I got to Schipol Airport at around 10AM for my 12:40PM departure to Chicago.
Amsterdam Schipol Airport exterior
Amsterdam Schipol Airport exterior
The check-in hall wasn’t especially grand compared to some other major airports, though it was perfectly functional.
Amsterdam Schipol Airport departures hall
Amsterdam Schipol Airport departures hall
I quickly found the Sky Priority check-in area, which was guarded by two agents. After confirming that I was in business class they let me through.
Amsterdam Airport KLM Sky Priority check-in
The check-in area was surprisingly crowded, so since no agent was available I decided to use one of the bright blue kiosks in the center of the check-in area, given that I didn’t have any bags to check.
Amsterdam Airport KLM Sky Priority check-in
The kiosk was intuitive to use, and I quickly mulled over my seat choices again. My flight was operated by one of KLM’s reconfigured 747-400s, featuring their new business class product. While I was tempted to sit in the nose, I instead stuck to my seat on the upper deck, which had an empty seat next to it… so far.
Amsterdam Airport KLM Sky Priority check-in kiosk
Amsterdam Airport KLM Sky Priority check-in kiosk
Once I had my boarding pass I proceeded through passport control and then followed the signage to the KLM Crown Lounge, which was maybe a five minute walk away.
Departures hall Amsterdam Airport
Departures hall Amsterdam Airport
Escalator to KLM Lounge Amsterdam Airport
The lounge was located one level up from the concourse, so once off the escalator it was located immediately forward and to the left. As a reminder, if you wouldn’t otherwise have access, Amsterdam does have a couple options available if you hold a credit card with lounge access.
Entrance to KLM Lounge Amsterdam Airport
While the reception area was busy, I was checked in within a few minutes and given the Wi-Fi code.
Entrance to KLM Lounge Amsterdam Airport
I’m not sure what I had envisioned from the lounge, but it was massive. It was much more spacious and stylish than I had expected. Stylistically it reminded me a bit of the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse.
There was just tons…
KLM Crown Lounge seating Amsterdam Airport
and tons…
KLM Crown Lounge seating Amsterdam Airport
and tons…
KLM Crown Lounge seating Amsterdam Airport
and tons…
KLM Crown Lounge seating Amsterdam Airport
and tons…
KLM Crown Lounge seating Amsterdam Airport
and tons…
KLM Crown Lounge seating Amsterdam Airport
and tons…
KLM Crown Lounge seating Amsterdam Airport
and tons…
KLM Crown Lounge seating Amsterdam Airport
and tons…
KLM Crown Lounge seating Amsterdam Airport
and tons…
KLM Crown Lounge seating Amsterdam Airport
and tons…
KLM Crown Lounge seating Amsterdam Airport
and tons…
KLM Crown Lounge seating Amsterdam Airport
…of seating. Holy crap.
There was even a large smoking room.
KLM Crown Lounge seating Amsterdam Airport
Then there was an entertainment area with comfortable chairs.
KLM Crown Lounge seating Amsterdam Airport
And a fairly large business center as well.
KLM Crown Lounge business center Amsterdam Airport
The lounge boasted views of two sides of the tarmac, including the alley where many of the longhaul KLM flights depart from, so there were lots of sexy heavies to stare at.
KLM Crown Lounge view Amsterdam Airport
In terms of the food selection, there were a few different food service areas, as you might expect given the size of the lounge.
The food selection didn’t really impress me.
KLM Crown Lounge bar Amsterdam Airport
The absolute highlight was that they had massive plates of stroopwafels and biscoffs. Now that’s what I call a joint venture between Delta and KLM!
KLM Crown Lounge buffet Amsterdam Airport
In addition to that they had several types of snack mix, cookies, and pastries.
KLM Crown Lounge buffet Amsterdam Airport
Then towards lunch time they put out some sort of chicken satay, or something.
KLM Crown Lounge buffet Amsterdam Airport
Then they had several types of (not-so-delicious-looking) cheese and meat.
KLM Crown Lounge buffet Amsterdam Airport
In terms of drinks they had a good selection of self serve liquor.
KLM Crown Lounge booze Amsterdam Airport
Then there was a coffee machine.
KLM Crown Lounge coffee machine Amsterdam Airport
And also all kinds of juice and soda.
KLM Crown Lounge juice Amsterdam Airport
Quite possibly my favorite part of the lounge were the KLM houses they had in a display case. For those of you not familiar with KLM’s houses, they give them out at the end of every longhaul flight in business class, and there are 94 varieties. So I guess they’re KLM’s version of the Lufthansa ducks.
KLM Crown Lounge houses Amsterdam Airport
At Schipol Airport security is at the individual gates, so I left the lounge at around 11:30AM for my 12:40PM departure. The walk to my departure gate took only about five minutes, as I was departing from the F Concourse.
Amsterdam Airport terminal
Amsterdam Airport terminal
KLM Airbus A330
Walkway to gate
My flight was departing from gate F4, and they had a separate Sky Priority queue at the gate, which meant I didn’t have to wait in line for the initial document check.
Walkway to gate
The security process was surprisingly pleasant, not just in terms of the amount of time it took, but also in terms of the friendliness of the agents.
The 747 that would be taking me to Chicago was still being catered, so clearly I showed up at the gate a bit early. Fortunately, Wi-Fi was available in the gate area, so I just sat down and kept working.
KLM 747-400
KLM 747-400
Departure gate Amsterdam Airport
Boarding did eventually began at 12:10PM, starting with business class.
KLM Crown Lounge Amsterdam Bottom Line
I was pleasantly surprised by KLM’s flagship lounge (or the airline as a whole, I suppose). The lounge was spacious and not overcrowded. The food spread wasn’t especially good, though in an ideal world I’m not looking to overeat before boarding a longhaul flight anyway, so I didn’t think of that as a huge loss.
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