UPDATE 2 November 2015 : AMS-AMS Welcome Flights announced for 22 November 2015. First scheduled flight AMS-AUH-BAH is 23 November 2015.
According to the 2015-2016 winter schedule announcement from Air France / KLM (20 October 2015) : “On 23 November 2015, KLM will fly the Boeing 787 for the first time: the first flight will serve Abu Dhabi and Bahrain.”
TravelZork reported earlier in October that the anticipated date was Sunday the 22nd of November. It does appear we were off by one day, based on the most recent notification. Award space is currently unavailable using SkyMiles for business class, though some awards (at high redemption levels) seem to be available via the Flying Blue awards program.
On the 14th of October 2015 the KLM 787 Dreamliner had it’s first flight from Paine Field Seattle for approximately two hours.
The KLM blog did an interesting post on How Pilots Prepare For The Boeing 787.
One of the unique aspects of the Dreamliner is that we will be operating it with the same accreditation we have for the B777. Traditionally, commercial pilots are only allowed to fly one type of plane. Transferring to another type usually requires several months’ training. The cockpit of the B787 and B777 are so similar, however, that we are allowed to fly both. KLM will be the first airline in the world to utilise this option on a grand scale.
Credit: RTV NH | Doron Sajet
At present we await more announcement news from KLM Royal Dutch Airlines with regard to further confirming the inaugural flight and potential inaugural festivities. We shall post updates to this article throughout November, so please be sure to check back.
Michael resides in London and travels extensively as a British Airways Executive Club (BAEC) Gold member, after previously being a Delta Diamond Medallion in The Netherlands. Miles+Points airline/hotel loyalty programs and learning to optimize the use of loyalty programs are intense interests of Michael’s. In addition, Michael is passionate about casino loyalty programs, the history of Las Vegas/Atlantic City and baccarat, as well as cooking and also enjoying foodie experiences around the globe.
