We all know cabin crew are meant to take good care of you during your flight but how about if your flight attendant helped you once you were off the aircraft and enjoying your vacation? That’s exactly what Dutch airline, KLM has imagined with a snazzy new gadget it has dubbed the ‘smart care tag’.
It’s a fairly simple concept and you’ll wonder why no one has thought of it before. Coming this September, visitors to Amsterdam will be able to hear personal recommendations and tips from KLM cabin crew – and best of all it’s free.
All you have to do is attach the tag to your backpack or handbag and as you travel around the city, the tag will provide audio tips about your current location. Whether you’re walking, jogging or (probably) cycling around Amsterdam, the tag will know exactly where you are using its inbuilt GPS receiver.
Don’t worry though – the tag is offline so you don’t need mobile data and it won’t be sending your location history anywhere. Now you have a local in your pocket – KLM has sent its cabin crew all over Amsterdam to record their personal recommendations and give visitors a little extra assistance.
Just don’t be expecting the same boring old tourist tips – KLM says their flight attendants tell you how it is. If an area is known for pickpocketing, the tag will tell you. Planning on not losing your bike? The tag has a tip of where and how to secure your cycle securely. It will even give you the low down on free street eats and urban art exhibitions. Nice.
But you’ll have to be quick. KLM is only making a limited number and will be giving them out to passengers travelling to Amsterdam on a first come, first served basis. The first batch will be released in September, so if you’re travelling with KLM to their home city just order your free smart care tag online.
The airline has said the tags are currently only available in English but plan to launch versions in Chinese, Portuguese, German and Russian. The initiative is part of KLM’s plan to become the most “customer-centric European airline”. The timing couldn’t be better – Amsterdam has seen a surge in tourist numbers. In January, the city saw over 1 million tourists visit the city in just one month.
