We.Stream and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines have announced a partnership, for the sale of We.Stream’s mobile WiFi hotspot onboard KLM flights, including a ‘duty free proposition’ which offers a year’s unlimited supply of mobile Internet access.

Interestingly, it was only in July that TRBusiness reported that KLM was understood to be undertaking an investigation into the ‘relevance’ of its inflight duty free business, with the possibility it may pull from the channel altogether.

WiFi, although becoming an absolute necessity to travellers at airports, is not yet available on the vast majority of airlines; although this appears to be changing rapidly. Supplying WiFi to passengers is felt to be largely detrimental to inflight retail sales.

With the access to WiFi, passengers are not only able to compare prices online, but they are actually then able to make purchases with alternative online retailer using their handheld or tablet device.

However, We.Stream’s proposition is not merely confined to the cabin. The service is now available for sale in the World Business Class and with it comes a special duty free offer for KLM passengers who can buy the mobile WiFi hotspot with an additional one year of unlimited mobile Internet service worldwide.

‘PROBLEM-SOLVING’

After they make an in-flight purchase, passengers are able to connect their mobile devices to the internet via We.Stream upon arrival at their destination instantly. This way, passengers can order their Uber, use Google Maps or check their messages directly after they have landed, says We.Stream.

Robert Pronk, Marketing Manager at We.Stream: “Our product solves a problem that lots of travellers recognise. The cost of mobile data outside the borders of your own country or continent worldwide are very high.

“And since travellers are becoming more aware of the security risks of public WiFi, it has become a real hassle to find a good solution for their connectivity issues abroad.

“With built-in VPN functionality, which can be used in 145 countries worldwide, we offer travellers a cost-effective and secure alternative for conducting business and staying in touch with family and friends worldwide. Our product therefore matches up perfectly with the travel retail industry.

“From the moment we launched We.Stream in January 2018, forging a partnership with KLM was on top of our wish list. It goes without saying that I am very proud that we have agreed on this cooperation.”

Hoogma now serves as Account Manager SME at Air France KLM.

‘TRULY ADDED VALUE’ SAYS HOOGMA

Former KLM retail buyer, Frank Hoogma, who assumed a new role within the Air France KLM group, effective 15 October, says: “We offer our passengers only products with truly added value. We.Stream is a great example of a product that fits this requirement. Mobile internet has become a mission-critical asset nowadays, especially for business travellers.

“We.Stream makes mobile connectivity accessible and affordable worldwide with a great quality product that is also very easy to use. These are all features that are very important for KLM. Therefore I’m convinced that we will be offering our passengers an innovative and valuable product with We.Stream.”

Jurgen ter Hoeve, CEO at We.Stream: “While working on this agreement, we kept a close eye on the destinations of KLM flights. Based on this information, we have expanded our worldwide coverage even further, adding 42 new countries.

“Some of the countries that have been added to our coverage list are the Dutch Antilles, Surinam and most countries in the Carribean and in Africa. In all countries, the built-in Cloud SIM of the We.Stream device connects to local 4G and 3G networks to enable instant personal connectivity. From now on, all our data plans can be used in 145 countries, which makes We.Stream the market leader when it comes to coverage and value for the price.”