#49 out of 94 Airlines A minimum of 10 flight-reports within the past two years is required to appear in the rankings.
527 reviews
I arrived in Amsterdam on a flight from Bergen. The airport is very busy when I get there, and getting through the crowds is cumbersome. It's also quite a long trek from my arrival gate on the D concourse all the way to the B concourse, from where my flight to Basel will depart. Actually, the flight to Basel is leaving from B 34, which is just about the farthest gate at the very end of the B concourse. So instead of visiting the lounge, I figure I might as well gradually make my way to the departure gate. This turns out not to be my wisest move, because the B concourse is spilling over, and there's no place to sit. But at least I don't have long to wait before the flight is called for boarding.
I decide to wait for the first bus to the aircraft to leave before I make my way to the gate. The second bus is quite full, but it looks as though I'm the last passenger to board. When we finally reach our aircraft, I step off the bus and keep back until everybody else has boarded. This gives me a chance to take some photos.
I'm not much of a fan of the Embraer, but she does have pretty nose…
There are two rows of Business Class on this flight. Row two is initially empty, but once boarding is completed, the passenger on 1C moves and takes a seat on 2A. I don't blame her. Any opportunity to snag a window seat? I'll take it. But there is no need for that, because I've already been assigned 1F.
The nice thing about the E190, which is why I prefer them over the E175, is that there is an additional storage compartment in the front of the cabin. So even if you board last, there's always space for a small carry-on. I also like that the windows are properly aligned with the seats on the E 190, which is not the case on the E 175.
The crew on this flight are great. The Business Class cabin is being served by a polite and very enthusiastic young man. Before the doors close, he hands out bottles of still water. This is something that seems to be part of the KLM Cityhopper SOP, but not something they do on the mainline fleet.
We push back and the crew announce a short flight time of only fifty minutes.
Once we're airborne and the seatbelt sign comes off, the meal service begins. It's another Wandels box.
At least this one is served with two warm bread rolls.
It's an Asian-style salad with shrimps in a sweet and sour sauce and a side of cashew nuts (don't ask). For dessert there are, again, three macarons, as on my previous flight.
In addition, the crew pass through the cabin offering small bottles of smoothie. They're usually rather off-putting, so I decline. But the young man is so eager, he places it on the tray table for me anyway, and I haven't got the heart to tell him to take it back.
Eventually, we land in Basel after a flight time of less than fifty minutes. The airport is very quiet. KLM uses the French side of Basel airport, which is good, because it means I can avoid the long queues for passport control. And with that, I'm finally back home.
That concludes my business trip to Norway. The SWISS and SAS flights were unexpected, mainly because I got a lot more food than I thought I would. And it was good food too. Especially the SWISS meal was also quite substantial. In contrast, the meals on KLM, both on the BGO-AMS and the AMS-BSL legs, clearly fell short. I really wonder who is in charge of catering at KLM. I'm guessing the main idea is to save money, which is fair enough. But surely, giving passengers a meal that they might enjoy must also count for something. I don't think it's a cultural thing, because most of the Dutch people I've talked to don't enjoy the KLM meals much either. KLM's saving grace, on both flight, were the crews, which were simply brilliant, very professional and engaging. They made an effort to make passengers feel welcome. Which is not something you get all that often anymore.
Les contributeurs de Flight-Report ont posté 60 avis concernant 2 compagnies sur la ligne Amsterdam (AMS) → Mulhouse / Bâle (EAP).
La compagnie qui obtient la meilleure moyenne est KLM avec 7.4/10.
La durée moyenne des vols est de 1 heures et 16 minutes.
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2 Comments
Thanks for sharing!
This aircraft was still in the old config. It's a comfy seat, and actually softer than the new one. But I agree, the lack of an empty seat on the Embraers is not satisfactory. Food is rarely a reason to try KLM on short-haul. But their crews are always friendly and the airline is highly reliable and dependable. During COVID their treatment of passengers was far superior to that of the Lufthansa Group. And that is what counts.
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