KLM Royal Dutch Airlines has just revealed plans to launch a new route to the United States, and it seems like a logical network addition…
In this post:
KLM adds Amsterdam to San Diego route
As of May 8, 2025, KLM will launch a new year-round flight between Amsterdam (AMS) and San Diego (SAN). The flight will operate 3x weekly with the following schedule:
KL639 Amsterdam to San Diego departing 9:50AM arriving 12:00PM
KL640 San Diego to Amsterdam departing 1:55PM arriving 9:15AM (+1 day)
The 5,613-mile flight is blocked at 11hr10min westbound and 10hr20min eastbound. The flight will operate on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, in both directions.
KLM will use a Boeing 787-9 for the service, featuring 275 seats. This includes 30 business class seats, 21 premium economy seats, and 225 economy class seats.
How San Diego fits into KLM’s route network
San Diego will be KLM’s 15th destination in the United States and 22nd destination in North America, so the carrier has quite the impressive network.
The logic for this new service is pretty obvious. Think of it as being less about KLM, and more about the overall Air France-KLM, Delta, and Virgin Atlantic transatlantic joint venture, and its competitive position. With joint ventures, airlines coordinate their schedules to create as comprehensive of a network as possible.
Currently the SkyTeam transatlantic joint venture doesn’t have a transatlantic flight to San Diego. Meanwhile the Star Alliance transatlantic joint venture has Lufthansa’s service from Munich (MUC), while the oneworld transatlantic joint venture has British Airways’ service from London (LHR).
San Diego is a market that has grown considerably in the past decade, and it’s one of the largest unserved transatlantic markets for SkyTeam, so this is a logical addition. I assume that KLM operating this route rather than Air France or Virgin Atlantic comes down to aircraft availability, opportunity cost, and general network connectivity.
Bottom line
As of May 2025, KLM will launch a new 3x weekly flight between Amsterdam and San Diego using a Boeing 787. This will be KLM’s 22nd destination in North America, and this is clearly a competitive response of the SkyTeam transatlantic joint venture, given that Star Alliance and oneworld both have service to the airport.
What do you make of KLM adding service to San Diego?
Sadly none of the airlines mentioned: BA, Lufthansa don't offer first class.
SAN has been stuck with bottom-of-the barrel 777-200s and 787s that haven't been renovated... so even a Club Suite would be nice at this point.
On a more positive note, some of the cash-deals for BA SAN-LHR have been kind lately.
I would have prefered Air France but that'll do ! It's nice to have another alternative avoiding the extra fees with British Airways. Flyingblue is awesome so that's great!
I'm sure there are subsidies involved here since KLM has taken subsidies to serve other second-tier airports, like Austin. But I actually think this is a mistake. I would fly to Tijuana because you can still get the San Diego O&D traffic but capitalize on the Mexican traffic. I imagine the costs to land a plane in Tijuana are significantly lower than San Diego, even with waived incentives.
Wait, you expect San Diego cruise ship pax from Europe to land in TJ and then queue up for hours to get into America….so that KLM can save some cash?
They wouldn't "queue up for hours," as TIJ has the CBX facility, which is specifically designed/intended to cater to passengers arriving in TIJ whose destination is SAN or the surrounding stateside areas.
I used it during the height of the holiday travel season and was off the aircraft at TIJ, with...
They wouldn't "queue up for hours," as TIJ has the CBX facility, which is specifically designed/intended to cater to passengers arriving in TIJ whose destination is SAN or the surrounding stateside areas.
I used it during the height of the holiday travel season and was off the aircraft at TIJ, with my bags, through US customs, and on California-side curb waiting for my Uber, in well under 30min.
According to Wikipedia, "The airport's proximity to the U.S. border makes it an appealing option for cross-border travelers heading to Mexican cities. However, due to its close proximity to San Diego Airport and the high transportation taxes for international flights in Mexico, the airport has not been able to retain international destinations. Passengers traveling to destinations in the United States and abroad typically choose to use San Diego International Airport, which is situated less than...
According to Wikipedia, "The airport's proximity to the U.S. border makes it an appealing option for cross-border travelers heading to Mexican cities. However, due to its close proximity to San Diego Airport and the high transportation taxes for international flights in Mexico, the airport has not been able to retain international destinations. Passengers traveling to destinations in the United States and abroad typically choose to use San Diego International Airport, which is situated less than 30 kilometres (19 mi) northwest of Tijuana Airport." (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tijuana_International_Airport#Binational_operations)
And you think people coming from Europe would have any knowledge of using TIJ to visit SAN? Sheer stupidity.
Only people going from SoCal to points in Mexico would consider the option. I have thought about the option, but never done it...
"And you think people coming from Europe would have any knowledge of using TIJ to visit SAN? Sheer stupidity."
If people from China can know and use it, why can't people from Europe?
It’s almost as if Hainan Airlines only operates Tijuana to Beijing-Capital because they can’t operate nonstop to Mexico City’s hot and high altitude airport.
Thanks for once again for displaying what 'the rest of the world' sees when they encounter an American. Or as Charles Darwin once said: 'Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge'. As all y'all probably don't know, lots of European countries are quite small and lots of people actually do cross borders to take flights. Heck, airports like Basel actually cater both Switzerland, France and Germany, while Weeze in Germany mostly caters Dutch people...
Thanks for once again for displaying what 'the rest of the world' sees when they encounter an American. Or as Charles Darwin once said: 'Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge'. As all y'all probably don't know, lots of European countries are quite small and lots of people actually do cross borders to take flights. Heck, airports like Basel actually cater both Switzerland, France and Germany, while Weeze in Germany mostly caters Dutch people and Vienna in Austria is the main point of departure for people from Bratislava in Slovakia. Or there's Copenhagen Airport in Denmark, serving people from Malmo in Sweden, Tornio airport serving both parts of Sweden and Finland, and there's San Sebastian airport which is literally on the border of Spain and France. Maastricht Aachen Airport even has the names of two cities in two different countries in its name, while serving parts of Belgium in addition. And the list goes on...
So, trust me, if you tell anyone from Europe that their flight would depart from Mexico instead of the US, they'd happily comply. Because unlike Americans, Europeans don't see crossing a border as a magical mystery tour. For quite a few it's actually everyday life. It's just that crossing the US border is a real pain in the ass and should be avoided if possible.
The real reason why airlines don't necessarily fly out of Tijuana isn't because of your arrogantly presumed 'America must be more expensive than Mexico! America good, Mexico bad!' and other misplaced nationalistic crap, it's actually that taxes on international flights in Mexico are quite high, making Tijuana a less competitive choice for airlines than San Diego and, in fact, killing any potential international traffic there. It's the main reason why, despite serving dozens of destinations, less than a handful of them are international ones.
I know Americans hate facts, but in this case it's a European airline that intends to fly to San Diego, which means that they suddenly are taken into account again.
Also, what a stupid comment. By your logic, Lufthansa and British Airways should’ve launched Tijuana.
When I was a teenager in SAN I thought the air service was so boring. Most flights dog legged to LAX. I am thrilled to see all of the international service that SAN has been able to attract and keep. Looking at you JL and BA among others.
Good to see one more direct route from SAN to Europe. With the planned improvements in the airport, this will more convenient for us.
Great to have a Sky Team international addition along with dailies from BA to London and LH to Munich.
@ben in addition KLM is adding Hyderabad in India and Georgetown Guyana.
Ben you are missing 1 important point that make KLM quite relevant on this route: ASML!
ASML is one of the most important Dutch based company in the Netherlands and in the world. And they have a big base in… San Diego! So lots of corporate flow on the route with direct service
Curious.
I admit that I don't know ASML. 275 seats on the aircraft, and how many would ASML fill? In what cabin?
Regardless, it's a good announcement.
interesting they chose KLM compared to AF that has already operated to SAN! Luckily the timing of this flight won't interfere with the other wide bodies so maybe they can use those gates (48,51) without issue compared to when the AirFrance comes in to 47 it puts 46 out of use. Also, the SkyClub will be even more crowded during the noon rush!
Air France has never operated (actual) scheduled service to San Diego. They just put a few segments into there, for conferences/conventions, then sold excess seats to the public. They've done the same for New Orleans, Vegas, etc.
AF doesn’t fly to SAN.
Are tickets open yet? Any award space? :)
You mean star alliance with LH
@ Todd -- Indeed, thank you! Fixed. :-)
Your very