Review: KLM Business Class 787 Amsterdam To New York

“Business class is all about the seat.”

On that basis, this is a big Yes.

For me, comfy seat and comfort food are just fine. Air nozzles are a nice bonus.

Just curious why KLM went with reverse herringbone only on the 787 and kept the 2-2-2 arrangement for the rest of their widebodies; even for the retrofit project. Anything to do with AirFranceKLM?

Wow, had pretty much all the same food as you from my flight from AMS to YYZ back in January. Only thing different was the appetizer but everything else was exactly the same!

Did you actually put the oil on the pizza? Assuming not, Mister "saucy and oily, and that's just not my preference." You can't really complain about how dry it is if you don't add the sauce that is intended for it...

It’s all about the seat.

I had great food on a British Airways 787-9 this week, but they squeezed 7 seats in the same row that KLM put 4. So I spent 7 hours wedged against the window flying backwards wondering where to put my left arm. I would take KLM and their less appealing food in a minute over a BA 787-9.

It does seem surprisingly wasteful to print a menu for every flight

No vegetarian option for main course. That’s pathetic: is KLM the last airline in the world to recognise that vegetarian is mainstream rather than a hipster special order?

The “female” and “male” amenity kits have nothing to do with the contents. It’s about the style of the bag. The “female” kits can be reused as a clutch (small purse).

"vegetarian is mainstream rather than a hipster special order?"

But still a minority overall, no?

Lucky,

Curious why you guys selected the window seats instead of the two middle ones? I've always wondered when flying with a companion in 1:1:1 to go across the aisle or in front and behind. With 1-2-1, we always go the middle two. Albeit this is a good problem to have.

Wow, finally a review from Lucky that I can actually relate to, and with great timing. I'm booked on this flight in August but it was hard finding good reviews about WBC on their 789 when I was booking this trip. I'll keep my expectations low as far as food goes, but if I can get a comfortable seat to relax, have a few drinks, and watch a movie or two, I'll be happy.

It’s interesting that they asked you if you’d be willing to change your meal choice. Did they single you out for some reason?

I just find it odd...

@Aaron But still a minority overall, no?"

Maybe in the US/Europe, but Globally, given the hundreds of millions of vegetarians, I'd say its a pretty relevant minority.

Can you please please please just buy a battery operated or USB operated fan so you can stop talking about 'cabin temperature'? You know those air nozzles are just blowing recycled cabin air at you, not actually changing the temperature, right? I really don't see why you bring it up every review when there are steps you could be taking to keeping yourself cooler if it's such a big deal to you.

@ matt -- That's a good question. It would be tough to put reverse herringbone seats on the A330-200 given the limited space between the first and second set of doors. Furthermore, due to the lack of cabin width, some airlines skip out on those type of seats on the A330. It's definitely possible, though, as some airlines do have reverse herringbone seats on the A330.

@ Sam -- I didn't, I figured I was being unhealthy enough eating pizza and chocolate lava cake just over two hours after the previous meal. 😉 And maybe "dry" wasn't the right word -- it tasted like you'd expect a pizza to taste that isn't freshly made. Maybe "slightly stale" would have been a better term.

@ Matt -- It's a good question. Generally if I'm reviewing a plane for the first time I tend to go with a window seat as I find it's easier to take pictures. We also both like looking out the window and probably spend enough time together as it is. Though I'm also not terribly consistent in that regard, because sometimes we choose seats together in the middle.

@ Gregg -- I think they asked a few other people as well, and they refused. I guess they may have gone by status, and maybe I was one of the few people to have ordered that without status?

@ Paolo -- Totally agree, don't get why they don't have a vegetarian option.

I fly this route fairly regularly. I find the service to be okay, but the FAs certainly don't display the level of hospitality that you encountered. Calling the food not great is an understatement. It is the worst J class food I have ever eaten. I tried the vegetarian option twice, and both times they gave me a vegan meal. It was the same meal for dinner and breakfast, with rock hard Falafel that will chip your teeth. I find all the main courses to be very oily, normally because their sauce is break so everything is just doused in fat. The last couple of flights I've just brought my own food on. Also, I'll pay more attention to what koerner my socks are going forward...

3.5 hours to complete the meal service! I was on an AA flight in business class recently from London Heathrow to New York. Quite literally as soon as the fasten seatbelts sign went off, the crew were up and doing the lunch service. Flight attendants were literally running at some points while they served. My main course was plonked down on my table while I was still eating my starter (and I wasn't being slow). Total disgrace.

Sounds like a few AFKL Quality Observers need to be assigned on the AMS-JFK route. Speed of service has improved on other routes where QOs cited slowness in their reports.

For me it's also about the seat and privacy on long hauls, and this 1-2-1 configuration beats 2-2-2 on their other widebodies. It's the only reason I've avoided KLM, since I prefer the window seat but dislike climbing over another passenger to get to the aisle. I'm not too fussed over the food; but the notion that it takes virtually half the flight to complete the meal is just bad. I mean, judging from the food shots, it didn't exactly appear to be an extravagant feast of Arabian proportions, did it? Thanks for the review, Lucky.

Dutch food (especially if catered out of Amsterdam) tends to be a bit stodgy, so no surprises there. On the other hand, Dutch desserts are reliably great!

A few hundred million out of over 7 billion is...meh. I mean, a minority is still a minority, and if people want a vegetarian option that badly, they can always pre-order it, I suppose.

I've usually found the food on KLM to be ok. Nothing wow, but definitely not the worst food I've had in business class. I'd put it at Lufthansa's level overall, but better food can be found on Air France, SAS, and Swiss when it comes to European airlines.

It would be nice if they had these seats on more planes besides the 787.

The main dishes on this flight did not look appetising at all.
In contrast the food on your flight from Abu Dhabi looked very appetising.
It seems to me you cannot expect a vegetarian main on every flight.
Therefore best to order a vegetarian meal.
I can imagine Ben in his house with KLM Dutch houses in every room!!!

I agree in that I love The KLM Quick’s and love getting one of the little houses, good on board service (one day the new lounge will be better than the current zoo) but the food is hands down really not good especially for biz class.

@Lucky - you typically comment on the headset. Can you please expand on what criteria you use to evaluate the quality?

On some longer flights KLM offers Anytime for you and on demand service , so you get to choose at what time you prefer to eat
To be fair, a long meal service is quite normal in parts of Europe People like to take time.
I always find the crew make up for the meal quality ,which can be a bit hit and miss as they are generally extremely good

Dutch food is not known for being good. It's usually cheap, and you can find some excellent restaurants. But the general rule is: don't expect great food and don't pay too much.

Schiphol may be huge, but the Polderbaan (36L for departures, 18R arrivals) is in the next province over. You cross two freeways to get between the terminal and the runway. KL pilots will usually announce the Polderbaan in their departure or arrival briefing in Dutch. To be honest, all six runways have a name (and not just a number), but the word Polderbaan is the one you need to know, as it means "add 20 minutes". Other flight crew will let you know you've been Polderbaaned by referring to a long taxi time.

Im flying enough to be gold in star alliance, platinum in both skyteam and oneworld.
So i've been around a bit.
My # 1 worst flight in my life has been with KLM. My # 2 worst flight ever was also with KLM. Those two flights have been my only flights on that horrific airline. They were in 1999 and in 2013.
I wowed to never fly them again. So far Ive kept my promise.

But I fly in and out of Amsterdam, using the Schippol VIP service. Its great. But lower myself to fly KLM in or out of there. NEVER again!

The food on KLM remains indeed a problem, regardless the class you fly in!
Now the worrying part is: that menu has been put together by the chef of the only 3 Michelin stars restaurant the Netherlands has 🙁
I understand better why you see so many people having a meal at Schiphol.

@Mark
Whats your point? Will you shares why the two worst flights of your life were so bad?
Not a KLM fan, but even judging from Lucky’s review, these were ok-ish. Definitely not traumatising. I don’t remember anything particularly bad (or good) from my KLM experience.

@Temp, it's a very valid point. I too like (need?) to have blowing air to temper the generally warm cabins. I think the point is that it's an "individually-adjustable" air nozzle - meaning you can control the air flow as you wish (or have it off in your case). Why should anyone have to bring their own fan? What's next - bring your own seat because you don't like the one the airline provides?

Just love the presentation and detail on everything from the wallpaper in the toilet to the themed trays and plates!

VGML or AVML is a special selection meal you make ahead of your flight. You typically mark your vegetarian preferences as a dietary requirement or restriction in your frequent flyer profile and then you just get served that every flight. The advantage of course is that you're almost guaranteed to get what you want AND you are almost always served first, particularly important if you're flying in Y. I was gluten free for ten years and when I wasn't any more it was really hard to get it taken off whatever profile each airline had for me. I agree though, I typically choose meat free options now and it's not a restriction, so it's weird to not offer it.

I work really long hours when abroad and when I travel long haul, I like to relax. I don't agree with you about the time it takes for a meal to be served and to me it is a pleasure to linger over a long service. Flying west between Europe and NYC, I find it is much better, for reasons of jet lag, to take the latest flights offered and not to sleep on the flight. This makes me adjust quickly to the time difference. The long meal helps as well.

Can you please fly Air France out of dfw one day lucky? 🙂

@ AdrienH

Please stick to facts. There are three Dutch Three Michelin starred restaurants. For ages it has been three or more restaurants to carry three stars, out of over 80 one to two Michelin starred restaurants in The Netherlands. The Librije’s Chef is indeed in charge, and his choice is far below of his 3 star predecessor Sergio Herman.

It was nice to meet you and Ford after this flight and in the Delta Sky Club, Lucky. Also, you are so behind on your reviews, this was months ago! 😉

Hello Man!

What is the difference between these seats and those on AA 787s. they look quite similar.

Thanks so much for your reports. I love them!

Sebastian

I flew KLM's 787 business class a while ago, soon after it was introduced.

Compared to the Diamond seats on their other planes, I found the seats too narrow and rather uncomfortable. You got more privacy and the cabin pressure made the trip itself more comfortable but the seat was disappointing, especially compared to Air France's version.

The food, as always, was so-so. KLM's catering has never been great unless you particularly like meatballs, but the service is one of the best on a European airline.

The chicken thigh disaster I categorize as "Exxon Valdez via Delft Disaster". It's a good thing diplomatic relations between the US and The Netherlands are good, otherwise I would have taken issue and sued them, ending up in The Hague! (just joking)
I think I would've had to send it back uneaten and requested nibbles from biz and economy class. It has got to be one of the most revolting things I've ever seen for humans to be expected to consume.

"No vegetarian option for main course. That’s pathetic: is KLM the last airline in the world to recognise that vegetarian is mainstream rather than a hipster special order?"

Since you can pre-order a special meal, i.e. veggie or gluten-free, I'm not sure why Paolo makes this point. Since there are a limited number of choices that any airline can offer even its premium passengers, why should one of those 'slots' be dedicated to vegetarian meals when they can be pre-ordered?

Great review Lucky - My wife and I are taking this aircraft from SFO to AMS in November and we are looking forward to our first business class flight in years. But I might slip a Snickers in my carryon just in case of soggy chicken.

Thanks for the detailed review; I certainly concur with most observations. Although I appreciate the personal touch on longer flight, KLM should consider the ‘dine-and-rest’ option for those who want quicker service on relatively short flights, such as to/from the Eastcoast.
One comment I certainly could not agree to was concerning the food. Although I never had the dish reviewed, I have had meals I qualify as outstanding realizing one is eating on a plane, on flights leaving Amsterdam. Certainly much much better than with US airlines!