I enjoy Fifth Freedom flights and I particularly enjoy flying on KLM between Bali and Singapore, two of my favorite places. The KLM 777 Business Class product is thankfully undergoing a refresh, but the older seat did not detract from a nice overall service across the Java Sea.
KLM 777 Business Class Review
A one-way business class ticket tends to be in the $350 range, which is not bad for a two-hour flight, but my “trick” is to buy an economy class ticket for about $100 and pay another $115 at the airport to upgrade. Of course you take a gamble in doing so that there will be any seats left, but you can check availability in advance using Expert Flyer to get a general idea of how full the cabin is.
Onboard, the seat is hardly cutting-edge (a B/E Diamond Seat), but KLM has begun the process of retrofitting its 777 fleet with new business class seats that offer more privacy and closing doors.
Even so, the “old” seats are very comfortable and more than adequate for a short journey like Bali – Singapore.
Check-In
I showed up at DPS about two hours before departure and approached the ticket counter, asking about the upgrade.
The price was 1,778,000 IDR, which is currently $113. You can always expect to pay about €100 for the upgrade.
With the upgrade processed, I proceeded through security and passport control to the Garuda Indonesia Lounge, which I reviewed here.
Boarding was delayed due a late-arriving aircraft from Singapore, but boarding kicked off at 9:15 pm and was quite efficient. We were in the air by 10:00 pm and there was some cushion built into the schedule, because we arrived in Singapore on time.
KLM 836
Bali (DPS) – Singapore (SIN)
Wednesday, July 24
Depart: 09:30 PM
Arrive: 12:10 AM+1
Duration: 02hr, 40min
Distance: 1,037 miles
Aircraft: Boeing 777-300ER
Seat: 4D (Business Class)
Onboard, a very friendly flight attendant with a lovely smile on her face greeted me.
Seat
There’s nothing competitive about the remaining B/E Diamond seats, arranged in a 2-2-2 configuration, but if traveling with a friend or loved one you might actually prefer these seats than the new seats and 1-2-1 configuration (where even the middle pair seats aren’t exactly conducive to conversation).
The seat next to me remained opened and that made the entire flight even more comfortable.
A pillow was sitting on each seat, but not blankets, which were available on-demand.
Seats controls included a six-way adjustment and the seat can be transformed into a fully lie-flat mode. A fixed privacy divider provides a barrier between seats.
There’s a place to store your shoes between seats and limited storage in a compartment under the monitor and on a shoulder-level shelf next to your seat (which also has a universal outlet and USB-A charger).
Despite the lie-flat bed with plenty of room for your feet, my setmatc across the aisle got a bit too comfortable…
Food + Drink
Before takeoff, a choice of water, sparkling wine, or orange juice was offered.
Dinner was served after takeoff. Although perhaps a bit wasteful, I love that KLM prints menus for each flights, even for this two hour Fifth Freedom flight. Each menu indicates the flight date and number…it’s actually a nice souvenir of the flight.
I tried the “Bottega Negroni Cocktail” to drink. It included:
- Bols Genever
- Bols Red Orange
- Liqueur and Galliano L’Aperitivo
- Vilarnau Cava Barcelona Brut Reserva, Spain
I appreciate that KLM always has a nice cocktail on the menu.
For my main course, I chose lemon ravioli with mascarpone filling over “authentic style chicken satay.” That was quite a mistake. I do love chicken satay, but figured it would not nearly be as good as on Malaysia Airlines or Singapore Airlines. Perhaps it would not have been, but the pasta was my first-ever bad meal on KLM.
Although it looked nice enough, the pasta was tasteless and burnt to a crisp around the edges. The “Fall foliage salad” (in March) was fine and the walnut cake was pleasant.
I think KLM has some of the best flatware in the industry, if not the best.
Having had more than enough coffee that day, I concluded the meal with a cup of camomile tea.
IFE + Wi-Fi
Each seat has a screen loaded with content including movies, TV shows, games, and music.
I spent most of the flight listening to music.
Noise canceling headphones were functional.
Wi-Fi was available for purchase (9EUR) and messaging was free.
Lavatory
KLM lavatories are nicely decorated with tulips and Delft Blue Houses. Hair gel and body mist from Rituals were available.
Service
The crew was superb on this flight. Very attentive and kind…I appreciated the chit chat with each passenger and that glasses remained full. This would have been a great crew to fly all the way to Amsterdam with.
Delft Blue House
My favorite part of a KLM flight is the souvenir Delft Blue Houses, filled with gin, served before landing. I was thrilled to score house #100!
CONCLUSION
We landed on-time in Singapore…this flight that always goes by too quickly.
The KLM 777 business class seat is hardly exciting, but thankfully retrofits will be compete by the end of 2024. In the meantime, enjoy the final days of this seat and note what a great deal it is to fly between Bali and Singapore on KLM.
This cabin is my first J experience. I paid €500 on online check in for AMS-TPE, a 13hr flight, to upgrade from an economy seat.
I will forever be fond of this cabin
Very nice. I’ve been wanting to take this exact flight in either direction for some years now but it just hasn’t worked out. Nice to know that it’s good enough that I should keep trying.
I really like KLM TATL business class. My experience has led me to always pick the Indonesian-style dish if one is offered, which they usually do (it is a Dutch colonial thing). Once, they had a version of a Rijsttafel on an IAD-AMS flight that was delicious, though they called it something else. I also like the cocktails. I wish they had a different beer, like a Brouwerij ‘t IJ (their brewery in an old windmill in central AMS is well worth visiting, BTW). There are lots of Dutch craft beers now, but I guess KLM gets too much money from Heineken.
KLM is on of my favorite airlines. I never thought of taking the route that you took. Excellent idea for the next time I visit Bali and Singapore. Thank goodness for fifth freedom flights. Too bad they don’t operate within a certain large Western country. Too bad.
Dont know what it is with KLM but their business class is pretty much never at capacity. Often you can upgrade for something like $500 for a flight over the Altantic.
“two of my favorite cities”
Er, neither is a city?
“authentic style chicken satay”
It would have been interesting to see how that is served as a full entree when the other airlines serve it as just a canapé/appetizer…also, is serving it with soybean sauce as opposed to peanut sauce really authentic?
Also, with regards to the seats, at least KLM is upgrading them throughout it’s fleet. Royal Jordanian is still using these seats for all their wide bodies. Hopefully the new 787-9s RJ is getting will have a upgraded seat…
Perhaps they don’t serve it with peanut sauce due to peanut allergies?
Then wouldn’t SQ and MH do the same? In any case youmissed the point.
Satay just means meat on a stick it has nothing to do with what the sauce is, peanut or otherwise so a soybean sauce is perfectly authentic.
Bali is south of the equator so the Fall foliage salad is indeed season appropriate.
Had a few lovely flights in a similar cabin with wife on the old 747 in 2018 between ord and ams. Was cool to see a vintage jeep offloaded from the hull prior to one of our flights!
Every time I see a picture of someone with their feet up where they don’t belong I want to take a parang to them.
Hey stranger.