, Columnist
An Airline That Doesn't Want You to Fly. That's New
KLM is urging people to take trains or do video calls where possible. This might just be marketing but it may also reflect the folly in aviation’s growth targets.
Take the train, people.
Photographer: Eric Dunetz/Moment EditorialThis article is for subscribers only.
Ever since the economist Milton Friedman claimed the sole responsibility of business was to maximize profit, there’s been a lively debate about whether companies should have other, more socially beneficial aims.
It’s pretty much accepted practice, though, for a firm to try to sell more of its products and services. To not do so is a good way to go out of business. So the decision by KLM Royal Dutch Airlines to encourage its customers not to purchase flights – at least in some circumstances – is rather curious.