For an airport with such global reach, it’s amazing that Dallas/Fort Worth International (DFW) has been bereft all these years of nonstop service to one of Europe’s powerhouse airports – Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS). Arch-rival Houston had it since the 1960s, first out of Houston Hobby (HOU) and later from Bush Houston Intercontinental (IAH).
That’s about to change. Come March 30, long-time alliance buddies KLM and Northwest Airlines will launch nonstop DFW-AMS service with one of the former’s new A330-200s, a craft configured for both Business and Economy service.
Why March 30? It’s about then that carriers throughout the United States and the European Union let fly with a flurry of new flights, all the result of the dramatic liberalization of air service between the U.S. and the EU. Open Skies is the name of the agreement, and it allows almost unfettered flights across The Pond.
The possible upshot for consumers (at least in the near-term) is increased competition. Even with possible increases in petrol prices, the transatlantic should sport some of the best discount airfares on the planet this coming year. That’s going to be the locus of bargain-hunters – in the air, if not on the ground, where the dollar remains anemic compared to the Euro and English Pound.
As for Amsterdam, it’s one of Europe’s most efficient hubs – squeaky clean, well connected, and endlessly entertaining. It’s KLM’s key hub, a hub that’s beautifully connected to the rest of Europe, as well as to significant swaths of the Middle East and Africa.
© Cheapflights Ltd Jerry Chandler
