'Layover with a Local' Is KLM's New Stopover Service

After 20 years working in the travel industry, and 15 years writing about it, Tim Winship knows a thing or two about travel. Follow him on Twitter @twinship.

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Apparently, Icelandair neglected to patent its recently launched Stopover Buddy program.

Just as Icelandair’s Stopover Buddy service pairs flyers stopping over in Reykjavik with Iceland locals, KLM’s newly announced Layover with a Local program pairs flyers on that airline making connections in Amsterdam with city residents.

According to KLM:

Why wait when you can wander? With Layover with a Local, you can meet up with a local and enjoy a free drink in Amsterdam’s beautiful city centre. Your chance to turn your airport waiting time into adventure time!

The program is available to KLM passengers originating in the U.S., Canada, and Italy, between March 22 and May 31, with layovers at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport of at least six hours. It’s being billed as a “pilot service,” suggesting that its future hinges on the take-up from travelers.

It’s an intriguing idea, a clever variant of lemonade-from-lemons marketing. Time will tell whether it’s sufficiently compelling to boost sales enough to justify its existence long term.

Reader Reality Check

Is this something you’d take advantage of?

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After 20 years working in the travel industry, and 15 years writing about it, Tim Winship knows a thing or two about travel. Follow him on Twitter @twinship.

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