Five years ago, Gilbert Ott flew from London to New York on a budget airline. The flight was delayed until the following day because of mechanical issues, he told Insider. European Union rules entitled him to full compensation.
07.10.2023 - 13:07 / thepointsguy.com
Lufthansa has its rubber duckies and Virgin Atlantic has its airplane salt and pepper shakers. But the most sought-after airline collectible just might be KLM's famous miniature Delft houses.
These blue-and-white beauties are modeled after historic buildings in the Netherlands (or abroad), and the airline releases a new one each year in October to commemorate the anniversary of its founding in 1919.
KLM started distributing the tile houses, which are filled with Bols Genever liquor, to first-class passengers in the 1950s. It was a clever way to get around rules limiting the value of gifts airlines could bestow upon passengers since the houses were considered cocktails rather than souvenirs. For its 75th anniversary in 1994, KLM issued a large batch of houses so that their number would match the airline's age with each new annual release after that.
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Past houses have included the gorgeously gabled 16th-century De Oudheidkamer in Den Burg on the island of Texel and the landmark Anne Frank House in Amsterdam. There are also grandiose structures like Amsterdam's palatial Scheepvaart Museum and the Hotel New York in Rotterdam, which was once the headquarters of Holland America. All of them are filled with a dram of Bols Genever spirit, though few folks actually end up drinking theirs since they are sealed.
Aside from picking one of the Delft houses up on eBay, to get your hands on one, you've got to be traveling internationally in KLM business class (there's no first class on the airline anymore). Flight attendants pass through the cabin before descent with a tray or cart of the keepsakes that usually includes the current year's release and a smattering of past ones.
There's even an app to help you keep track of which houses you've collected so you don't accidentally snag a duplicate on your next flight. (Don't worry if you do, there's a counter at the KLM Crown Lounge at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol where you can swap them out).
Cabin comparison: Watch us fly KLM 2 different ways: Business class vs. economy
And if you are curious about the provenance of the Delftware houses you gather on your travels, you can pick up historian Mark Zegeling's "Little Kingdom by the Sea." The two-book set is a compendium of the houses that he regularly updates with detailed descriptions he has spent years researching, along with a walking guide so that you can visit some of them yourself on your next trip to the Netherlands.
This year, KLM has released its 104th Delft blue house, which is a replica of the oldest existing railway station in the Netherlands: Valkenburg Station. The depot is in the town of Valkenburg aan de Geul, about a
Five years ago, Gilbert Ott flew from London to New York on a budget airline. The flight was delayed until the following day because of mechanical issues, he told Insider. European Union rules entitled him to full compensation.
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