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Royal Dutch Airline KLM has created a customer-centric online community catering to business-class passengers in Africa and China, according to Springwise.

KLM Club China and KLM Club Africa aim to enable and streamline contacts that would otherwise be made while waiting to board an aircraft, or over breakfast in business class. The clubs also offer a range of business and concierge services provided by partners; for example, a dedicated phone line gives details for translation agencies, legal bodies, hotels, and more.

Club China, the first to launch in June 2006, has signed up over 3,000 members so far, 40 percent of whom log on at least once a month.

Travel destinations are not the only basis for forming such clubs. KLM is also considering lifestyle, with its Flying Blue Golf Club is the first such effort.