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Home » Reviews » Flight Reviews » Review: KLM 787-10 Economy Class
Flight ReviewsKLM

Review: KLM 787-10 Economy Class

Matthew Klint Posted onJune 16, 2023November 13, 2023 22 Comments

a blue airplane at an airport

The final leg of our trip was from Amsterdam to Los Angeles on a KLM 787-10 in economy class. Despite every seat being taken, I thought the flight was lovely…with excellent service, a copious amount of food, and a seat that was tolerable with two young children.

In This Post:

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  • KLM 787-10 Economy Class Review (AMS-LAX)
    • Seat
    • Lavatory
    • Food + Drink
    • IFE + Wi-Fi
    • Service
    • CONCLUSION

KLM 787-10 Economy Class Review (AMS-LAX)

This was my first longhaul flight on KLM in economy class, but at 22K Flying Blue points one-way from Zurich to Los Angeles, including a 26-hour stopover in Amsterdam, it was too good of deal to pass up. Plus, flying in economy class takes all the pressure off of flying with young children.

We left our hotel at about 10:30 am, arriving at Amsterdam Schiphol Airpot about two hours ahead of our departure. That was more time than we needed (thankfully, AMS has solved its security checkpoint woes…), but it left us time to sit in the Aspire Lounge for a bit prior to boarding.

a check in area with a person standing in front of them

The planespotting from AMS (or “SkyTeam land” as my son calls it) is excellent.

a child looking out a window at airplanes

a child looking out a window at airplanes

airplanes parked at an airport

airplanes parked at an airport

Our boarding pass indicated boarding would commence 40 minutes prior to the flight, though boarding began about 10 minutes earlier.

people walking in a terminal

KLM 601
Amsterdam (AMS) – Los Angeles (LAX)
Tuesday, January 17
Depart: 1:05 PM
Arrive: 3:15 AM
Duration: 11hr, 10min
Distance: 5,578 miles
Aircraft: Boeing 787-10
Seat: 36H (Economy Class)

We boarded amongst a large pack of families and found our seats in the rear economic class cabin.

Seat

KLM offers three classes of service on its 787-10, including business class, premium economy class (not present yet on all aircraft, though it was on ours), and economy class.

Economy class begins in row 17 and runs to row 47. Seats are configured in a 3-3-3 layout and KLM utilizes the Recaro CL3710 seats, featuring a 4-way adjustable hammock-style headrest and a retractable bi-fold tray table.

an airplane with blue seats

an airplane with rows of seats and monitors

a row of seats with monitors on the side

a row of seats in an airplane

a row of seats in an airplane

a row of seats in an airplane

a row of seats in an airplane

a row of seats in an airplane

a group of kids sitting in an airplane

a boy and girl sitting in a plane

a woman sitting in an airplane

a child sitting in a seat on an airplane

Seat pitch is 31 inches (economy comfort, an extra-legroom economy class section offers 35 inches of legroom), the width is 17.1 inches, and the recline is about five inches.

a row of seats with a television on the side

a seat with a blue and white seat and a blue and white seat with a red and white sign

a tv screen on an airplane

While 31 inches is tight, the fact that I had my two kids next to me that did not take up much space (including my two-year-old daughter in the center seat) helped me to stretch out a bit. I’m also thankful the person in front of me never reclined (I did not either).

Every seat has a universal AC outlet under the seat as well as a USB-A outlet located on the IFE screen. Each seat also has a coat hook. There are not individual air vents, though the cabin never got warm during the flight.

a white button on a white surface

Waiting on each seat was a blue blanket, but no pillow.

a blue blanket in a plastic bag

With my wife seated across the aisle and our kids next to me, I really thought the experience was tolerable for a daytime service. Sometimes business class is particularly nice on daytime flight when you are wide awake, but here we did just fine in economy class and the kids were remarkably well-behaved (a couple of squeals here and there, but excellent overall).

a group of people sitting in an airplane

a row of seats with monitors on the back

a row of seats on an airplane

a row of seats on an airplane

Lavatory

Since I had consumed three cups of coffee, two glasses of water, and two glasses or orange juice just a few hours earlier, I had to get up a couple times to use the restroom…and always found it clean. I’m not sure if flight attendants went in and cleaned it up or people were just tidy, but I appreciated the clean restroom.

a toilet in a bathroom

a sink in a plane

a hand wash soap dispenser

a sign on a wall

a button on a wall

Food + Drink

KLM keeps its economy class passengers well-fed. Lunch was served after takeoff, which began with giving each passenger a bottle of water, followed by a full beverage service (alcoholic drinks are complimentary), then a choice of main course: pasta with cheese or meatballs with mashed potatoes. My daughter Claire Marie had pasta liked it very much: I sampled it and also thought it was fine (I think it is difficult for airlines to mess up pasta).

a bottle of water on a table

a tray of food on a tray

a child eating food on an airplane

My son Augustine and I had meatballs and quite enjoyed them. Seriously, this was a lot better than many of the business class meals I’ve had over the last few years.

food on a tray on a table

food on a tray

a tray of food on a tray

Lunch was served with a large green salad topped in sun-dried tomatoes and mozzarella bells and served with a small block of Dutch cheese from Beemster and a warm bread roll.

a salad in a plastic container

a hand holding a piece of butter

food in a container on a tray
Decent economy class lunch on KLM!

After lunch trays were cleared away, flight attendants offered coffee or tea with a small chocolate tart for dessert.

a cup of coffee and a pie on a tray

During the flight, self-serve snacks (crackers, oat bar, stroopwafel) and beverages were available from the rear galley.

a tray of drinks and milk on a shelf

a box of food in a box

a group of food packages on a table

Midway through the flight, flight attendants came through the cabin offering a beverage and a cheese sandwich.

a man standing in an airplane

a sandwich and water bottle on a tray

a tomato on a piece of bread

a child sitting on a chair in an airplane

Finally, about 75 minutes before landing a final snack was served that included a hot pizza-type sandwich, a pesto pasta salad, and a rich pudding-like dessert topped in caramel sauce and crumbled stroopwafels.

food on a tray on a plane

a hand holding a piece of food

a hand holding a piece of food

a plastic container with food in it

a child eating food on an airplane

This was absolute carb-bomb and therefore something I would never eat at home…but it was quite enjoyable…kudos to KLM for keeping its economy class passengers quite satiated.

IFE + Wi-Fi

Each seat in economy class includes a 11-inch HD touchscreen display with a vast collection of movies, TV shows, games, and audio files.

a screen with a picture of a beach and a lifeguard stand

a screen shot of a device

a screen shot of a television

a screen shot of a device

a screen shot of a device

a screen shot of a device

a screen on a plane

a screen on a device

a screen with a map of the earth

a child touching a screen on an airplane

I stayed mostly busy caring the kids during the flight, but did have a chance to watch a movie called My Best Friend Anne Frank (I previously mentioned that I was quite moved by the story of Hannah Goslar while visiting the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam the night before). I am glad I watched it, though I thought the film took far too many artistic liberties.

a screen with a blue screen

Meanwhile, the kids spent almost the entire flight watching the screens in front of them, which is the deal we have: screens are for flights, not for home. It certainly kept them quiet…and eventually sleepy.

children sitting in an airplane with a screen on the side

two children sitting in a plane

a child sitting in an airplane with earphones

a boy and girl sitting on an airplane with a bottle of water

a child with headphones on

a child sleeping on a plane

Complimentary headphones are provided but are of very poor quality: bring your own.

a plastic bag with earbuds on top of a white box

WiFi internet was available onboard, with data packages ranging from complimentary messaging to surfing ranging from 8EUR/hour to 18EUR for a flight pass. Internet worked well throughout the journey and I appreciated the complimentary  messaging option.

a screenshot of a wifi option

We also enjoyed some lovely views outside the window, including a very snowy eastern Canada:

a runway with airplanes on it

an aerial view of a city

an airplane wing in the sky

an airplane wing above a snowy landscape

a snowy mountains and a river

a person looking out a window of an airplane

an airplane wing over a city

an airplane flying over a city

airplanes on the runway

Service

The crew was mostly mature (older) and offered excellent service throughout the flight. The frequent beverage services and service flow were one thing, but the smiles on their face and cheerful disposition was a pleasure to see.

People sometimes rag on “old” flight attendants, but when you get veteran flight attendants in the US, Canada, or Europe who love their job and have a record of longevity, I would argue the service rivals any Asian or Gulf carrier.

a group of people on an airplane

And of course I already shared the very special gift of a Delft blue house Augustine received.

a boy sitting in an airplane holding a model house

a small white and black house

Upon landing the crew walked with us on the way to baggage claim and continued to be charming, even off-duty. One asked if they could help us carry anything. What a lovely group of flight attendants, which has always been my experience when flying on KLM.

CONCLUSION

We landed on-time at LAX and pulled into the new gate area at LAX. That represents quite a walk to the passport control area down a hall, down an escalator, through a tunnel, and up another escalator.

a blue airplane at an airport

a blue airplane parked at an airport

a girl standing in an elevator

a boy and girl pulling a backpack

a girl standing next to a luggage case

people walking in a building with an escalator

Make no mistake: this was a long journey and I think all of us were happy to step off the plane. But this was a very solid economy class experience. It’s hard to beat a one-way journey from Switzerland to the West Coast of the USA with a stopover in Amsterdam for 22K miles and about $120 in taxes. For that reason, I would not hesitate to use KLM again when traveling with the kids and using miles. Still, I missed business class…that’s a treat on KLM as well.

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About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

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22 Comments

  1. Jan Reply
    June 16, 2023 at 1:47 pm

    KLM’s Economy Comfort is some of the best coach seating I’ve been in, 35″ pitch and a recline that seems better than Delta’s PS. And yes, that meal looks better than anything I’ve ever had in KLM coach by a long shot (and not much worse than the J dinner I’ve had).

    I have a KLM flight coming up! ATL-AMS for 10500 FB + $120. Just about unbeatable from a value standpoint

  2. Allie Reply
    June 16, 2023 at 2:32 pm

    Appreciate seeing the realities of traveling with young children on a blog!

    Noticed your child had the Jetkids suitcase. Did you end up using this and did it go over well? I’ve heard not all airlines allow the use of inflatable supports for smaller children.

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      June 16, 2023 at 3:09 pm

      We used it and my daughter loved it. I can’t say we used it onboard as intended (we just put it up in the overhead bin), but my daughter really enjoyed pulling it herself.

  3. PaulW Reply
    June 16, 2023 at 2:57 pm

    So what happened to:
    US Official At Amsterdam Schiphol Airport Harasses My Wife Over Green Card

    I’ve been waiting all week

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      June 16, 2023 at 3:04 pm

      Tomorrow. I wanted to get out this trip report today since I’ve been dragging my feet on it all week.

  4. Maarten Reply
    June 16, 2023 at 3:00 pm

    KLM houses are reserved for Business Class. They are filled with Dutch Gin. When flying to the Middle East, the alcohol is drained. You are flying Economy Comfort to the United States. Why did the children receive alcohol?

    When flying KLM as a child, whether Business Class or Economy, I always received pilot wings, and/or a coloring book. One year, as a 7 year old in the early 80s when I had long hair, I was mistakenly given a stewardess badge.

    Flying KLM is dubious, the seats are somewhat uncomfortable. And, the fact that they helped fly Nazis to South America to avoid persecution around the end of World War 2, just makes me uncomfortable.

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      June 16, 2023 at 3:05 pm

      We flew economy class, not economy comfort.

      I wrote about the house here:

      https://liveandletsfly.com/klm-blue-house/

      I think the KLM of the past is not the KLM of today – I don’t think KLM employees or leadership would take part in that sort of thing in this era.

  5. Daryl-Atlanta Reply
    June 16, 2023 at 3:05 pm

    I 100% agree with your comment about “very senior” (older) flight attendants. I was with Eastern back in the 1970’s & 80’s and recall several flights that always went VERY senior for flight attendants. Most memorable was when the company began MIA-SFO nonstops that were crewed with MIA based crews. I took the flight on several occasions and each time, practically all of the back-end crew were all aged 60+ with each having 40+ years with the company. The only time there were obviously younger flight attendant working the flight was when loads were heavy and a reserve F/A was added to assist with the cabin service. And each time, the young flight attendant was really working their tail off to keep up with their much older colleagues. Sure, you’d hear passengers make comments in passing about the F/A’s most all be “really old”…though the level & quality of service that these older crew members provided was hands-down more attentive, polished and sincere than from most of their younger colleagues. This was not only at Eastern, though also obvious at other US carriers as well.

  6. Tony N. Reply
    June 16, 2023 at 6:02 pm

    I flew KLM on one of their first B747S as a young kid 1n the 1970s, within Europe. What a thrilling experience, and a great quality airline.

  7. Jason Reply
    June 16, 2023 at 6:47 pm

    Flew KLM last summer (in business) and really appreciated the friendly crew both transatlantic and intra-Europe. Would definitely consider economy now as well.

    Food quantity and appearance certainly compares favorably to UA…Polaris.

  8. Santastico Reply
    June 16, 2023 at 6:50 pm

    I only fly KLM within Europe and my experience has been fantastic. Crew is very nice, food very decent and planes are clean and well maintained. Also. AMS is in my opinion the best airport to connect in Europe. The fact you don’t need to take a train between terminals is a huge plus for me.

  9. MikeyInOregon Reply
    June 16, 2023 at 6:54 pm

    Great review. I have thought about flying from SEA to Europe via AMS on KLM and your review eases my fear of flying long haul in economy which I have managed to avoid for over a decade. P.S. Your children are adorable and look exactly like you.

  10. Theo Reply
    June 16, 2023 at 8:26 pm

    We are flying klm in November TO to JNB and look forward to travel with klm. We flew with klm many years ago and it was a great flight.

  11. Asa George Reply
    June 16, 2023 at 10:06 pm

    Like most things in life,people experience things differently,LOL.At the end of my KLM transatlantic flight,I wouldnot take a canal house,so as not to remind me,will never fly them again,pay for drinks in the lounge,zero help when they screwup,, your connection,etc.By contrast I flew Austrian Ord-Vie economy,poor leg room,stingiest catering,but know what? Excellent pilots,nice crew no problem with offering good wine,coffee,chivas regal,and a very nice connection in Vienna.Would I fly them again,anytime.

  12. Zara Reply
    June 17, 2023 at 12:23 am

    Love KLM, which only way to fly to Europe! They now connect from my small regional airport via Westjet and I love the nap rooms at Crown Lounge!

  13. Aaron Reply
    June 17, 2023 at 4:33 am

    So which you recommend over the other, KLM economy or Air France economy?

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      June 17, 2023 at 8:36 am

      KLM over Air France

  14. Steve Reply
    June 17, 2023 at 7:35 am

    I was on the very same flight last week in business, and frankly this report makes me envious. Example – couldn’t get anybodys attention, after 10 minutes of an unanswered call button, I had to interrupt a ” hot new restaurants” conversation in the galley. For me, seat, seat condition and service were meh.

  15. Kacee Reply
    June 17, 2023 at 6:35 pm

    That meal looks better than anything United serves in Polaris.

  16. Flieger Reply
    June 19, 2023 at 12:18 am

    The meatballs out of AMS are sort of legendary and always appreciated. KLM is my favorite long-haul economy over the Atlantic. By far.

  17. Endlos Reply
    June 19, 2023 at 5:12 am

    I agree that especially the older flight crews on KLM are on a whole other level in terms of friendliness and service. But KLM business is not a good deal because that’s where there catering (especially within Europe) is really bad. Internationally it’s o.k. (like United). It’s like it’s an airline with two personalities. Good to great in Economy including meals. Not really competitive in Business, especially when it comes to food.

  18. W Ho Reply
    June 24, 2023 at 10:34 am

    Yes! More reviews in Economy with the kids please!
    ❤️❤️

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