KLM is a Finalist for Best Short-Haul Airline at the
2026 Travelling for Business Awards, and the case it makes is quietly audacious: the Dutch flag carrier serves more UK airports than any other European airline — nineteen at the latest count — making it, by reach, something close to Britain's own regional carrier with a Dutch accent.
That footprint changes what short-haul means for regional Britain. From Humberside to Inverness, Teesside to Cardiff, KLM's Cityhopper jets connect airports the trunk carriers ignore directly into Amsterdam Schiphol — and Schiphol's single-terminal design turns the connection into a short indoor stroll rather than a trek. For a business traveller in Norwich or Aberdeen, the fastest route to almost anywhere on earth frequently begins on a blue Embraer, and the one-stop discipline of the KLM network has built loyalty across the UK's regions that few airlines can match.
The hardware is thoroughly modern. Cityhopper's Embraer E195-E2s are among the quietest, most efficient regional jets flying, and the mainline Boeing 737s that carry the denser routes are giving way over time to new-generation Airbus narrowbodies. Onboard, KLM has completed its
biggest product change in years, refreshing the European travel experience, while touches such as its
partnership with Marie-Stella-Maris bring a premium sensibility to even the shortest sector. Flying Blue ties the repetition together, its miles spendable across the Air France-KLM group and SkyTeam — and status earned on weekly Cityhopper commutes unlocks lounges and priority service across the whole alliance.
There is also the intangible: KLM is the world's oldest airline still flying under its original name, and the operational pride shows in a service culture that is warm, multilingual and unflappable — well suited to the weather-tossed realities of North Sea aviation. For travel managers, the breadth of departure points doubles as disruption insurance: when weather or strikes close one airport, an alternative KLM gateway is rarely more than a modest drive away, keeping itineraries whole.
A Finalist's berth in 2026 honours the network that keeps regional Britain plugged into the global economy. Winners will be announced at the 2026 Travelling for Business Awards, and KLM's nineteen-airport constituency will be watching with interest.
