Last minute upgrade to KLM business on 787-10 proves worth it

As I prepared to return home after a few fun days in Scotland, KLM made me an offer for the return journey that got me thinking for a few minutes. How much is too much to upgrade from economy to business class on a daytime flight across the Atlantic? The answer for me, at least on a whim on a ScotRail train while browsing the seat map, was $596. But would KLM deliver value for the price?

My journey from Glasgow to New York JFK had a four-hour layover in Amsterdam, more time than I would have cared to spend in a Priority Pass lounge or milling about the terminal. While I thought I’d get a good bit of value out of KLM’s non-Schengen Crown Lounge, I didn’t expect to be so blown away by the lounge that opened just shortly before the onset of Covid. The lounge is not without its drawbacks and oddities, though.

Access to the lounge, mercifully located as close as possible to my connecting flight gate since the walks at Schiphol can be long, was granted with a tap of my boarding pass at an automated reader. The Crown Lounge starts off strong, offering automated luggage lockers so that I could shed my bag and jacket and enjoy the lounge as a regular human rather than a bag-toting passenger in transit. Every airline lounge should offer this feature if space allows.

The Crown Lounge was designed with the concept of separate and distinct “Dutch landscapes,” which sounds ridiculous but in practice might be genius.

The five distinct landscapes (Polder, City, Sea, Sky, Dutch Mountain) break up the large space in a way where the lounge doesn’t feel overly large, but it never felt cramped and seemed to handle crowds well.

I especially liked the Dutch Mountain, a multi-level space with different types of seating, artwork, TV space, and even a bit of KLM historic pieces. KLM’s lounge design and features are outstanding, but it is not without fault.

The prepared food section, while offering freshly prepared options, is small.

The lounge has a large dedicated space for Blue by KLM, a paid restaurant and bar within the lounge itself. The menu options are fairly diverse, but charging for finger foods and mixed drinks feels cheap in an otherwise premium lounge for a full service airline. This is especially true since KLM partner Delta continues to roll out its high-end Delta One lounges.

I was also disappointed to find the outdoor terrace was closed for unspecified reasons as I really would have enjoyed some fresh air during my stay.

KLM’s latest generation business class product on the Boeing 787-10 was my ride to New York. The cabin isn’t the most overly decorated in the skies, but it has just enough splashes of blue to make it decidedly KLM.

Waiting on each pod seat was one of the most thoughtful amenity kits I have come across to date. The kit contents aren’t amazing, but the kit itself is actually a nicely designed reusable tote bag, an absolutely brilliant idea.

I also really enjoyed the Royal Blue Legend, KLM’s new pre-departure mocktail option.

Each seat is equipped with a Panasonic Avionics entertainment system, loaded with what I would consider to be a decent but not great level of content. Despite being one of the home screen’s backgrounds, TV show Family Guy had just three episodes available while other TV shows had just a single episode.

KLM’s noise canceling headphones connect to the system using a magnetic connector, which is fantastic. Unfortunately, the headphone itself was of such subpar quality that I used my own. The tethered remote control also annoyed me to no end, as it never reoriented itself in the vertical position when it was docked.

Meal services were conducted quickly and KLM’s cabin crew was always present to ensure I had everything I wanted. I particularly enjoyed the salmon-filled pasta shell appetizer, and the side dish of marinated chicken with cashew nuts and fried rice of the second service.

I don’t think the rice was actually fried, but it was green and delicious.

This was my first business class experience on KLM, and I think it met my expectations but did not exceed them. Everything was good, but not over the line to being great. Things like up-charging for food in the lounge and a weak entertainment selection look the overall experience down just a notch for me. Overall, however, I think I got my $596 worth.

Related Articles:

• PaxEx advancements clear on newest KLM fleet type, the A321neo
• KLM digital customer service largely shines even as partner fumbles
• Exploring KLM Non-Schengen Crown Lounge as a neurodivergent
• KLM welcomes first A321neo with Recaro seats and Viasat Wi-Fi

All images credited to the author, Jason Rabinowitz

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