Air France-KLM is investing a lot of money at the moment in its premium cabins. In May 2022, we learned how KLM planned on introducing a new business class product on its Boeing 777s, and the first plane with these interiors is now flying. This is in addition to Air France having introduced a new business class product, and planning on introducing a new first class product within the next year.
In this post:
KLM refreshing Boeing 777 cabins
The Boeing 777 is the backbone of KLM’s long haul fleet, as the carrier has 31 of these planes, including 15 777-200ERs and 16 777-300ERs. Given the long haul routes that this airplane operates, the 777s have in recent years had a rather outdated premium product.
KLM has Collins Aerospace Diamond seats on these planes, which are in a 2-2-2 configuration. While they’re fully flat, they’re about as tight as fully flat seats get.
The good news is that KLM is now in the process of changing that. KLM has started installing a new Boeing 777 business class product that features direct aisle access and privacy doors at each seat. KLM also recently introduced premium economy, so the 777s are getting premium economy cabins installed at the same time.
For context, KLM’s 777s are an average of roughly 13 years old. These planes still have plenty of life left in them, so cabin refreshes seem appropriate.
There’s an exciting update when it comes to this new product. KLM has put the first jet with new interiors into service. The first 777 to feature the new cabins is PH-BVA. The plane has entered service as of June 2023, after being grounded for roughly two months to have work done.
KLM’s new Boeing 777 business class seats
KLM has now formally announced the launch of its new business class, and has posted both a picture and a video of the new product.
As you can see, KLM’s new Boeing 777 business class product consists of reverse herringbone seats with doors. The seat look similar to KLM’s Boeing 787-10 business class, which are from JAMCO. Specifically, KLM’s 777s are getting a customized version of the JAMCO Venture seat, so it’s an evolution of the product you’ll find on the 787-10.
KLM highlights how the new seats have the following features:
- All World Business Class passengers have direct access to the aisle
- Every seat has a lightweight sliding door that can be easily opened and closed, so that the seat can be closed off for more privacy when working, relaxing and/or sleeping
- More personal adjustment options and user-friendly functionality, including an adjustable lower-back support and a relax setting with a subtle back-massage feature
- The seat can reclined fully flat to form a comfortable, 198cm-long bed
- There are multiple charging sockets that are easily accessible and clearly visible, and passengers also have a wireless charging option
- Passengers can stow their belongings in a lockable compartment, which also has a built-in mirror
- The seat features a recessed bottle holder, so that passengers can safely leave a water bottle on their tabletop, even during turbulence
Once work on 777s is done, you can expect that all 787s and 777s will feature reverse herringbone seats, with the biggest difference being that the 777s have doors and better tech at the seats. KLM has an ambitious timeline for completing this project as well, and hopes to reconfigure all 777s within a year.
Interestingly KLM even has different business class seats between the 787-9 and 787-10. KLM’s 787-9s have the Safran Cirrus seat in business class. At first glance this might look almost identical to the 787-10 product, but there are some differences.
Bottom line
KLM has started the process of rolling out its new Boeing 777 business class product, as the first plane has entered service as of June 2023. Over the next year, you can expect all 777s to be reconfigured with this product, as well as premium economy.
These new seats will make KLM’s business class much more competitive on the 777 for years to come, which is needed given the long routes these planes operate. The new seats are in a reverse herringbone configuration, featuring both direct aisle access and doors. They’re basically an evolution of the 787-10 business class product, except with a door.
What do you make of KLM’s new Boeing 777 business class?
I agree totallY!
hate the video pop-up
I will never ever give my business via pop-up
Flown all of KLM business class configurations, and actually like the older 2-2-2 as long as I’m flying with my wife.
Who sleeps in a suit.
Politicians. Japanese businessmen. Lots of people, actually.
I just want to get a house. Just once. I'll chill out in the overhead bins
EXHAUSTING that an airline would install so many different products across their fleet. What is the business case for doing so?
Thai, JAL, Lufthansa come to mind. CX seems to be one of the most if not most consistent carrier that I know as they have only 2 types of business class seats across their fleet (reverse herringbone, regional recliner)
I’ve noticed that the seatmap 777 was 1-2-1 and I wonder if it was a retrofit, flyinng DXB-AMS 07-Aug.
Those doors looks paper thin
Hate the pop up box on the bottom right of my screen. No issues with any of the other adds but that one is so annoying. Click to get rid of it and it keeps coming back.
Too bad, it doesn't look like the bulkhead seats have the big ottomans like in the AF 777-300ER.
According to the KLM app for my flight, there is also no seat 1K.
The popups are very annoying! I use voice control to use my phone as I’m disabled and the popups make it unnecessarily challenging as they interfere with this
JAMCO will only be for the 78X bcause they are very unreliable. JAMCO is the Volkswagen of business class seats: stylish, but prone to malfunction and frustrating for the customer to use.
The pop-ups seem to be a Boarding Area thing. It's not just OMAAT, but many the blogs have the terrible pop-up/"Now Arriving" things that give us less than 50% of our screens.
The business class seats on Air France's new 777s are not Safran Cirrus. They're Safran Versa, the successor of Cirrus.
The new ones on KLM seems to be JAMCO Venture, which is from a Japanese manufacturer. It's currently flying on ZIPAIR Tokyo and Air Europa.
KLM installed outdated seats on these planes originally. 2x2x2 wasn't competitive back then and it's not competitive now. These planes are flying to Asia!
Anyways, it boggles my mind how despite being the same company the two airlines, Air France and KLM, have no consistency across them. KLM has the worst wine and their lounges are also significantly worse than Air France. I wish KLM would just use Air France's catering and lounge contracts and standards.
1. I don't see any doors either
2. and the pop ups make the site almost unusable. -please remove! It's ruining your brand you built, and turning away your loyal readers.
I must be missing something - I don’t see any doors ?
they're pocket doors. they slide into the infrastructure when not in use.
What route(s) is the plane with the new seats being used on?
A couple of weeks ago, ORDAMS, I used the 787-10. Avoid window row 5, there isn't one.
That doesn't answer my question.
I noticed this in my flight DXB in august
Doors are nice, but not charging for seat selection in a premium cabin is nicer. KLM lost some goodwill there.
I wished that KLM's new seat was the same model as the seat on Air France's 350 or 777.
Yes the pop-up ads have become such an issue, more often that not it gets so difficult to remove I end up clicking off the article entirely by accident. This is my favorite place to read travel reviews, insights, and aviation news but since the pop-up ads have been implemented my experience here has gone downhill
100% the popups are completely out of hand. My screen is 70% covered by them!
Just use an ad-blocker. I'm currently using Adblock Plus.
Adblock(er) for Safari works wonders.
Hear hear
Flying Amsterdam to Seoul in March 2024. I had booked the dreamliner but they have swapped this to a 777-200 (argh!).
Will the 2-2-2 be replaced by a 1-2-1 in time for March 24? Currently a 2-2-2 on my KLM app.
I’m travelling AMS-BKK in Dec 2023. The seats at the moment are 2-2-2 on a 777-200. Is there any chance that this flight will be refitted to the new 1-2-1 by then?
What are the chances of the 777’s having updated business class by July? Looking to book but everything is still saying 2-2-2 configuration.
Might depend on route? I'm flying AMS-NBO in Feb and had already selected my seats for a 2-2-2 layout. Went to check and it's now in a 1-2-1 layout, and the original seat I selected isn't an option (3H) anymore.
I’m flying the klm business class to Bali, will the new seats be in then for January?
@ Maverick -- Unfortunately that flight won't have the new seats, as no 777s will have new cabins by January 2023.
I recently travelled solo on business class from BKK to AMS onboard of a 787-9 in config 1-2-1. I found the seating Cirrus Zodiac super comfy and i would never go back to 2-2-2. My issue now is to understand why in future bookings (autmn 2023) onboard of 777-300ER KLM shows on some planes 2-2-2 and in others 1-2-1. To be sure isn't a IT glitch I checked if the second type of planes with...
I recently travelled solo on business class from BKK to AMS onboard of a 787-9 in config 1-2-1. I found the seating Cirrus Zodiac super comfy and i would never go back to 2-2-2. My issue now is to understand why in future bookings (autmn 2023) onboard of 777-300ER KLM shows on some planes 2-2-2 and in others 1-2-1. To be sure isn't a IT glitch I checked if the second type of planes with biz 1-2-1 has also Premium Comfort class (as the updates seems to go altogether) but still it doesnt show any Premium Comfort Economy.
So now I dont know if those 777-300ER will really have 1-2-1+ Premium Comfort or just 1-2-1 (but seems very unlikely) or is simply an IT glitch. In all cases this doesnt incite me to book any Biz trip with them.
Great article, there’s only one mistake which is that the first picture in the article is a picture of the business class onboard the a330 instead of the 777.
Good god the pop up’s are annoying
KLM should retire noisy 777, with much quieter A350. Flown last year in business class with KLM on 777 and with Air France on A350, and the difference in terms of noise was very different. Direct aisle access is nowaday also a must in business class.
You must have a serious problem with doors… It’s a fixation… Maybe you should travel 3 round-the-world trips inside a Business seat with doors without the option to open them to end this… seek profissional help!
So Ben should ignore any Airline seat updates that include doors? Maybe train reviews are more your thing...
My post will most probably be removed as I recommend using an ad blocker and I'm surprised more posters don't also do the same. I know Ben relies on adverts to fund this great site, but if you can't read his comments because of numerous intrusive pop up adverts, what is the point?
Another problem is the banner/menu bar that stays on top instead of scrolling away like a proper webpage. I had to activate Sticky Ducky plugin to get rid of it
Third issue i have are the lazy loading images. It's pretty annoying to read an article if it takes couple of seconds to display each image. All images should be loaded with the page, or at least preloaded before coming to view.
The picture actually shows similar but much tighter seats found on the A330’s currently. The 777 seats are wider and actually I don’t mind them, on night flights I always select on of the middle 2 seats so as not to disturb / be disturbed when needing to visit the lavatory. They are long and well cushioned. The seats on the 787-10s are a bit better than on the 787-9, as the latter feel a bit tighter.
Doors! I love doors. No love for the pop-ups though.
so. many. pop-ups.
the video is the worst though
The pop-up lower banner is irritating...and so is the auto play video that I've never viewed -- it's a shame you bought into whatever the site designer was selling. Site is unwieldy and often unreadable.
Having to clear out so many pop ups on every article is getting infurriating.
Agree with lufty747 and many others post today about the popups. They are incredibly annoying!! I appreciate that these popups increase OMAAT revenue but there must be a better way to do this without negatively affecting the reader experience.
Agree with lufty747 and many others post today about the popups. They are incredibly annoying!! I appreciate that these popups increase OMAAT revenue but there must be a better way to do this without negatively affecting the reader experience.
Please remove the pop ups.. as other readers are saying, it significantly degrades the reading experience.
It helps with clicks from the non regular readers and sadly that is what drives business not loyal daily readers so i would imagine they are here to stay and will only get worse.
I'm certainly not an environmentalist but i have to say that doors on J are a complete waste of weight and fuel.
Are the doors really so important to you? Most people don't choose a flight for comfort, food, or the services.
Their 787 seats are by JAMCO, so if they’re going to buy from the same manufacturer, it’ll be the “Quest for Elegance” seats (mouthful, eh?) which bear much similarities with the Vantage XL.
Or they’ll just use the B/E Super Diamond seats. The KLM person said they’ll be wider than the seats on the 787.
They could get the Recaro CL6720 or a configuration of Adient Ascent if they’re going for density. In any case, it’ll be announced in May, so that’s exciting
This pop-up on the bottom is extremely annoying.
Use Brave browser instead of Chrome/Safari/... It automatically blocks 99% of unwanted stuff like adverts.
Soooo agree with the pop up. P l e a s e get rid of them. They are very annoying as I've said before.
True my fat finger always opens up the adverts
It's 2022 guys! If you still haven't heard about Brave browser with integrated adblocking or uBlock origin + uMatrix as add-on for Chrome, you are missing out big time!
They would need to revamp whole product - soft/hard and culture. Business food is really terrible, quality shockingly poor (cafeteriaesque), Asian choices to South America - go figure?? Overcrowded lounges and brutally unfriendly and direct staff can make it very uncomfortable and annoying to get any service and subpar food….Heineken foam on tap not a good enough selling point. I have avoided the 777 as best I can and “pack a lunch/dinner” for 787’s. I...
They would need to revamp whole product - soft/hard and culture. Business food is really terrible, quality shockingly poor (cafeteriaesque), Asian choices to South America - go figure?? Overcrowded lounges and brutally unfriendly and direct staff can make it very uncomfortable and annoying to get any service and subpar food….Heineken foam on tap not a good enough selling point. I have avoided the 777 as best I can and “pack a lunch/dinner” for 787’s. I suspect the cult following will be happy with news of new seats as many flights full through pandemic and the Dutch houses distributed at flight end as weirdly popular as ever (FYI enough gin for a single G n T perhaps, so nothing to write home about)
I actually like their 777 seats, the cushioning is much nicer than the reverse herringbone on their 787. I’ve even changed a 787 flight to fly on their 777 instead…
Anyways, booking and flying KLM fully knowing the seat to expect and receiving nice delft blue house always leave me a pretty happy camper
Meanwhile Lufthansa is still a year away from introducing a product that is already outdated and of which 5 year old renderings are all that exists.
Lufthansa's custom seat has a big advantage over all other seats that are off-the-shelve: It is tailored for regularly tall Europeans, and not for midget-Asians.
It will be the only Business Class seat that fits a person above 1.80m and above shoe size EU40 well.
And it has a good balance between privacy and openness: More privacy than open seats, more openness than claustrophobic prison cell seats with doors.
Racist much?
"midget-Asians"? Travellers like you would be yet another reason to avoid Lufthansa.
That's good. I had a choice between AF and KL for a trip to Europe in the Fall and was surprised that KLM had 2-2-2 business class. Made the choice we easy though.
Oddly enough, I still like the outdated 777 seats, and I like that they don't have PE on those planes. Makes check-in upgrades cheap ($550 from economy for a 13-hour flight? yes please)
I wish they would do something with the A330 biz seats.
The seats (& the planes) will reportedly be retired by 2025 (though that is dependent on getting the 787s they ordered, so that timeline could change).
However, since none of us get to choose what kind of seats that KLM puts in their planes. We all will have to use whatever lovely seat design that KLM chooses. We have no vote on this so why suggest what type that KLM seats are best?
Not true. A survey is sent out to a number of frequent travellers.
Doors have to be the most overrated gimic ever. You lose any sense of space premium cabins are supposed to give you in the first place.
Agreed. Unless the suite is enclosed floor to ceiling like the new Emirates F cabin or as large as Singapore's suites, I don't entirely see the point...just feels like a flying coffin.
The wonderful thing about doors is they open and close. No ones forcing you to fly with the door closed.
I get what you're saying, but, as someone who prefers not having doors, the issue is, that door takes up valuable space. Usually they end up having to shave a half inch off the seat, or something else in order to incorporate that door. Whether I leave it open or closed, it doesn't change the fact that the rest of the seat has been compromised to make way for a door within the same footprint....
I get what you're saying, but, as someone who prefers not having doors, the issue is, that door takes up valuable space. Usually they end up having to shave a half inch off the seat, or something else in order to incorporate that door. Whether I leave it open or closed, it doesn't change the fact that the rest of the seat has been compromised to make way for a door within the same footprint. That's my big beef with doors.
In contrast, I have no problem with AF's first class having curtains (not that I've flown them). Because adding curtains doesn't require shaving space from some other part of the seat.
I like CX's Business and First class seat. Even without a door, it still feels cozy and private. I also like AF's current First seat; I'd prefer a curtain to a door.
And they rip out valuable overhead bin space in order to make the confinement less obvious...go figure
thumbs up, Cedric,
exactly thinking the same. It seems that the only important point nowadays is SUITES WITH DOORS. No matter whether you are squeezed into small space. You cannot move and turn........but wow we have doors!!
I still like the current KLM 777 business configuration very much. Spacious while sleeping. The cabin gives you a very nice sense of space and of course perfect when travelling with a partner. But even with a...
thumbs up, Cedric,
exactly thinking the same. It seems that the only important point nowadays is SUITES WITH DOORS. No matter whether you are squeezed into small space. You cannot move and turn........but wow we have doors!!
I still like the current KLM 777 business configuration very much. Spacious while sleeping. The cabin gives you a very nice sense of space and of course perfect when travelling with a partner. But even with a stranger by your side, not a big problem. Direct aisle access, yes if you need to leave your seat every 15 minutes you should choose aisle seat. Otherwise it is really not a big deal to step over your neighbour once during the night.
Martin
These popups in the bottom of the article make it nearly impossible to read these anymore, on my iPhone the pop up blocks a significant portion of the text and when I try to close it it just opens the article. I would suggest removing them they’ve really degraded my experience on this website since you started using them
Thank you! I’m about to throw in the towel on this site after more than a decade because of pop ups.
I use an adblocker
Completely agree!
Use Brave browser both on iPhone and computer. It blocks out 99% of unwanted stuff.
Hey lufty try using the brave browser. It makes browsing much less obnoxious
Agree. Pop ups like these force users to use ad-blockers, or abandon the site.
One Credit Card Advert At A Time
We're not expected to read anything anymore; we're only supposed to click on ads and sponsored links. It won't be long before we see full-screen pop-ups.
The picture that you have uploaded claiming to be KLM's 777 business class seat is actually the one they put on their A330s. The 777 business class seat looks slightly different- see the pics in your Singapore-Bali review.
I... if we're going for product consistency and high density (since KLM focuses more on transfer passengers), why not use the product that Air France put on their A350s. I think that product was chosen for the...
The picture that you have uploaded claiming to be KLM's 777 business class seat is actually the one they put on their A330s. The 777 business class seat looks slightly different- see the pics in your Singapore-Bali review.
I... if we're going for product consistency and high density (since KLM focuses more on transfer passengers), why not use the product that Air France put on their A350s. I think that product was chosen for the fact you could cram more seats onto the plane since they were going to be destined for Joon? I see this to be a bit more likely than some form of reverse herringbone product with door.
And u could fit those with doors too as advertised by the manufacturer