KLM to go to space

[Orionblamblam]

A press release from XCOR:

KLM Announces Suborbital Flight Relationship with Space Experience Curaçao
Using XCOR's Lynx Suborbital Spacecraft

November 17, 2010, Mojave, CA: Today KLM Royal Dutch Airlines announced to the Netherlands press that they were embarking upon a new relationship with Space Experience Curaçao (SXC). KLM will be supporting future suborbital flights through purchases, inclusion in their frequent flyer program, inclusion in future KLM vacation packages to Curacao, and other yet-to-be-named support. The flights will be made on the XCOR Lynx suborbital spacecraft.

Last month SXC and XCOR Aerospace jointly announced the intent of SXC to lease a production version of the Lynx suborbital spacecraft, pending United States government approvals to station the vehicle on the island of Curaçao in the Netherlands Antilles. With a planned start date in January 2014 SXC and now KLM will market and sell flights. XCOR will provide operational support for the vehicle at Space Port Curaçao.

On the front page of De Telegraaf, the largest circulation Dutch newspaper, KLM Chief Executive Officer Peter Hartman said of the new relationship and suborbital spaceflight: "It is a fantastic project that totally fits the pioneering spirit of KLM." This history includes operating the longest regularly scheduled air service in the world throughout the 1920s, and opening their first transatlantic service in 1934 between Amsterdam and Curacao.

SXC Founder and former Royal Netherlands Air Force Chief of Staff Ben Droste referred to the exploration and entrepreneurial spirit the Dutch have demonstrated for over five centuries and noted their logical extension to space. "This is a project that completely fits our VOC tradition (Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie, aka the Dutch East India Company). The Dutch have successfully traversed the world's seas, pioneered long distance air travel, and now have set our sights on space."

XCOR's CEO, Jeff Greason noted, "XCOR is very pleased that the market's acceptance of Lynx is accelerating. Our approach to space travel offers the simplicity, low cost structure, environmental sensitivity, history of accomplishment, and excitement that clients want in their spacecraft company."

 

[Michel Van]

Odd

there is NO statement or News & press releases by Air-France/KLM about there going Suborbital
neither in France or Netherlands in moment
http://corporate.klm.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/archive-2010?start=0

 

[hagaricus]

http://www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/8235003/__KLM_gaat_in_ruimtereizen__.html

 

[FutureSpaceTourist]

There's a bit more in the NYT:

[quote author=http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/18/business/global/18klm.html?_r=1&ref=global]
KLM to Offer a New Perk for Frequent Fliers: Outer Space

By NICOLA CLARK
Published: November 17, 2010

PARIS — In the rarified realm of airline frequent-flier perks, elite status can bring cushy upgrades, airport lounge access, priority boarding and any number of concierge and customer service benefits.

But on Wednesday, the Dutch airline KLM set a new goal for road warriors to aim for: free space flights.

The carrier, part of the Air France-KLM group, confirmed that it had purchased a handful of advance tickets for sub-orbital space flights that are expected to be offered as early as 2014 by Space Experience Curaçao, a space tourism company founded on the Caribbean island by two Dutch entrepreneurs.

“KLM supports this idea and this project,” said Gedi Schrijver, a spokeswoman for the airline. She said the airline still had to work out exactly what the criteria would be to earn a space flight ticket — which sells for $95,000. “There are many options,” she said.

[...]
[/quote]

Which answers a key question I had, namely whether KLM are putting any money (other than marketing effort etc) into this. (Of course it's not clear how many tickets are a 'handful' ...)

 

[blackstar]

I suspect that they are not purchasing tickets at full price--they're putting down payments on tickets when they become available. There's no reason why a big company like KLM would hand over several hundred grand for "tickets" to a service that does not currently exist. They probably have the same kind of agreement that Virgin Galactic offers where people can put a down payment and buy the ticket later.

This is really just a marketing ploy, however. Anybody own any Pan Am tickets to the Moon?

 

[FutureSpaceTourist]

This is really just a marketing ploy, however. Anybody own any Pan Am tickets to the Moon?

KLM clearly won't be depending on a Lynx becoming operational, but if it does go into service then I'd expect them to make use of it. Although I suppose one could characterize (small scale) use as just marketing. Still I like to hope that even by just associating their brand with it, it increases the chances of it actually happening. The difference I see from Pan Am is that the Lynx is in active development and rather less ambitious in scope than tourist moon flights!

 

[blackstar]

But there's no indication of how much money KLM is transferring to the people who could make this happen. If XCor announces that they received X millions in funding from KLM, that would be more definitive. Otherwise, I view this as little different than signing a cause on Facebook, or a virtual petition--if it doesn't take any effort (or money), then it's not worth much.

At least in the case of VG, they can take all those downpayments and use that to get loans, investment, etc. In the above case, I think they'd need more than one airline saying that they are going to purchase a few tickets.

 

[FutureSpaceTourist]

[quote author=http://www.parabolicarc.com/2011/04/16/xcors-operational-lynx-fly-curacao/]
X-COR and SXC sign exclusivity contract for ‘tail number 1’
SXC PR
April 12, 2011

Earlier this month, SXC [Space Experience Curacao] and XCOR signed the Memorandum of Understanding, in which the mutually exclusive agreements are officially documented. SXC will be the only party, besides XCOR, to make use of the first spacecraft.

On behalf of XCOR, three-time Space Shuttle pilot Rick Searfoss explained: “The testing program which we are currently running is going extremely well. Early next year, we will make the first sub-orbital flight, after which the final development will speed up tremendously. According to our schedule, we will be ready for commercial take-off by the end of 2013”.

[...]
[/quote]