KLM Houses: How to Get One and What They Are Worth

Ask a frequent flyer what they remember about a KLM long haul flight and a surprising number will mention the same thing: the little blue house. KLM houses are ceramic miniatures of real Dutch buildings, filled with genever and sealed, handed out in World Business Class. They have been part of the cabin since 1952, which makes them older than most of the aircraft they are served on.

They are also the most quietly effective piece of brand loyalty in aviation. People collect them. People compare them. People pick KLM over a rival because they are missing number 47. Here is how the tradition actually works, what is inside, and whether the collection is worth anything.

How to Get a KLM House

The rule is simple. Fly KLM World Business Class on an intercontinental route and the cabin crew comes round with a tray of houses near the end of the flight. You pick one. There is no charge, no request needed, and no loyalty tier required.

Two details catch people out. The first is that the houses are limited to one per passenger per flight, so a couple travelling together receives two, not a pile. The second is the one most travelers do not realise until it happens: you get a house on each leg. A round trip from New York to Amsterdam and back means two houses, chosen separately, from whatever the crew is carrying that day.

Short European hops in business class do not qualify. Neither does economy or premium comfort on any route. It is an intercontinental business class perk specifically, which is part of why it carries the weight it does. If Amsterdam is on your route map, our page on business class flights to Amsterdam covers what the fares actually look like.

What Is Inside a KLM House

Each miniature is filled with Bols genever, the Dutch spirit that predates gin, then sealed with a small cork and a wax cap. The house is a working bottle, not an ornament with a lid, which is why customs and cabin baggage rules apply to it like any other miniature of spirits.

The exception is the Middle East production run mentioned above. Those houses are identical in every respect except that they arrive empty, so a collector who flies KLM to Dubai gets the ceramic without the contents. Collectors generally prefer the sealed ones, since an unopened house holds its value better than one that has been drunk and rinsed.

The Collection: One House per Year

Every house is a replica of a real building somewhere in the Netherlands, numbered in the order it was issued. Since 1994 the size of the collection has matched KLM's age, so the airline releases exactly one new house a year. It appears on 7 October, the date KLM was founded in 1919, and the choice is kept secret until that morning.

The selection process is more serious than the object suggests. Around sixty buildings are nominated each year, a committee narrows the list, and the chief executive makes the final call on historical significance. Number 106, released in October 2025, is Villa Rameau in Leiden, a sixteenth century house beside the Pieterskerk where the Pilgrims worshipped before sailing on the Mayflower. For an American collector that is a rather good one to be handed.

Flying KLM and want to know what World Business Class actually costs on your dates before the houses tempt you?

Are KLM Houses Worth Anything?

There is a real secondhand market, and prices depend almost entirely on rarity rather than age. Common houses from recent decades trade for modest sums. Early numbers, short production runs and the houses that were never handed out on regular flights are the ones that command money.

That last category is worth knowing about. Some versions never reach an ordinary cabin at all: special editions have gone to honeymooning first class passengers, and a larger Paleis op de Dam has been reserved for Platinum for Life members. Those are the pieces serious collectors hunt, and no amount of flying business class will produce one by chance.

Condition matters as much as number. Sealed, unopened, with the original cork and wax intact is the standard. Once a house has been emptied it becomes a nice shelf object rather than a collectible, which is the quiet joke of the whole tradition: the more you enjoy it, the less it is worth.

What Other Airlines Hand Out

No other carrier has anything with the same pull, but several run their own version of the idea. The pattern across the industry is that the memorable giveaway sits one cabin higher than KLM sets it.

• Emirates. The showpiece is the first class amenity kit, a Bulgari pouch with a toothbrush, fragrance and skincare. Business class gets a kit too, though the Bulgari version is the one people keep. Our guide to Emirates first class covers what else that cabin includes.
• Qatar Airways. Business class carries branded amenity kits and, on longer sectors, pyjamas, which is unusual outside first class. See our Qatar Airways business class guide for the full picture.
• Etihad and Singapore Airlines. Both put designer kits in business class, and both reserve the genuinely lavish version for the cabin above.

What makes the KLM houses different is that they are not consumables. An amenity kit gets used and forgotten. A ceramic house sits on a shelf for twenty years and reminds you which airline you flew, which is a marketing budget most carriers would envy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does KLM still give Dutch houses?

Yes. The tradition has run continuously since 1952 and is still active on intercontinental World Business Class flights. A new house is added to the collection every year on 7 October, KLM's founding date.

Are KLM Delft houses worth anything?

Some are. Common recent numbers trade for modest amounts, while early issues, short runs and special editions never given out on normal flights can fetch considerably more. Value depends on rarity and condition, and a sealed house with its cork and wax intact is worth more than one that has been opened.

How many KLM houses are there?

106 as of the October 2025 release. Since 1994 the number of houses has matched KLM's age in years, so the total goes up by exactly one every 7 October. Number 106 is Villa Rameau in Leiden.

Do you get a KLM house on both flights?

Yes. The house is given per flight rather than per booking, so a business class round trip earns two, one on the outbound and one on the return. You choose from whichever houses the crew has on board, so the pair is rarely sequential.

What is inside a KLM house?

Bols genever, the Dutch spirit that came before gin, sealed with a cork and wax. Houses produced for Middle East routes are the exception and arrive empty, because alcohol service is restricted on those flights.

Can you buy KLM houses?

Not from KLM directly as a passenger perk, though a secondhand market exists among collectors and dealers. The airline hands them out onboard rather than selling them, which is precisely what keeps the collection interesting.