For the vast majority of the flying public, the paint job on the outside of a plane is nothing more than an indicator of what's inside. Generally speaking, that's true for me too. KLM, however, is a different story.
KLM, the Dutch flag carrier, is an airline that I've actively tried to fly because of its classic, stunning livery. The elegant KLM blue stands out without ever being ostentatious (yes, I'm a geek, I know). And, AvGeeks rejoice, KLM is one of the last operators of the passenger 747-400, regularly operating the type to US cities like New York, Los Angeles and Chicago; a feast for eyes when you catch it in action, and maybe the best part of spotting at Amsterdam's Panorama Terrace.
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As I needed to get to Amsterdam (AMS) from New York-JFK for this year's SkyTeam Megado, I had the opportunity to check out the airline's economy cabin on its newest long-haul workhorse, the 787-9. Even more importantly, I needed to know if the KLM onboard experience lived up to its livery.
With only a little more than a week before my flight, I used Air France-KLM's joint award program, Flying Blue, to book a one-way economy ticket. For 22,000 American Express Membership Rewards points, transferred at a 1:1 ratio to Flying Blue and 58.75 euros (about $65 dollars), I had an economy ticket.
Unfortunately, that didn't include a seat assignment. Another $23.10 later, I had a window seat and was ready for my trip to Amsterdam. If you're interested in booking a similar ticket but don't have any FlyingBlue miles in your account, fear not. The FlyingBlue program is a 1:1 transfer partner with all three major transferrable points currencies: Amex Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards and Citi ThankYou.
Despite being enrolled in TSA PreCheck, which I secured with my Platinum Card from American Express, my boarding pass didn't have the TSA PreCheck mark that I was hoping for. I figured KLM didn't offer PreCheck, but I was wrong: KLM does in fact offer TSA PreCheck, it's just not as easy to get it as on some of the other carriers, and I hadn't taken the right steps to make it happen.
T4 had several quality eateries within the main terminal area, just after security, but once I made my way down the concourse toward the gates, options were a bit more limited (though by no means sparse) and it was quite a walk to get back to the central building. My advice: Plan accordingly!
Concourse B was also home to numerous lounges. As an economy passenger, I didn't have access to any premium ones from my ticket but was able to access Delta's large SkyClub (between gates 31 and 33), thanks to my Amex Platinum, even as an authorized user.
Seats were comfortable, and there was a variety of large lounge chairs, tables with chairs, counter space overlooking the ramp, etc. There was also decent Wi-Fi provided for free and power outlets scattered around the lounge. It did get quite crowded though, so, as always, we'd recommend bringing your own portable power adapter in case you can't snag an outlet for yourself.
Delta has done a phenomenal job among its competitors for providing tasty, hot food in these lounges (although, perhaps, elites will complain there's nothing for higher-tier customers like with American's Flagship Lounges and United's Polaris Lounges).
The lounge provided pretty fantastic, panoramic views of JFK even from inside. After spending a few minutes looking for a good seat, I found one, perched above a resting Delta 767, overlooking Concourse A and remote parking stands
The SkyClub was large enough that it provided views in both directions. Below is the view from the other end, looking toward Terminal 2 with the Manhattan skyline in the background. I could've spent the whole afternoon planespotting.
The lounge had other noteworthy amenities, like several hot-beverage machines, shower rooms and access to a printer. As always, I'd recommend taking a look around the lounge before posting up somewhere for a while to find the best spot for you. The bathrooms were also clean and well-maintained. Oh, and don't forget the AvGeek favorite, the SkyDeck, the outdoor patio with its own bar. (Sadly, it had just closed for the season.)
As nice as this lounge was, the word is certainly out. If you're traveling during peak times (5pm to 8pm), expect it to be pretty crowded. As a solo traveler I didn't have too much trouble finding a seat, but a family might have to split up or spend considerable time looking for seats together. I'd say it's worth that potential inconvenience.
Upon arrival, however, I realized boarding must've started considerably earlier than the stated 4:50pm time, because I was one of the last people at the gate. The gate agents were already on the final boarding calls at 4:55pm! Whatever, I figured I was going to Amsterdam in a beautiful blue airplane!
KLM's 787-9s are split into three cabins, with a total of 294 seats. World Business, with eight rows of 1-2-1 lie-flat reverse-herringbone seats, occupies the forward cabin, while Economy Comfort takes up the first six rows of the forward economy cabin arranged in a 3-3-3 configuration, standard for a Boeing 787.
More specifically, there were 30 World Business seats, 48 Economy Comfort seats and 216 regular economy seats on my flight. At the time of booking (about 10 days out), there were a few available window economy seats in the front of the aft cabin.
Unable to decide between seats 32A and 33A, I decided to go for 33A because I figured the proximity to the galleys might be bothersome, especially on a relatively short red-eye over the Atlantic. I was right.
KLM's 787-9 fleet is young (of its 13 787s, the average age is about two years). On this particular aircraft, PH-BHI, delivered in 2016, the seats were clearly worn but not dirty or particularly faded. Despite my late boarding, there was nobody sitting in my row when I arrived. Each seat came stocked with the standard lightweight blanket and pillow.
KLM's regular economy seat was 17.5 inches wide with 31 inches of pitch (compared to the same width but 35 inches of pitch in Economy Comfort). Legroom wasn't great, but it was manageable. Though 31 inches is about an inch or two less than standard for an internationally configured airplane, this was sufficient with no one occupying the middle seat. Comfort-wise, the seat was OK but a bit stiff.
The headrests of each seat also slid upwards, but I found it exceedingly difficult (if not impossible) to fold them to cradle the head or neck when it came time to sleep. The pillow proved useful, as my headrest was totally unpadded.
I was mildly disappointed to find no personalized air vents on this aircraft, though. Thankfully, all 787 cabins boast higher humidity levels and a lower cabin altitude than older-generation long-haul aircraft (767, 777, A330, to name a few), which lessen the adverse effects of distant air travel, like fatigue and dehydration.
Below the monitor, on the underside of the tray table, there were small drink holders, something that frequent flyers (especially those flying on the window seat) appreciate so as to not have to use the entire tray table anytime drinks are served.
KLM uses mood-lighting on its 787s. Throughout the flight, cabin lighting changed from orange to purple to orange again. It was meant to be easier on the senses than the normal white light, especially prior to arrival on a red-eye, making the time-zone jump considerably less nasty. I wholeheartedly agree.
As with all 787s, the windows were huge and come without a traditional window shade. Instead, with the help of an electrical gel between the window panes, I used a dimmer button under the window to control how much light came through.
The button had five presets, going from full light to total blackout. On long-haul flights, cabin crew will often restrict the controls to the three dimmest settings while at cruise altitude, which is good for passengers seeking sleep but bad for those trying to see outside.
Economy passengers were also provided with a pillow and lightweight blanket, which were both on my seat upon boarding. Neither were particularly great, but that was not surprising for regular economy. The blanket proved useful, since the cabin temperature dipped a bit and I found it somewhat chilly.
I particularly liked the pop-up control bar on the bottom that allowed you to control the reading light, crew call, volume brightness and parental controls while also providing your flight progress and easy access to other features in the system. I really liked that the flight time was visible at all times on the various browsing screens.
Our initial cruise speed was fast. It turned that we'd gotten lucky. The jet stream was in our favor, carrying our 787 at 660 mph at one point in the flight. Flight time would be under six hours, a mere 5 hours and 58 minutes, arriving in Amsterdam nearly an hour early.
To track our progress, I used KLM's excellent inflight map, which, while not as awesome as Ethiopian's new one, gave passengers the option to track the flight from an array of different views, like the left or right window.
Or you could've spend hours playing "Battleship," "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," "Angry Birds," "2048," "Bejeweled" and others, with the option to play with fellow passengers. There were also inflight health tips and KLM aviation videos.
Actually, the one thing that was missing was functioning Wi-Fi. Despite the signs in the cabin, and the resemblance of functioning Wi-Fi (you could connect to it), I couldn't get online. The reason, it seemed, was a faulty login system. It wouldn't accept the partner ticket number (since I had a Delta ticket), and with no way to retrieve a KLM one, I couldn't resolve the issue. For the best results, I'd recommend getting a printed boarding pass (even at a self-serve kiosk), as you should be able to use that number to log in. I wasn't too upset. It's great when there's international Wi-Fi, but if you can avoid it, I'd always recommend not banking on it working.
Overall, the entertainment system was great. The touchscreen wasn't as flawlessly responsive as one that I used earlier this year on a recently refurbished Delta 767-300ER from London Heathrow (LHR) to New York-JFK, but I would look forward to using them again on another KLM flight. 152ee80cbc
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