We took a KLM Business Class Flight from San Diego to Amsterdam and are giving you the inside scoop on our experience. From the check-in process and lounge access at SAN, to the onboard service, seat comfort, in-flight dining, and even how we felt stepping off the plane in Amsterdam we’re covering it all. Whether you’re planning an international trip or just curious about what it’s like to fly KLM’s premium cabin on a long-haul route, this episode has everything you need to know.

Here’s what we cover:

• Seat setup: window vs middle seats, storage, and lie-flat comfort
• Amenity kit + perks: champagne, mocktails, noise-canceling headphones, and more
• In-flight dining: from crab salad & truffle pasta to French toast & cheese plates
• Entertainment & WiFi (or lack of it)
• Service experience: how KLM stacks up against Singapore Airlines & others
• The iconic ceramic Dutch house souvenir 
• Our overall rating: 7/10 good value, but with some misses

Check out our other airline reviews:

• American Airlines Domestic Business Class
• Singapore Airlines Business Class
• Singapore Airlines Premium Economy
• Cathay Pacific Premium Economy

Find KLM flight deals by signing up for Thrifty Traveler Premium and get flight deals sent straight to your inbox. Use our promo code TSP to get $10 off your first year subscription.

KLM Business Class – Episode Transcript

0:35

And get ready to embark on a new adventure with us around the globe.

Hey Squatty’s Travel Squad Podcast is back with Just a Tip, our Friday mini episode series where we give you quick travel stories, hacks and recommendations to set you off into the weekend.

Right.

Today you have me, Jamal and Brittany as your host as we give you our take on our KLM business class flight that we recently took on our way to Switzerland.

1:00

We flew business class only one way from San Diego to Amsterdam and paid cash upon online checking to do that update upgrade because initially we bought regular economy flights but at time of check in the price was too good for the upgrade to pass up.

1:16

Yeah, so it was actually really funny.

I had just come in from a swim and I was just relaxing.

And then Jamal’s like Brittany, Brittany, Brittany come here.

And I’m thinking like there’s an emergency.

And he’s just like, Oh, well, I just wanted to know, do you want to upgrade to business class flights on the way there?

And we did it.

1:32

So really glad we did and we get to share our review with you guys.

So let’s talk a little bit about our experience.

I just want to preface this by saying if you fly business class, it’s always going to be a 10 out of 10 in comparison to flying economy.

So let’s just get that right out there right now.

1:49

I mean, that’s the truth.

But when we’re giving our review here of KLM, of course we’re going to give you an honest review, but also we are comparing it a little bit to our experience, one business class on Singapore Airlines, just kind of comparing the two on that because of course that is a frame of reference that we do have because we recently flew Singapore Airlines business class on our way to Thailand.

2:16

And that airline is known to be one of the best airlines in the world, let alone one of the best, if not the best business class flight experience there is out there.

So yes, KLM was great, but also we want to highlight a little bit of the differences and tell you what you can expect with your experience on KLM.

2:34

And the differences started right away.

So we were pointed to our seats versus when we flew business class with seeing apparel airlines, we were shown to our seats and we were also referred to as ma’am or Sir versus by our names like when we were flying Singapore Air, it was Mr. Marouche or Miss Harbic.

2:52

So just immediately, right off the bat, just a few differences right away.

Then in the business class cabin there are 10 rows of business class seats.

It’s formatted in a one to one pattern.

By the time we upgraded day before when we were doing online check in, there was like 3 business class seats left.

3:12

The only two that work together were the back two rows by the window.

So I was sitting in front with a window and then Brittany was behind me and.

When we got to our seat, we had a pillow, blanket, water bottle menu, noise cancelling headphones, and then they also passed out an amenity kit with an eye mask, ear plugs, lip balm, toothbrush, toothpaste, toothpaste tablets, and moisturizer.

3:35

So I’m glad we actually didn’t have to ask for it.

It was just given to us right off the bat.

And I did use a lot of the things that were in the amenity kit.

That you did not mention, Brittany, that I was really hoping was going to be included with the amenity kit was going to be some slippers.

We had those when we flew Singapore Airlines.

3:52

I feel like from everything I see on social media, that’s pretty common.

So KLM did not have that.

So when you get up and want to use the restroom or walk around, you have to put back on your shoes versus the slip ONS that a lot of airlines and business class give you.

4:09

So that was a little saddening, but just something that I did notice as well.

And then once they got everyone seated, they offered everyone juice, water, a mocktail or champagne.

Jamal and I both did the champagne and then they also brought by a little bowl with some mixed nuts.

4:26

And the seats are very accommodating to you.

And what I mean by that, of course is just the general comfort and we’re going to get into that here pretty soon.

But it did include outlets.

What I really liked about that is the plugs that you had at your seat were universal in the sense that it could fit in a American plug.

4:44

KLM is a European airline.

It could fit European plugs.

It even had an already included adapter for the UK plugs, which are a little bit different.

You could do USB so you really didn’t have to worry about your phone dying on you.

And the plug layout made it very simple for you to not have to worry about do I need an adapter or anything like that.

5:03

So let’s talk a little bit about entertainment options.

The TV is about four times larger than the screen that you would get in economy.

So that was nice.

I actually didn’t watch TV, so I can’t speak to the movie selection.

Did you watch any movies, Jamal?

I only watched one movie because I was actually very unimpressed with the movie selection that they had.

5:25

They of course had movie selections from Europe, Asia, India, the US.

So they give you a whole plethora of international, national options.

What they had US wise for my entertainment and media preferences.

I mean, there were good movies, but nothing there that I was like, Oh yes, I really want to watch a couple new ones.

5:45

Most of them were old ones.

They do have TV series options that you could watch, but none of those were truly intriguing except for White Lotus from HBO.

They had the full newest season on there, but we recently watched that.

So in that sense, wasn’t an interest to me on it.

6:03

Of course they do.

You have a handful of games that you can play, so typical selection of movies.

But at the same time, I don’t want to say that this is on KLM because it’s really dependent upon airline what actual licensing rights they have.

But I was not a fan of the movie selection.

6:19

I read a book, I brought a Kindle, so that’s what I did.

And then we were trying to sleep because we were going to be landing in like the 1:00 hour in Switzerland.

So we wanted to be well rested, which is also one of the reasons we decided to upgrade to business class.

We wanted to get some.

Other than that, though, there was no free Wi-Fi on the plane.

6:37

You could connect to iMessage and WhatsApp, but you couldn’t do any web surfing unless you wanted to pay extra.

And I just didn’t think it was worth it.

I didn’t think it was worth it because they were charging a lot, but at the same time that is honestly very upsetting that you fly business class and they will still charge you to get regular Internet to do some surfing.

6:59

I feel like Internet is standard with business class.

It was when we flew Singapore Airlines and very recently flew economy on Air Canada.

And if you’re part of Air Canada’s loyalty program and rewards program, you got free Internet, even an economy just to generally surf versus the just messaging or WhatsApp.

7:20

So I didn’t like that aspect of it.

And then at some point to the Internet did go out and I know that can happen on planes, especially when you’re flying over like isolated areas.

But at the same time, when we flew for airlines, which is a much larger flight, you’re flying over the Pacific Ocean much more isolated, they were able to keep the Internet.

7:40

So I just didn’t like that aspect on KLM and the lack of included Internet for web surfing or streaming while flying business class.

So now let’s get into what we ate on the plane.

So they did have a regular menu.

So this differed from Singapore Airlines because we were actually able to do a book the cook or they had a regular menu.

7:59

So this was just a standardized regular menu for business class.

So the regular menu for the app was a fresh crab salad with salmon, caviar and shrimp, served with caper berries and lemon pepper oil.

Or you could do a creamy corn chowder soup.

Jamal and I both picked the fresh crab salad and I liked it.

8:19

I thought it was pretty good.

I liked it.

I didn’t think it was anything exceptional.

It did come with some salmon caviar raw, whatever terminology you want to use on top and for the most part I do like that, but this one was a very salty 1.

So that kind of took away from me liking it more than I would have expected to.

8:38

But overall it was OK.

But Brittany liked it.

So I think that’s one is palate specific.

Side dish we got was the grilled watermelon salad with mozzarella, mint and pistachio crumble.

This was pretty good.

I love this.

I really did love this side.

That was good.

8:53

For the main course, we had three options, kind of.

We had the grilled chicken with a Morel sauce and roasted parsley, potatoes, beans and carrots.

So this dish they were actually out of and that’s what we would have ordered.

So we actually had to pick something else.

9:09

Otherwise there was a pasta filled with ricotta served with porcini and shiitake mushrooms in a creamy truffle sauce.

That’s what we ended up getting.

But the last option that they had was like a tasting where it was a quesadilla and a pulled pork BBQ sauce sandwich and a potato of some sort as well.

9:29

Yeah, I mean, I was really disappointed.

Like I said, there’s only 10 grows in business class and Brittany and I were in nine and 10.

So by the time they got to us, we were left with the vegetarian option, which I did not want vegetarian, I wanted meat.

But in general, the description that Brittany gave you sounds pretty good if you like pasta and mushrooms and whatnot.

9:50

But I actually did not think it was very good at all.

And for a main course, I was really disappointed with it.

And it’s, again, it’s one of those things where I don’t want to say you’re flying business, you’re better than anybody or anything like that.

But I would think with the prices airlines charge you to fly business, yes, they don’t want to overstock and they are a business and it’s a money loss for them if they overstock and things aren’t used.

10:15

But at the same time I feel like you should have more dishes available, especially if it’s in business class so you don’t run out.

Yeah, I mean, an easy option is they could send us a survey in advance and have us pick our meals so that people can get what they actually want and they wouldn’t be out of the food.

10:30

So for dessert, they either had a cheese plate with fig chutney, grapes and crackers, or they had this plate with three macaroons, fresh fruit and a vanilla whipped cream.

That’s what I ended up choosing and it was really good.

I ended up getting the same.

I did like their dessert, actually.

The cheese plate was very intriguing to me because I didn’t really want anything too sweet.

10:49

But very recently Brittany and I just did have some charcuterie.

So I didn’t want to have charcuterie and I knew we were going to Europe and European breakfast is exactly that, cheese plates, meats, fruits.

And I knew I was going to be overloaded with that.

So I I turned it down for those two reasons.

11:04

But the macaroons and fresh fruit that they had was really good.

I would say overall the meal was good except for the pasta, which was the main course and the fact that they ran out.

But at the same time, I don’t think it was a cohesive meal that all appetizer, entree, dessert really went together.

11:22

Yeah, I would agree with that.

And then to chop it off, they gave us these mini chocolate KLM houses and they came in white milk or dark chocolate.

So I got a milk chocolate little mini house.

So for breakfast they served us warm bread rolls, croissants and jam.

11:38

Of course drinks wise you could always have unlimited alcohol, but at breakfast they did offer champagne, orange juice, tea, coffee.

They had this chia coconut oatmeal with caramelized banana, pomegranates and pistachio and that was so good.

11:54

I think that was my favorite part of breakfast.

And then they did have a cold plate with Turkey, ham, gouda cheese, fresh egg salad with chives and a pumpernickel bread.

And so everything we just mentioned was the standard that comes on the side the main entree.

12:10

You got to choose between a poached egg with hollandaise sauce, spinach and fried potato wedges.

Or you could do French toast with blueberries and apple compote that was served with a creamy vanilla sauce.

I love poached eggs and eggs Benedict.

Brittany does just as well, but something about eating eggs on a plane weirds us both out, so we did opt for the French toast which was very good.

12:35

It was a very small portion, looked a little bit different than I was expecting, but nevertheless I would say meal wise as a whole I prefer breakfast over the lunch or dinner for our first flight.

Yeah, I have to agree.

Breakfast was quite delicious and I really love that chia coconut oatmeal.

12:52

That was really good.

One thing we’re not talking about with the business class here or didn’t mention yet are the plates and silverware that they served breakfast and lunch with.

I actually really liked it, you know, in the Netherlands, because again, KLM is a Dutch airlines, they’re very known for their tiles that they make.

13:11

And so a lot of the dishes had that white and blue tiles that they’re known for, and it just made it a nice more fancy experience just as well that I appreciated.

So now let’s jump into the lie flat experience.

So we’re going to compare this quite a bit to the Singapore experience because that’s the experience we’ve had before.

13:31

So in KLM, you can press the button and lie down directly, whereas with Singapore Airlines, you actually had to fold down the bed.

And there’s some pros and cons to this.

I like that you were able to just lie down directly, but we also didn’t have any extra linen or extra pillows that we had on Singapore Airlines.

13:49

Yeah, because on Singapore Airlines, when you folded down the seat to make it into a bed, behind the area where it folded down was the linens, extra pillows, an additional blanket, so it made it feel more like a bed.

So yes, of course the KLM seat did go live flat, so it is a bed in that sense.

14:08

But again, no additional pillows.

You only had your blankets, no linens, so it doesn’t make it as comfortable.

One thing we didn’t mention about our seat here in business class, of course, is you could just put your feet up and have a foot even not reclining the chair.

14:25

But if you harken back, if you listen to our Singapore Airlines business class review, we did talk about how the fact that when the bed goes into life flat, they kind of caddy corner you a little bit so you’re sleeping at a weird angle.

But that’s just based off of the way that they have the seats oriented and KLM, they have their seats staggered in such a way that when it goes to life flat, you don’t really have to angle yourself to be fully flat.

14:50

You’re just in a natural straight position.

So I did appreciate that more.

But when you put the business Class C in that position, it’s not as wide.

So Singapore Airlines had a much wider just natural seat, whereas the KLM one was a little bit more narrow just in its normal sitting position.

15:10

So you’re always going to encounter these differences when you fly business class from airline to airline, from model of plane to a different model of plane, even within the same airline.

But the lie flat experience on KLMI would say is not as great because it didn’t really feel as much like a bed as Singapore Airlines did because of the linens, extra pillow, blanket, etcetera.

15:30

And normally when you fly on an airplane, you normally have the lap belt.

So when you’re sitting in economy or premium economy, you just have that lap belt.

But when you lie flat, they typically give you the seat belt that looks more like a car seat.

But because you can lie flat without getting into like a bed, your normal seat belt on KLM business class was like a seat belt.

15:53

So you have the strap across your chest and then also the lap belt as well.

Versus on Singapore airline, they had the lap belt if you were in the reclining chair and then they had the car seat belt type of seat belt for when you were lying down.

Overall, again, in comparison to economy, you can’t really go wrong in business class.

16:12

So it was a comfortable experience.

Again, we are just highlighting the differences between Singapore Airlines and KLM.

But if you’ve never flown Singapore or any other airlines business class and you come here, KLM, believe me, you are going to enjoy it.

We did it too.

We’re talking about the lie flat experience right now.

16:28

But just in general, the seat was very comfortable, had different buttons for you to be able to recline it without going fully flat, raising your legs, giving you some calf support, or it just has a bench in front of you where you could put your feet all the way up.

So a much, much more comfortable experience all the round, no doubt.

16:45

And at the very end of our flight, they did give us a little souvenir.

KLM comes around with a mini ceramic Dutch, kind of how we were talking about.

They’re known for their tile work and souvenirs like that, so they did give us one of those, which I thought was a little unique touch.

17:01

Yeah, and they weren’t in just the same.

So Jamal, I both got different houses.

So they’re they’re cute little souvenirs.

We did mention that we paid to upgrade to business class collectively.

I think our flights economy for both Brittany and I round trip to Switzerland was what about $2500?

17:21

Think a little bit more, yeah.

But but, but under 3000 for both of us round trip.

So let’s just put it on the high end at, you know, 3000 round trip in economy.

So 1500 per person.

When we did the online check in from San Diego to Amsterdam, the cash cost to upgrade per person was $560.00.

17:42

So yes, that added an extra 1000 on us.

And when I saw the cash price and it made it 4000 round trip for both Brittany and I, I thought to myself, I think that cash price is worth it because honestly one way on business class per person can easily be 2000 if not more.

18:00

So just to have that on for one leg I thought was a good value.

We also recently had rebooked our rental car and saved about $500.00, so realistically we only paid for one of these.

What would you give the overall rating Brittany of KLM business class?

18:18

Oh, I mean, like you said earlier, it’s always going to be a 10 compared to economy.

We flew economy on the way back and we had a horrible experience, or at least you did.

So I would say though, I would probably give this A7.

Yeah.

18:34

I mean, if I’m just saying experience overall, I’m going to give it a 10 compared to economy.

However, if I am comparing to other business class experiences, I will actually go ahead and give it a 7 just as well.

I don’t want to rate it any lower, even though I am upset about the meal on the 1st portion of the flight and having to get that pasta.

18:55

But otherwise, I don’t really have much room to complain.

You’re splitting hairs, of course, in terms of like, oh, the linen, this, that and the other, but nevertheless, yeah, I would give it a solid 7.

But any business class experience for sure.

A10.

So guys, we have reviewed some other airlines like we’ve mentioned Singapore Airlines business class.

19:15

We actually have a premium economy.

Singapore Airlines as well, we have American Airlines first class domestic flight and Cathay Pacific premium economy.

So if you’re interested in hearing any of those, go back and listen to some of our other airline reviews.

19:31

Thank you so much for tuning in to Just the Tip.

Make sure to subscribe the review and follow us on all the socials at Travel Squad Podcast.