Review of KLM flight Doha Amsterdam in Business

Airline KLM
Flight KL442
Class Business
Seat 1A
Aircraft Airbus A330-200
Flight time 07:10
Take-off 10 Feb 14, 00:00
Arrival at 10 Feb 14, 05:10
KL   #41 out of 94 Airlines A minimum of 10 flight-reports within the past two years is required to appear in the rankings. 1057 reviews
Leadership
By BRONZE 13075
Published on 1st March 2014
Hi,

Previously on Flight-Report dot com,
I am on a KLM flight from Muscat to Amsterdam with an intermediate stop in Doha.

Just a reminder of this five flights routing:

  1. Paris CDG - Dubai (Air France, Business, B777-300ER)
  2. CLICK-HERE
  3. Dubai - Muscat (Oman Air, B737-800)
  4. CLICK-HERE
  5. Muscat - Doha (KLM, World Business Class, A330-200)
  6. CLICK-HERE
  7. Doha - Amsterdam (KLM, World Business Class, A330-200)
  8. [YOU ARE HERE]
  9. Amsterdam – Paris CDG (KLM, Europe Business Class, B737-800)
  10. [NEXT]

Passengers bound for Amsterdam stay onboard, it’s no surprise as DOH is still a bus airport and it would make it a very uncomfortable journey if we had disembark and board again.


photo 1

Press available for passengers joining us here in Doha

photo 2photo 3

Flight crew shift is AMS-DOH (1day) DOH-MCT-DOH (1day) DOH-AMS, but flight attendants shift is different, they are doing AMS-DOH-MCT (1day) MCT-DOH-AMS.

photo 5

For duty reason Alcoholic beverages are not offered, their OJ is very good though.

photo 6

I guess these are specialties from Netherlands? Flag looks very tacky imo.

photo 7

Push and start slightly before STD, but with a lengthish 6h35mn flight time due to head wind, captain is expecting an on-time arrival at Schiphol tomorrow morning.

B787-8 Qatar Airways

photo 8

Maintenance area with an A330

photo 9

Nice view of Doha city center

photo 10

Oh, an oshibori, I missed them!

photo 11

Manama, Bahrain

photo 12

Water distributed

photo 13

Menu distributed along with a leaflet for Montblanc products???

photo 14

Flight being late this is a one tray service for diner

photo 15

Wine list



Everything is presented on one tray

photo 20

Mixed nuts

photo 21

Butter + salt/pepper

photo 22

Salad with feta cheese, watermelon with mint offered with grissini stick

photo 23

Distinctive tableware

photo 24

Hot snack
Falafel and vegetable kibbeh

photo 25

Amuse-bouche consisting of sliced peppered chicken accompanied by tabbouleh, muhammara and makdous

photo 26

Vanilla panna cotta with passionfruit coulis


photo 27

This light diner was surprising quite good and fresh.

Baghdad, Iraq

photo 28photo 29

Then it’s time to sleep, and this is when things are starting to get worse,
Picture of the seat in the fully “sleep” position (taken while on the ground at DOH), as you can see the leg rest support is ridiculously low making it very painful for your legs, seatback inclination on the other hand is “acceptable” for a cradle seat.

photo 30photo 31

It’s time to wake up for the breakfast service

photo 32photo 33

Menu

photo 34

One tray again but with a choice of 2 mains

photo 35photo 39

Fresh fruit salad

photo 36

Selection of cold cuts

photo 37

Golden baked waffles, served with vanilla custard and raspberry coulis

photo 38

Portuguese-style scrambled eggs offered with beef burger patty, rosti potatoes and ratatouille


photo 40

IFE is not from the latest generation, screen resolution is low but selection and responsive rate are acceptable.

photo 41photo 42

And the obliged KLM houses, please note that they are not filled with alcohol being it from a Muslim country.



After a long taxy we arrived at the gate, I guess we are one of the earliest arrival

photo 47photo 48

Video:
See more

Verdict

KLM

5.0/10
Cabin2.0
Cabin crew7.5
Entertainment/wifi4.0
Meal/catering6.5

Doha - DOA

5.0/10
Efficiency5.0
Access5.0
Services5.0
Cleanliness5.0

Amsterdam - AMS

8.0/10
Efficiency9.5
Access7.5
Services7.5
Cleanliness7.5

Conclusion

I had very low expectation for KLM, and they meet them comfort wise ^^ this seat is just atrocious for a night flight, I can’t imagine how long they waited before thinking about its replacement, new seats are coming up and I will be happy to try them.

Beside that crew was still very nice, polite and attentive and food was not that bad with good portion and it tasted right as well, the only downside is the presentation with a lot of plastic and cardboard stuff everywhere, and the menu is made of a very thin paper making it very cheap (and please do not distribute montblanc leaflets with the menu, it's totally innapropriate!)

Stay tuned for the next journey, a morning flight to Paris CDG.

Related

13 Comments

If you liked this review or if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to post a comment below !
  • Comment 100847 by
    Hcl75 1538 Comments
    The catering looks fine to me. I don't like when the service takes ages on this kind of red eye flight. You also had 2 good meals altogether which i think is pretty decent.
    The seat however looks frightful :o
    I can't even think about booking a flight in such cabin!
    Thanks for this FR.
  • Comment 100848 by
    KévinDC TEAM SILVER 6744 Comments
    Awesome night city views!! It's so weird that the recline so good, but that they couldn't lift the legrest off the ground....it makes it nearly impossible to sleep. I didn't mind DLs's recliner J seats because at least the legrests went up pretty high so that you were truly cradled in the seat. This seat is not even a cradle IMO...it's a Blue cloth slide. The new seats are really going to make the experience in J so much better, especially since the crews are always so nice. Now KL just needs to do something about that catering...
  • Comment 100851 by
    jetsetpanda 2283 Comments
    I enjoyed reading this great report full of exquisite pictures. The meal shots are superbly captured.

    A long time ago I flew SFO-AMS on KL J and was not impressed with the catering at all. Looking at your meals, I find the chinaware and presentation somewhat unpolished. The little box containing condiments is more appropriate in Y than J. I concur with you about the tasteless use of flags on the amuse bouches and worse, being presented on a napkin. If anything, it suggests a very casual delivery lacking any refinement. The clear container with the salad in the first service and the fruits on the second is a joke with portions looking minuscule.

    What is most surprising is the presence of these old generation seats. They lack privacy and are not comfortable. KL is very late in the game in upgrading their seats.

    The crew is a redeeming quality and in my limited experiences with KL, they seem to be efficient and friendly.

  • Comment 100861 by
    Quirrow 155 Comments
    I had a flight with KLM on these seats, but thankfully it was for the short DPS-SIN flight. I am guessing it would be a tiring flight for the continuing passengers from SIN-AMS. It was just not very comfortable in the cabin with it lacking the privacy for a premium cabin.
  • Comment 100868 by
    lagentsecret 12184 Comments
    Thanks for sharing this FR

    The comments are in a soft way : were you so tired ? or do you need to regain some fans ;)

    Great night aerial pictures : what is your tip ?

    I concur (as usual!) with Jetsetpanda : the catering presentation is unpolished, not talking about the taste and the tiny portions

    A flight to forget !
    • Comment 289015 by
      Leadership TEAM BRONZE AUTHOR 5472 Comments
      Portion were perfectly adequate and taste was good, but as I said the presentation should be reviewed because it doesn't feel premium at all.
      I think we had a very good visibility and clean windows, it helps for night shots.
  • Comment 100874 by
    Leadership TEAM BRONZE AUTHOR 5472 Comments
    Thank you guys for your nice comments!
  • Comment 100879 by
    KL651 TEAM 4534 Comments
    Thanks for this FR.
    I guess the conclusion was to be expected: the main problem is the seat.
    I'm pleasantly surprised by the meals, usually on late flights such as this one, airlines don't put too much effort.
    However, I agree that the plastic black tray looks cheap, which is a shame because the pattern is nice and complements the tableware.
    You're gonna be able to start a nice collection of KLM Houses!
  • Comment 100898 by
    marathon GOLD 10139 Comments
    I agree with you about these miniature flags. They really look cheap.
    Great night pictures as usual :)
    It is hard to remember that KLM's seat in J was much better than the Espace 127 seat introduced by AF back in '95. AF's present J seat may be lagging behind the competition, but that of KL is an incredible antique. At least, you knew what to expect !
    The funny thing about the Delft Blue houses is that they were originally meant to bypass the prohibition of gifts to passengers, so they were disguised as a drink. And since they can't offer a drink ex-DOH, they offer what is essentially a gift. I am OK to exchange one sealed house with its original contents for two empty ones :)
    Thanks for this FR !
  • Comment 100997 by
    AirCanada881 1616 Comments
    Stunning report, love the night shot out of DOH stunning simply put.

    I think your ratings are well deserved. Appauling that a company such as KLM is offering such ridiculous seats for a J product... :(

    The catering looked ok, having tabouleh is always a refreshing experience :)
  • Comment 101022 by
    pititom GOLD 11491 Comments
    Thanks for this second leg.

    I would blame the lack of alcohol on economy reasons rather than duty one ; sure the duty makes the cost, but KL could choose to pay for them and still serve alcohol, couldn't they ?

    The platter isn't bad in consideration of a shortened service for night flight.

    I actually imagined the seat worse than that ^^ The product is really outdated but well...4 awards, let's cope with it. We've all done that, haven't we ^^ ?
  • Comment 101063 by
    rsman 398 Comments
    KL is more appreciated in Y class

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