2019 has begun in an odd way for me…three consecutive flights on KLM. No, I’m not making the switch to SkyTeam.
I’m a big KLM fan, though these trips have been work necessities rather than leisure trips or for the blog. I’ve flown from Basel to Amsterdam to Frankfurt and back to Amsterdam. All three have been operated by KLM Cityhopper on Embraer regional jets and all three have been on-time and perfectly pleasant.
Why KLM instead of Lufthansa? Oh, I still have a deep love for Lufthansa. It just so happens that Lufthansa’s schedules did not work as well and their prices were much higher. Not that it makes much of a difference when you are flying on Lufthansa or KLM in economy class on a short flight. Well, not quite.
Flying regional jets on KLM is actually a great reminder at how far regional jets have come in the USA. Business class still gets a full meal on short flights. In fact everyone gets a nice snack.
But there’s no power outlets, no wi-fi, and no streaming IFE. All else equal, I’ll take a regional flight on American, Delta, or United any day over KLM in order to stay connected. Not to mention the lack of real business class seats.
> Read More: KLM ERJ-190 Business Class Frankfurt To Amsterdam
And one more comment. I cannot believe how young the captains are. My goodness, they look like little kids. It’s a great time to be a pilot.
CONCLUSION
I hope to get back home later in the week and am eying KLM once again. Maybe it’s time to give KLM another try? We’ll see what kind of award space opens. An odd way to start the year indeed…
I think you (and all of us) might just be getting old!
@ Matthew — Our first 2 flights of the year were to be on KLM, but the Queen Mum fell ill. Instead, we ended up on DL and AA…
Sorry to hear that!
Wonder if His Majesty will pilot one of your flights?
That would be great!
https://liveandletsfly.boardingarea.com/2017/05/18/klm-pilot-king/
I have been flying KLM for many years now, and I always feel I am in the hands of great professionals
Their new Boeing B-787 is very comfortable
And it is always nice to see a beautiful KLM blue Boeing B-747 at the airport
I used to.love flying KLM until this last flight with them on 30 December. It was just horrible, even after paying 50 for more leg room, a waste of money and it’s been so long I’ve had service as bad as it was this time.
I fly KLM almost every month as I connect in Netherlands from MSP to other places in Europe. I really like them. Always on time, very nice FAs and pilots, great service (food and drinks) and clean planes. I am not sure what EU airlines offer Wi-Fi on regional jets but usually my flights on KLM are 1 hour flights so I use that time to read or relax. I had an interesting flight with them the other day where once we boarded they announced they were celebrating one of the FA was promoted from regional jets into international flights. She was wearing a paper crown and had some funny ornaments on her uniform. While still at the gate the pilot came out of the cockpit and grabbed the microphone to make a nice announcement about the FA promotion. He was her husband and he made a very emotional speech about his wife and her new job and how they met while working for KLM. They kissed and everybody on the plane cheered them. Once airborne she passed a big basket full of chocolates for the passengers to grab to celebrate her promotion. Everyone wished her the best and it was a great time.