We also use third-party cookies that help us analyse and understand how you use this website. The hot meal is in fact piping hot when it arrives and the flavour of all the dishes is great. These cookies do not store any personal information. Blissful Bergen – Is It Really Norway’s Most Beautiful City? Although KLM seems to be a bit ashamed of their paltry food offering in their intra-European business class on those routes and decided to up the ante, they are clearly unabashed about their product on most flights within Europe. The worst of all was that the main salad was even downright inedible and I ended up only picking the bits of cheese out of it as those were the only tasty parts. I’m quite impressed to find that there are two options for the hot meal. KLM, Business Class – Boeing B 737-800: Madrid to Amsterdam. The Flamsbana Railway – From the Myrdal Mountains to the Fjord at Flam Similar to KLM’s Boeing 787-9, the 787-10 has a 1-2-1 reverse herringbone business class cabin layout. 26. Review: TAROM Business Class Paris to Bucharest (Airbus A318) 36. The longer 787-10 has 38. Who would in their sane mind pay a huge sum of money to get the same economy seat and a “premium” meal? Turkish Airlines Catering: How an Airline Went From Great to Bad Under Corona, A Grand Tour of Egypt – Limited Website Activity, British Airways’ Unique ‘Baby Bus’ Airbus A318 Flown to Scrapyard, Flying Blue to Give Frequent Flyers Another Free Status Extension, Train Services in Moldova Won’t Be Suspended After All. 38. Review: Azerbaijan Airlines Business Lounge Baku Airport Turkish offers 16 seats in a 2-2 configuration in its 737-900ER business class cabin, with 43 inches of legroom, 20 inches of width, and recline of about 120º. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. So here I am. It would be the 12th and final flight of the epic Air France business class error fare which I had booked. Of course it helps that up front we have a ratio of one flight attendant for one passenger. You also get premium meals and beverages and if you’re lucky you have an inch or so more legroom compared to seats further in the back of the plane. We decide to take a taxi to the hotel. This article is part of the ‘Siberian Shuffle – A Crazy Winter Trip Around Eurasia‘ trip report, which consists of the following chapters: 1. Review: Wizz Air Bucharest to Oslo Sandefjord Torp (Airbus A321) I’m not really quite sure what the hurry is. The cookies are created, managed and placed on your computer by the retailer's website (or by their affiliate scheme management company if they use one), rather than by this site. Learn how your comment data is processed. The only difference between economy and business class is that in business, the middle seat is left vacant to give passengers more shoulder room. The flight is only 95 minutes long, and before long we’re already descending into Warsaw. The KLM seat map. 16. It’s not great but it is what it is for European airliners and can’t do much about it. The KLM 777-200ER business class cabin has a total of 34 seats in a 2-2-2 configuration. Do not count on getting a full, hot meal as most of the times the snack is just a luxury sandwich. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. 37. Review: Shah Palace Hotel, Baku, Azerbaijan KLM has B/E Aerospace Diamond seats in business class on the 777, in a 2-2-2 configuration. 27. Review: TAROM Business Lounge Bucharest Otopeni Airport This earns our website some commission which affords us to keep this website up and running. Food and service in business wasn't much different than coach. 21. Review: Aeroflot Domestic Business Class Irkutsk to Moscow (Boeing 737-800) Row two features extra legroom. There are twenty seats on the upper deck and another fifteen on the main deck. 43. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. A Day in the Norwegian Capital of Oslo TAP Air Portugal has some cheap flights available from Geneva or Zurich in Switzerland to the sunny Cape Verde islands off the coast of Africa for just 159 euro return. Today (December 22, 2020): Review of Ethiopian Airlines’ Boeing 737 Business Class from Victoria Falls to Addis Ababa.. Boeing 737-700; Boeing 737-800; Boeing 737-900; Boeing 777-200ER; Boeing 777-300ER; Boeing 787-9; Boeing 787-10; Embraer 175; Embraer 190; Embraer E195-E2; Dining. I guess in Norwegian it means something entirely different! It has been a fun three days and our Spanish host were very welcoming and hospitable. The whole product is pretty uncompetitive, but that is something which counts for most European airlines. 13. Review: Aeroflot Domestic Business Class Lounge Moscow Sheremetyevo 11. Review: ‘Salon Paris’ Business Class Lounge Paris CDG Terminal 2C The crew on this flight are excellent. Service beings on the ground with the distribution of the newspapers and a welcome drink. In this video I show my experience with KLM's short haul business class product on the Boeing 737-800 from Dublin, Ireland to Amsterdam, Netherlands. 9. Review: KLM Crown Lounge (Schengen) Amsterdam Airport These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. 28. Review: Air France Business Class Bucharest to Paris (Airbus A320) Goodness, talk about a déjà-vu experience! We landed safely and on time in Bergen, which is what is most important anyway in the grand scheme of things. 23. Interrail: First Class Train Pass for the Price of Second Class! Departure. Flight time: 1h45m – Distance: 553 miles Amsterdam (AMS) to Bergen (BGO) on KLM Your email address will not be published. Sure, I understand that other factors play a role too (ticket flexibility, connecting to a long-haul flight) but if that doesn’t play a role for you then business class is a giant rip-off. The flight seemed to be entirely full in both business class as well as in the back of the plane in economy. We start with a packet of salted almonds and another orange juice. There are a few things that make the business class cabin on KLM’s Boeing 777-300ER different than my previous flight on the 787-10. Blissful Bergen – Is It Really Norway’s Most Beautiful City? So business class seats are really coach seats with the middle seats empty. 5. On this flight it was four rows of business class and the rest was economy. A Visit to the City of Ganja in Azerbaijan If the price for a long haul journey is right, I would have no problem at all to fly KLM’s business class again as the long-haul KLM product is quite good and the connecting intra-European legs would then just come as an extra. Seat Map and Seating Chart Boeing 737 700 KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. Author knightofmalta Posted on April 7, 2014 May 3, 2020 Categories B 737-700, Boeing B 737-700, Business Class, KLM Tags airlines, Amsterdam, basel airport, boeing b 737, Business Class, business class passengers, business class seat, departure gates, dutch airline, flying, KLM, klm aircraft, klm flight, transportation, travel, Warsaw A Winter Trip to the Frozen Wonderland of Lake Baikal Listed prices of flights and other travel deals may have changed or lapsed after the publishing date. I enter the cabin, only to find that Business Class is completely empty. On a good day with a good crew, KLM crews can be among the best in the world as they mix dedication for service with a fun, chatty vibe. Costs: 800 EUR, as part of a ticket including 12 flights in business class. The middle seats of this class are not sold providing additional space for passengers of this class. Wizz Air: Budapest to Baku, Azerbaijan for Just 30 Euro Return! There are twenty seats on the upper deck and another fifteen on the main deck. Because of my timing, I purchased a round-trip ticket from Madrid (MAD) to New York (JFK) aboard Air France via Charles de Gaulle (CDG) on the outbound and through Amsterdam on KLM on the return for just $1,208. The flight was made worse by an extraordinary grumpy crew, which unfortunately is not uncommon when flying KLM. The main business class cabin on KLM’s 777-300ER. We assume you're OK with this, but you can opt-out of non-essential cookies if you wish. If I would have paid business class for just this flight I would have been quite pissed off at KLM for their paltry food offering, which was hilariously bad. The 787-10 has a slightly upgraded version of the seat, designed by Japanese firm Jamco and offering very slightly more bottom space than the 787-9. Instead, let’s begin this narrative just as I board the aircraft. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. The Business Class cabin on KLM’s Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, which KLM calls ‘World Business Class’ is split across two sections. The third leg of my Business Class journey with Ethiopian Airlines was operated by one of the carrier’s Boeing 737-800. 24. Review: ‘Moscow’ and ‘Jazz’ Business Lounges Moscow Sheremetyevo Terminal D Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorised as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. ( Log Out / Business Class (28), Economy Comfort (18) and Economy Class (132). The -700’s are used for a lot of different flights, so you might be flying to Istanbul , Newcastle or Berlin in this beauty (these destinations may differ per season). I can even take the ‘Reserved for your comfort’ seat if I like! The reverse-herringbone layout and that particular seat type have been around for years, but in KLM’s incarnation, they exuded quiet elegance. Guide: Train Travel in Azerbaijan Hi, in this trip report or review or travelmentary, I'm showing you my experience in KLM's great business class product onboard the Boeing 787-9. Pineapple crumble with coconut jelly and strawberry. Compared to intra-European business class on partner airline Air France, KLM lags behind on every front, and that’s even before I start comparing it to airlines such as Aeroflot and Turkish Airlines which do have proper business class seats and a lavish meal service. The seat width is 17 inches. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. But if you’ll just give me a week, I’ll have something new and quite unusual lined up. It would however not surprise me if someone at accounting came up with this after calculating that a salad is the cheapest food they can offer and it should therefore be both an appetiser and a main. Also in 2F,3F,4F and 5F there is presence … 33. It was, even at first sight, a huge improvement over the 2-2-2 biz classes of previous KLM birds. A Short Overnight Stopover in Paris – Photo courtesy of Spencer Howard. The return home is with KLM anyway. As a contributor to some major Fleet Street newspapers and some lesser known publications in the Balkans, he travels thousands of miles each year for work as well as on his personal holidays. The only exceptions are the few flights to destinations in which KLM faces stiff competition from a competitor with a clearly superior in-flight product, such as the Moscow route in which they have to compete with Aeroflot or the Istanbul route where KLM has to compete with Turkish Airlines’ vastly superior business class seat and catering. All pictures, unless otherwise noted, are taken by Paliparan photographers and cannot be shared, copied or redistributed without written permission by the copyright holder. Paliparan cannot be held responsible for incorrect, outdated, missing or incomplete information. Strangely, that happens to me quite a bit when I’m travelling with M. and somehow always in Amsterdam. I arrive at the gate just as they finish calling out our names. These are arranged in reverse herringbone fashion, giving direct aisle access from every location. KLM 777-200ER Business Class Cabin. Destination Baku: An Intriguing Mix Between Old and New From: Amsterdam SchipholTo: Warsaw OkecieDate: 06 April 2014Airline: KLM Royal Dutch AirlineAircraft: Boeing B 737-700Cabin: Business ClassSeat: 1F, window. Pan-fried salmon and tilapia with lemon butter sauce, vegetable medley and herbed potatoes. KLM, Economy Class – B 737-900: Lisbon to Amsterdam, Air Serbia, Business Class – A 320: Zürich to Belgrade, Flying First Class in a Pandemic: SWISS vs. Emirates, Emirates Airlines, Boeing B 777-300ER – First Class: Dubai to Zürich, Swiss International Air Lines, Airbus A 340-300 – First Class: Zürich to Dubai, Air France Platinum Service: Credit where Credit’s due. 6. Review: North Sea Lounge Stavanger Airport That was certainly the case on this flight to Bergen, as I could barely believe my eyes when reading the menu card which was distributed when we reached cruising altitude. 34. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. 19. Review: Ibis Irkutsk Center Hotel, Irkutsk The fare from the airport will cost you about 40 Zloty by authorised taxi. Currently, we’ve got 5 of them. Seats are PSEUDO ECONOMY with no leg room no extra seat width. 30. Review: Sheltair Business Lounge Paris CDG Terminal 2D I just hoped that this last KLM flight would be a nice closure, as so far I wasn’t too impressed with KLM’s intra-European business class product on the two flights I flew before with them on this trip. There are 38 seats in the cabin which is 8 more than what you’ll find on the 787-9. Read our privacy & cookie policy. I almost picked one of these instead of a seat up front, but decided against it. I go with the latter. Having no checked luggage, it took just minutes to disembark the aeroplane and to walk to the airport tram station to catch one of the last trams of the night to the city centre. But like most other European airlines, rather than having 5 rows of proper recliner seats, the entire plane is economy class but the 5 rows of business class just block the middle seat. The seat pitch in the KLM Boeing 737-900 Economy Class cabin is 30-32 inches. A seasonal salad with mozzarella cheese and bell peppers. 46. Review: SAS Economy Class Oslo to Brussels (Boeing 737-600) At least I won’t have to worry about finding place for my luggage. Comments placed on this website are the sole responsibility of their writers, who take full responsibility, liability, and blame for any libel or litigation that results from something written in or happening as a direct result of something written in their comment. In this flight review, we will fly in KLM business class on an intra-European flight from Amsterdam (AMS) to Bergen (BGO) in Norway. The journey took me from Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe to Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa, with a brief stop-over in Botswana’s capital Gaborone. Although the seat is comfortable enough for a short flight, it is certainly not something I would ever pay a premium for out of my own pocket unless you are connecting to a long-haul flight with proper lie-flat business class seats. Due to a movable divider and curtain, the business cabin can therefore be increased or decreased in size according to demand – which is of course the major reason why most airlines decide for this product over proper recliner seats in business class. Virgin Atlantic: London to Antigua Flights for 299 GBP! Koen works as a freelance journalist covering south-eastern Europe and is the founding father and editor-in-chief of Paliparan. Switzerland – Cape Verde Flights on Sale for Just 159 Euro Return! 29. The seats There is in-seat power, however, which is useful, even if on a flight this short it’s unlikely to be essential. Contact about Shop@KLM KLM serves a premium snack as a meal on its intra-European flights. Required fields are marked *. The dessert is perhaps a tad too sweet, but I just suffer in silence, all alone in the big empty Business Class…. Later on when I arrived in Amsterdam, we touched down on runway 18C, as we did when I arrived from Lisbon fifteen hours previously. KLM business class cabin and seat on board the Boeing 737, KLM Cityhopper flight from Stavanger to Amsterdam, Siberian Shuffle – A Crazy Winter Trip Around Eurasia, Review: Wizz Air Bucharest to Oslo Sandefjord Torp (Airbus A321), Review: Norwegian Railways Night Train Oslo-Stavanger in a Private Sleeper, Review: Radisson Blu Royal Hotel, Stavanger, Stavanger – A Great Norwegian City Trip Surprise, Review: North Sea Lounge Stavanger Airport, Review: KLM Cityhopper Business Class Stavanger to Amsterdam (Embraer RJ-175), Guide to the Carnival Celebrations in the Netherlands, Review: KLM Crown Lounge (Schengen) Amsterdam Airport, Review: Air France Business Class Amsterdam to Paris (Airbus A319), Review: ‘Salon Paris’ Business Class Lounge Paris CDG Terminal 2C, Review: Aeroflot Business Class Paris to Moscow (Airbus A320), Review: Aeroflot Domestic Business Class Lounge Moscow Sheremetyevo, Review: Aeroflot Domestic Business Class Moscow to Irkutsk (Boeing 737-800), Irkutsk Trip Report: Exploring the ‘Paris of Siberia’ in Winter, Review: Mayak Hotel, Listvyanka (Lake Baikal), A Winter Trip to the Frozen Wonderland of Lake Baikal, Review: Ibis Irkutsk Center Hotel, Irkutsk, Review: Domestic Business Class Lounge Irkutsk Airport, Review: Aeroflot Domestic Business Class Irkutsk to Moscow (Boeing 737-800), A 24 Hour Stopover in the Russian Capital of Moscow, Review: ‘Moscow’ and ‘Jazz’ Business Lounges Moscow Sheremetyevo Terminal D, Review: Aeroflot Business Class Moscow to Paris (Airbus A320), Review: TAROM Business Class Paris to Bucharest (Airbus A318), Review: TAROM Business Lounge Bucharest Otopeni Airport, Review: Air France Business Class Bucharest to Paris (Airbus A320), Review: Sheltair Business Lounge Paris CDG Terminal 2D, Review: Azerbaijan Airlines Business Class Paris to Baku (Airbus A320), Review: Old City Hotel and Apartments, Baku, Azerbaijan, Destination Baku: An Intriguing Mix Between Old and New, Sheki: Azerbaijan’s Most Lovely Town and Springboard to the Caucasus, Must Be the Ganja! Check out the aircraft specifications, have a look at the seat map in Business Class and Economy Class, and learn some facts about KLM’s Boeing 737-800. Even though I’m not a fan of KLM’s choice of cava which they serve on intra-European flights, I decided that to drink something bubbly would at least end my trip on a bit of a high note. Not only that, but it would let me fly one of my fa… The majority are in the forward section, but there are six sandwiched between the galley and the economy cabin. Mine alone. KLM’s business class cabin takes up the entire space between the first and second set of doors on the 787-9, and consists of a total of 30 seats. Who else would possibly come up with a ridiculous term like a “beetroot burger”? Another salad! Beware of the many drivers offering you a taxi as you exit the terminal. As I talked already more in length about the KLM business class cabin and seat on board the Boeing 737 – I will keep it short here. Whether it is horse riding in Kyrgyzstan’s Tian Shan mountains, exploring the backstreets of Bogotá, or sipping a glass of moschofilero in a Greek beachside taverna, Koen loves to immerse himself into the local culture, explore new places and eat and drink himself around the world. … All mine. Oh boy, where to begin. ©Paliparan Business class seats on the Boeing 737 of KLM are just normal economy class seats with the middle seat being blocked. as part of a ticket including 12 flights in business class. But for a journey solely within Europe on narrow-body planes, I would certainly not pay out of my own pocket to fly KLM in business class again. In business, KLM blocks out the middle seat so nobody sits directly next to another passenger. Your email address will not be published. This website is linked to various affiliate schemes, so that if you click on certain links from Paliparan.com to a retailer's website, they know you have arrived at their site from here. Air Canada: Madrid to Miami for Only 145 Euro Return! One is beef and the other is fish. KLM 787 business class cabin KLM has reverse herringbone seats on these planes, so there are four seats in each row — one along each side of the fuselage, and then two in the middle. While I sat in row 6 on both flights, the cabin was arranged in … Upon seeing the grumpy faces of the crew reluctantly giving a refill to someone else in the cabin I decided not to bother to get another mini bottle of mediocre cava and just dozed off for the remainder of the flight. As it was pitch dark outside and my window was rather dirty, I did not manage to take any pictures upon departure. 10. Review: Air France Business Class Amsterdam to Paris (Airbus A319) Must Be the Ganja! Indeed, it would turn out as the worst one relatively speaking. Priority boarding was neatly observed, with the gate agents asking Sky Priority passengers (those in business class and Sky Team Elites) to step forward. Irkutsk Trip Report: Exploring the ‘Paris of Siberia’ in Winter Flight KL1193 (booked as AF8297) – Boeing 737-800 – Business class, seat 3A ( Log Out / 40. Review: Air France Business Lounge Paris CDG Terminal 2F 15. Review: Matreshka Hotel, Irkutsk Just like most other European airlines, KLM’s narrow-body fleet consists out of all-economy seats planes. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. It’s best if you queue at the normal taxi stand. The only positive aspect of the meal was that at the very least it was beautifully plated and presented. Obviously it’s dark by the time we land. 18. KLM’s 737-800s have 5 rows of business class in a 2-2 configuration. Next the purser brings me the menu for tonight’s flight. Business Europe class offers 20 recliner seats. 39. Review: Azerbaijan Airlines Business Class Baku to Paris (Airbus A320) But there’s a window missing on the left side, so instead I take 1F on the opposite side of the plane. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. 8. 48. Review: TAROM Economy Class Brussels to Bucharest (Boeing 737-800). The two middle-aged women serving the business class cabin, which was filled to the brim just like economy in the back, were absolutely grumpy and snappy. Even though I would still visit some places in Norway during the remainder of the trip, it did certainly feel like the trip was already coming to an end. Sheki: Azerbaijan’s Most Lovely Town and Springboard to the Caucasus Although flying in KLM’s long-haul business class can be a real pleasure, I do not think this is the case on intra-European hops such as this. As we reach the end of the airbridge, there are still people queuing outside. Either KLM wants their business class passengers to starve at dinner time, or perhaps the person who designed this menu is a vengeful vegan wanting to force-feed passengers with cow food. 47. Review: Diamond Lounge Brussels Airport Pier B Non-Schengen It’s the last call. My first KLM flight on this long journey had an absolutely amazing crew, I had some great conversations with the delightful receptionists at the KLM Crown Lounge before this flight, but then there is the sheer arrogance and rudeness of the crew on this flight. As I talked already more in length about the KLM business class cabin and seat on board the Boeing 737 – I will keep it short here. 17. Review: Mayak Hotel, Listvyanka (Lake Baikal) This morning when I boarded the plane from Basel to Amsterdam I was greeted at the door like a long lost friend. Business Class Seat. I spend three days giving a course to a group of Spanish and Portuguese participants. The Boeing 737-900 is the 3rd Boeing 737 model that we’ve added to our fleet, the 1st one of this type joined in 2001. Originally I’m seated on 1A. Before the meal tray is brought to me though, I am handed a hot towel. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. 32. Review: Old City Hotel and Apartments, Baku, Azerbaijan Read user reviews for KLM Boeing 737-900 (739) ... All rows are 3x3 and in business class they leave the middle seats empty. Aviation and Airlines – a life long passion. The KLM Royal Dutch Airlines Boeing 737-900 Economy Class has a 3-3 seat layout: three seats on each side of the plane separated by an aisle in the middle. The purser is a friendly, chatty chap and we have a nice little natter throughout the flight, whenever he comes to check on my. A Visit to the City of Ganja in Azerbaijan, Review: Shah Palace Hotel, Baku, Azerbaijan, Review: Azerbaijan Airlines Business Lounge Baku Airport, Review: Azerbaijan Airlines Business Class Baku to Paris (Airbus A320), Review: Air France Business Lounge Paris CDG Terminal 2F, Review: KLM Business Class Paris to Amsterdam (Boeing 737). This -900 might just fly you to beautiful Tel Aviv , Stockholm or Bucharest , although these destinations may differ per season. 4. Review: Radisson Blu Royal Hotel, Stavanger The rest of the flight went by pretty unremarkable. Going the opposite way would have cost between $4,200 and $6,400 right around the same dates and with the same airlines, so I thought it was something of a bargain. KLM’s 737-800s have 5 rows of business class in a 2-2 configuration. Our departure is from 18L, if I’m not mistaken, and we’re treated to a truly poetic sunset on climb out. If it’s all the same to you, I think I’ll spare you the details of how I got to the airport and what the Crown Lounge looks like. Blimey KLM, that was really excellent. There are a total of 34 seats — there are 28 seats spread across five rows in the forward cabin, and then a rear cabin with just one row of seats, located behind the second door. If you however hit a bad crew, which is unfortunately fairly common on KLM, you may find them bordering on downright arrogance and sheer rudeness, like they want to show the entire plane that they are in a foul mood and they should not be bothered at all.