Warm service and souvenir Delft Blue houses make KLM one of my favorite carriers, though the A330-200 business class cabin has certainly seen better days and is now an objectively below-average product.
KLM A330-200 Business Class Review
In my first impressions of my flight from Amsterdam to Washington, I called it “solid, but uninspiring” and I think that sums up the KLM business class experience right now on its older A330 and 777 planes. For 50,000 Flying Blue miles and $324.50 in taxes/fees it was certainly an excellent value, but I would argue that United Airlines, which also flies nonstop from AMS to IAD, offers an overall better product onboard because of its superior seat and bedding.
After an extended visit to KLM Lounge 52 (it remains unchanged from my earlier review and a solid lounge), boarding began exactly 45 minutes before scheduled departure. I’m not a fan of Schipol Airport and find the gate areas rather dreary.
KLM 651
Amsterdam (AMS) – Washington (IAD)
Friday, February 23
Depart: 01:00 PM
Arrive: 03:45 PM [4:47 PM actual]
Duration: 08hr, 45min
Distance: 3,867 miles
Aircraft: Airbus A330-200
Seat: 1J (World Business Class)
Dual jetbridges were used to board and business class passengers were directed to board via door 1L. The purser was standing at the door and offered a warm welcome onboard.
Seat
The business class cabin is intimate, with only 18 seats spread over three rows in a 2-2-2 configuration. These are the B/E Diamond seats that we still see in business class on United and Delta 757-200s and American A321Ts. As I said, there is nothing competitive about this seat any longer on a widebody jet. It’s not that the seat is uncomfortable: it was perfectly fine…but there is very little personal storage or privacy.
The seat position can be controlled by buttons located in the center console. The console between seats also has a universal power outlet and a USB-A port is available next to the headphone jack. The privacy divider between seats provides very little privacy.
A reading lamp is at shoulder level:
I chose 1J because the bulkhead row has more room or your feet (the cutout is bigger). I recommend this and there were no noise issues from the galley or lavatory directly in front of the seat.
During takeoff, though, the cushion just fell off, though it easily velcroed back on.
The only advantage is for couples traveling together, as these seats make conversation quite easy. I had a Dutch seatmate who did not even respond to my “hello” and kept to himself the entire flight. That’s fine…I’m not looking for conversation either, but we were very close to one another in these seats (and his snoring was discernible).
The bedding is not bad (duvet blanket and large pillow) and kept me warm and comfortable during the flight (the cabin was cool and there are air vents above each seat).
Amenity Kit
A very cute Rituals-branded amenity kit was placed in the center armrest. I liked the blue and white colors and the design with flowers and birds (like peacocks).
Contents included:
- dental kit
- earplugs
- face moisturizer from Rituals
- hand gel from Rituals
- lip balm from Rituals
- mask
- pen
- socks
No other amenities, like slippers, were provided.
Food + Drink
Water, orange juice, or sparkling wine were offered before takeoff and served in stemmed glass.
(there was also a bottle of still water placed at each seat)
I have a unique sense of taste…I suppose we all do. I enjoy food from most of the world (wait till you see what I recently ate in Ethiopia…), but the flavors and spices of South and East Asia are not my favorites…it is what it is. Thus, I was somewhat surprised to see a very Asian-centric menu for both the main meal after takeoff and the pre-arrival service. Both meal services featured Indonesian (makes sense considering it was a former Dutch colony), Thai, and Chinese dishes.
Here’s the menu. As you can see, KLM prints menus for each flight, which indicate the route and date. That may be a bit wasteful, but I’ve always enjoyed this little souvenir from my KLM flights.
Lunch
After takoeff, lunch began with a warm towel. That was followed by a choice of beverage and a choice between cheese or nuts. I chose cheese and ordered “The Very High Fashioned” which was the featured cocktail onboard. It was described as:
Dutch distiller Lucas Bols has given a Dutch twist to the Old Fashioned cocktail, served with Dutch Genever Barrel aged, Bols Curacao Dry orange and Angostura bitters. Lower in alcohol but served very high in the sky.
It was quite refreshing and indeed, not strong like most Old Fashioned cocktails but just right.
For my appetizer, I enjoyed both the smoked salmon (smoked salmon rouleaux on a beetroot panna cola with lavas crème, goat cheese topped with fennel vadouvan) and “homemade” tomato soup. The smoked salmon was the highlight of the meal.
Also on the tray: mesclun salad with candied walnut, feta cheese and Taggiasca olives served with Italian balsamic vinaigrette.
Main course choices included:
Portobello ravioli
in a creamy cepes sauce with pickled portobello, stir-fried garlic oyster mushroom, grilled
artichoke and mozzarella pearlsTasting of delicacies
Chicken with sweet basil, Chu-chee cod, poryal mixed vegetables and jasmine riceBeef Jawa
served with yellow carrot jus, mashed potato with kale, baby potatoes and pickled onions
I chose the beef Jawa which was nicely presented and actually a very nice dish. While there is some wisdom to just offering simple staples like salmon, beef, and chicken, kudos to KLM for thoughtfully trying to mix it up a bit.
For dessert, I chose the “traditional Dutch dessert of Bavarois caramel on an almond cookie topped with
vanilla, cinnamon, apple compote” and it was very good with a cup of black coffee.
I concluded the meal with a piece of dark chocolate shaped like a house in Amsterdam.
Mid-Flight Snacks
Shortly after lunch, a snack basket was placed literally in front of me on the shelf of my seat (which doubles as a bassinet if you are traveling with a baby). It included some of my favorite treats like Gouda cheese sticks from Roka, stroopwafels, and speculoos-flavored chocolate clusters. I confess: I did indulge.
Pre-Arrival Meal
90 minutes before landing a second lunch service was offered. Choices included:
Thai red curry vegetables
with jasmine rice and red chilli pepperChicken Sudachi
served with Japanese mashed potato, roasted cauliflower with miso and pickled red onion
Both were served with:
Kohoko salad with chilli prawns, haricots verts served with banana chips and frisée lettuce
Service began in row one on the other aisle and worked its way back and then down my aisle from the back to the front, so by the time the flight attendant arrived to me there was no chicken sudachi left.
Dessert, also on the tray, was a creamy panna cotta with cranberry sauce. Not a bad meal…and good, I suppose, to draw me outside of my comfort zone.
IFE + Wi-Fi
AMS was quite congested so we had a long taxi out and an extended delay before we could take off. We ultimately took off about 60 minutes but only were able to make up about half an hour during the flight.
KLM offers Wi-Fi for purchase onboard at the following rates:
I purchased a “surf” flight pass for €18 and it worked well for most of the flight and was fast enough for me to work efficiently.
The 15-inch screen included hundreds of movies, TV shows, and games. I got engrossed in an HBO miniseries series called Scenes From A Marriage which was spellbinding but disturbing…so I didn’t sleep…I just binge-watched it the entire flight while trying to multi-task with my work. Scary stuff! A well-done show.
Noise-canceling headphones were provided. A permanent adapter was placed in the seat’s headphone jack to allow it to be attached (magnetically). It often fell off…the magnet solution is not ideal.
Views out the window:
Lavatory
Two lavatories for the 18 business class passengers were located in the front of the aircraft. I quite like the tulips and Delft Blue house wallpaper.
Amenities included hair gel, body lotion, and body mist from Rituals.
Service
The crew was lovely and I have nothing but positive tings to say about them. It was a very mature crew…more so than I even see on US carriers these days…but the crew shined with their years of experience and charm.
I appreciate that when I requested both the soup and smoked salmon appetizer, I was cheerfully obliged.
I have yet to have a KLM flight with bad service.
Delft Blue Houses
Before landing, each passenger was offered a gin-filled Delft Blue House, representing a real house in the Netherlands. These souvenirs are a hallmark of flying in World Business Class on KLM and I now have seven homes in my collection.
On this flight, I chose house 62. On the way out, I searched the cabin for any left behind and found another one, 61.
CONCLUSION
We reached the gate around 4:45 pm and I quickly deboarded only to wait a bit longer for the mobile lounge to fill up before we took off for the immigration arrival facility.
Soon enough, I was out and on my way to Alexandria, Virginia for my evening event (with no time to spare thanks to the delay).
KLM won’t win any accolades for its A330 business class seat, but I do find the product predictably solid and I enjoyed the flight.
Northern Europeans love Thai/SEAsian food because it has the spices theirs lack in general. Probably the most plentiful minority food over there (and much more expensive than elsewhere)
Based on your recommendation,I watched Scenes from a Marriage. I rarely see couples speaking with that level of honesty and introspection. Too many people prioritize being nice over critical analysis and personal accountability.
I’ve never seen such rawness in a movie or TV show.
The food appears to be far better than what United offers.
Food in KLM is terrible. Super spicy unnecessary pepper everywhere.
Super spicy food is just how I like it – especially in the air. KL does excellent food
Depends what you like.
“so by the time the flight attendant arrived to me there was chicken sudachi left”
You mean no chicken sudachi left…
Correct.
Just flew the 772 in WBC from AMS-MSP. The 772 has similar, but I would call superior, seating arrangements to the A330 you flew. I shockingly didn’t hate the hard product, but I got a middle row seat so we both had direct aisle access. Either way, I thought the physical seating surface itself was better than the 787 with the 1-2-1 arrangement.
Food was very similar to your menu. I recently flew ANA F as well and thought the KLM food was as good or better. My sister and mom, who had never experienced flying “upfront”, said the food tasted like something they would get at a nice restaurant. Service was fantastic as well – attentive, but not overbearing or annoying. The head FA found out we were celebrating my mom’s retirement and let her pick 2 houses, much to my jealousy.
I like flying KLM to Europe because I can book it for peanuts with points and hope for an upgrade at OLCI – though that seems to be getting more scarce. MSP-AMS was booked solid in advance, which was surprising.
KLM does some things right. I think their attention to detail in the cabin and the lavatories, like the little decorative elements, or the business-class Delft gifts are great. The staff are generally on the better side of good. Like most Dutch, they generally have a strong if not fluent command of English. But the food often disappoints. Especially the wine. The wine is always cheap; even more so in intra-Europe KLM business-class. The hard product is also uncompetitive, given the number of planes with a 2x2x2 configuration. I prefer Air France, but for whatever reason KLM is more integrated with Delta. Air France’s service can be hit or miss and the planes feel very institutional and plain, but the food and wine is better. And the hard product, the seat, is way better. KLM’s lounges at Amsterdam are also horrible. They’re like a state/public school cafeteria.
The gate areas at Schiphol are less dreary now then they used to be. In 2017, the security check was right at the gate as you boarded the aircraft. I recall even bomb and drug sniffing dogs right at the gate. This is all been done away with now so the overall experience at Schiphol is gradually improving.
who is leaving behind the houses? I never even though of looking for any that people left! Now I’m annoyed that I didn’t check it out hahahah.
Mathew did you notice on the flight map there were many places you were flying nearby you could tap and would give you the information about. They use wikipedia as a source. It is a nice touch i did not see it a year ago. I did see this on flight from SEAsia to Europe .
I have flown KLM Business Class in the A330, 777 and the 787. Agree that the seats i. The former 2 have older “clunky” seats. Obviously the 787 has a much better seat. I think they are upgrading their seats. Agree totally with your assessment of the in flight crew, they are mature and know their roles very well, are professional and friendly. I have found the food to be quite good. Where KLM has to improve their business class is on their European routes, the seats/seating are really outdated, most with the middles seat folded down with the same standard econo seats A,C,D,F, as well food on those flights need improvement. Their long haul product is very good though.