free rail travel for KLM passengers as per 1 June 2003. The value attached by passengers to this extra service does not warrant the significant investment required by KLM. And the number of KLM passengers taking the train to Schiphol has not structurally increased."<br /> <br /> ... Which I would take to mean that the service is underused.<br /> <br /> As for being anti-competitive, I would be very suprised if the NS weren't charging KLM for the service. As such, I don't see it as being unfair since other airlines could use the money not paid to NS to reduce their fares. According to the KLM website…

“After consultation with the NS rail company, KLM has decided to end the contract for free rail travel for KLM passengers as per 1 June 2003. The value attached by passengers to this extra service does not warrant the significant investment required by KLM. And the number of KLM passengers taking the train to Schiphol has not structurally increased.”

… Which I would take to mean that the service is underused.

As for being anti-competitive, I would be very suprised if the NS weren’t charging KLM for the service. As such, I don’t see it as being unfair since other airlines could use the money not paid to NS to reduce their fares.

]]> By: MAO http://www.pulpmovies.com/blog/2003/05/268#comment-42 MAO Sun, 29 Jun 2003 14:14:54 +0000 http://www.pulpmovies.com/blog/2003/05/268#comment-42 You say they did away with the free rail travel to Schiphol because it was underused? I expected it to be done away with, but for a different reason: it amounts to incestuous "state support" to KLM, i.e. it's anti-competitive because the other airlines that fly out of Schiphol don't have the institutional connections to offer the same benefit. So I was expecting EU authorities, when they found out about it, to come down hard on the practice. Maybe that's the real reason it was cancelled - or maybe it isn't. You say they did away with the free rail travel to Schiphol because it was underused? I expected it to be done away with, but for a different reason: it amounts to incestuous “state support” to KLM, i.e. it’s anti-competitive because the other airlines that fly out of Schiphol don’t have the institutional connections to offer the same benefit. So I was expecting EU authorities, when they found out about it, to come down hard on the practice. Maybe that’s the real reason it was cancelled - or maybe it isn’t.

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