On my way to embark on Norwegian Aqua’s maiden voyage, I had the pleasure of flying KLM’s Business Class from Amsterdam to Lisbon.
KLM’s Crown Lounge in the Schengen area in Amsterdam.
Pre-Flight Experience
While waiting in the KLM Crown Lounge, I noticed the flight was slightly delayed. I opted to head to gate C11 just before boarding began, allowing me to board first. At check-in, I selected seat 01A for extra legroom, which was a wise choice given the nearly full flight.
The cabin aboard KLM’s Boeing 737.
Departure and In-Flight Service
After a brief delay, we took off and the seatbelt sign was turned off after 10 minutes. The crew promptly offered warm towels and bottled water.
Warm towel service shortly after takeoff.
The breakfast was served in a box and consisted of four plastic containers containing Greek yogurt, granola, fruit, and American pancakes. Warm bread and an extra snack of crispy filo pastry with cheese were offered.
Business Class breakfast served in a bento-like cardboard box.
Various drinks were offered – note that KLM does not serve champagne on these flights, but instead a Spanish Cava Brut from Louis de Vernier. I chose to wait with alcohol, as later today there will be an opportunity to reach the “quota of the day”.
The quality of the breakfast was good – it was delicious and fresh. But eating from a kind of Bento Box and then with cutlery made of wood is not a favourite. I’m all for keeping the CO2 footprint down, but it ruins the experience a bit and the price for Business Class is not low after all.
There were never any extended periods when the curtain to the front galley was drawn. Only briefly when breakfast was being prepared and again when the crew was taking a break of a maximum of 10 minutes just before preparations for landing were to begin. On a flight of about 3 hours they were always ready to help and offered several times if I wanted more drinks from the menu.
There was also WiFi on board this Boeing 737 and it was free for everyone to use to send/receive text on the most common chat platforms like Messenger and WhatsApp. Other internet packages had to be paid for, even in Business Class. Each seat had USB charging ports, though I recommend bringing a ‘flat’ USB plug, as there were no USB-C sockets.
