Not a very good news for in-flight shoppers. From July 2019, KLM will stop offering tax-free sales on its European flights. In January of 2020, it will extend to intercontinental flights as well.

This suspension is as a result of new developments such as the rise of e-commerce which has made on board sales less attractive. KLM is exploring alternative forms of travel retail.

For decades now, KLM has been offering tax-free articles, both online and on board. However, customers have grown accustomed to an almost infinite range of products for which they can look up the lowest price online. Competition with product ranges at the airports is also growing.

KLM is currently exploring alternative forms of travel retail concept and will shortly be launching several pilot projects to this end.