#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
Hi! This is my first trip report, and it's on one of my favorite airlines, KLM. For as long as I can remember, I've been a fan of the striking blue livery. This is the penultimate flight in a MSP-AMS-DEL-AMS-MSP trip. This was one of the most convenient options to get home in DEL from MSP. Since there is no direct flight, the next best option is a one stop route via Europe or UK. The options are generally to transit in London, Amsterdam and Paris.
Originally, this trip was supposed to be MSP-CDG-DEL-AMS-MSP. However, I wanted to get home a few days earlier so I shifted my dates on the outbound journey since the difference was a measly 28$. Unfortunately, I got a call from Air France that they were overbooked on the Paris to Delhi flight. They offered to rebook me onto a Delta flight leaving MSP, and KL871 to Delhi. However it meant I'd have to spend 5.5 hours in Amsterdam Schipol instead of Paris Charles De Gaulle. Not a terrible proposition I thought to myself.
Overall, this was during the peak winter travel season, so I paid about 2459$ roundtrip for this ticket. This is significantly higher than usual for this route. In hindsight, it would've made sense to not book 4 months in advance. Funnily enough, on my most recent MSP-DEL roundtrip I was able to snag a ticket on Emirates for 1690$ roundtrip which is honestly much better. Regardless, the convenience of this itinerary is undeniable albeit comfort is debatable.
I was tracking the inbound KL 871 on FlightRadar24 and expected the email above. The inbound flight was delayed by 1h 40m. So naturally, boarding and departure was pushed by more or less the amount of time that the inbound flight delay was. The scheduled boarding time was supposed to be 2:35AM but this was pushed to 4:15AM.
I got the above email about 4 hours before the original departure time. So I pushed back the time at which I would head for the airport.
At 1AM, I arrived at IGIA. After bidding goodbye to my family I headed to the first checkpoint. It is a bit frustrating having this check since the lines can be long at times. Fortunately it wasn't too bad tonight. Took about 5 minutes until I was able to head to the Air France / KLM group Check in desks.
I had 2 bags to check in and the process took a bit of time, about 40 minutes in total. I also had to get my boarding pass since the KLM or Delta app could not provide me with one. I suspect this is because they have to check my US visa before they let me on the flight. It could just be a technical problem though. Regardless, at about 2AM, I was through it, and made my way to the dreaded immigration lines at IGIA. This along with security took about 65 minutes and was easily the most frustrating part of the process at Delhi Airport. Funnily enough, only a month ago, they had tested automatic gates for Immigration, but apparently these were a disaster because they let passengers through without checking the documentation properly. Perhaps it will be a while before we have truly contactless immigration in Delhi. I've experienced this before at Singapore Changi's Terminal 4, and needless to say it is an amazing feature in any airport to have.
At about 3:05AM, having cleared immigration and security without issues, I was air side. As is the case with many airports now, Delhi makes you walk through the maze of duty free before you are air side.
Wasn't able to do too much plane-spotting but I did manage to take a picture of the following:
1. Virgin Atlantic 787-9 flying VS 303 to London Heathrow
2. Air India B777-300ER flying AI 187 to Toronto Pearson Intl.
And of course our bird for this flight:
3. KLM 777-300ER flying KL 872 to Amsterdam
Unfortunately, boarding was delayed further because our plane to Amsterdam was still being cleaned. So despite my boarding pass saying it would commence at 4:15 it was slightly after 4:40 that boarding began.
Did I mention how much I dislike the carpet at IGIA? It is horrible, the colors and the footfall on it just makes it look tired and dilapidated. Definitely room for improvement.
Got a decent click of our 777.
Look at those massive GE90s!
I made my way to my seat for the next 8.5 hours which would be 41K.
I'm 183cm tall, and the leg room was pretty decent, which I appreciate very much. (Not something I would receive on my onward Delta flight. The seat width was however an issue, as it is on the 777. The 3-4-3 configuration which is commonplace on most B777s is notoriously tight.
I always opt to use my own headphones which fortunately I could just plug into the seat. They are Sony WH-XB910Ns for anyone who is curious.
I'd like to mention it is a little uncomfortable if you are in the window seat because the metal part that holds each row to the floor of the plane slightly eats into your legroom which can be awkward.
At about 5:15AM we started taxiing from the Gate, and made our way to runway 11R/29L for a takeoff around 5:30AM, approximately 2 hours and 10 minutes behind schedule. The Dutch captain introduced himself and his co-pilot and told us the flight would take 8.5 hours.
I gave the IFE a try, and started watching Father of the Bride. I would like to mention I do appreciate the design of the tray table being that it can be folded half or fully.
Finally at 5:30AM, we took off from Delhi into the foggy sky. We banked right and started westwards. After the seatbelt sign was switched off, the crew came around with water bottles for everyone, which was much appreciated.
Do forgive me for not taking pictures of the first meal service, which consisted of a vegetarian pastry along with a beverage service, where I opted for a Pepsi and water. Unfortunately, there would be no choice for the second meal either, something I noticed was prevalent on KL871 as well.
I managed to get about 5 hours of shuteye as we were entering Pakistani airspace.
I woke to a stunning sunrise a little after we crossed Istanbul.
Shortly after, breakfast was served. The main meal tray consisted of yogurt, fresh fruits, a bun, butter, marmalade, and Paranthas with Paneer. It was a classic Indian breakfast, one that is usually preferable to soggy airplane omelettes. I opted for a coffee and orange juice to go with it.
The crew were nice enough to hand out additional water bottles if required.
Over Dutch air space.
Some more clicks as we approach Amsterdam Schipol.
Touchdown!
Spotted a beauty! PH-BVB the SkyTeam livery 777.
Pulling into the gate beside a few other KLM 777s. We arrived at the gate approximately 15 minutes behind schedule which meant we had made up the time in the air.
One final click of the bird that brought us here.
I was able to comfortably connect onto my Delta flight which became easier as it was delayed by 1 hour as well. The security check at Schipol was relatively fast. I wouldn't say Amsterdam Schipol is my favourite airport to transit at, but I do prefer it over London Heathrow and Paris. As for KLM, if the price is right, I would definitely fly them again, although at current prices, I would look for alternatives because of the seat width.
Thanks for reading!
Any feedback is appreciated.
KLM is never the top of the charts for me and this experience showed it. I am still intrigued why they have stopped offering a choice of meal on the Delhi sector, it could just be cost cutting. I do like the KLM crew, they are extremely nice and professional, and conducted meal services relatively quickly. I'd fly them more due to the convenience of being a one stop itinerary from MSP-DEL, but this usually comes at a premium. I do think their entertainment system is decent, but they need to refurbish the screens of their 777s to the ones on the 787 since they are more responsive.
4 Comments
I see you picked the number of your first flight as your nickname. I'm sure that's a good omen!
You're so right about that. Well, at least in my case, booking several months in advance has the advantage of increasing the chances of being able to ask for a refund if I change my plans. I usually fly low cost, and those airlines have frequent changes in their flight schedules, making it possible to ask for a refund even if you got the cheapest ticket. :D
Ugly, indeed. But this reminds me of an article I read about the pattern on the fabric that covers bus seats. There's some science to it. I think the principle behind the ugly carpeting must be the same. In fact, I can't find any dirt or stains in that photo! lol
https://www.scienceabc.com/eyeopeners/why-do-bus-seats-have-weird-patterns.html
Gosh, how I love those HUGE turbines! I think I will buy one and make my bed inside. Just don't turn it on! XD
I wonder if that's some strategy to reduce food waste?
You read my mind! lol I was thinking of the soggy LATAM omelette, haha
Ha! No tickets for speeding up there in the stratosphere???
I loved your first report! Very detailed and entertaining. Some advice I usually read from admins is that it's better to place the text before the photo, so that there's no need for the reader to scroll back in order to check what you are describing. You write like a pro!
Thank you very much for sharing!
Fernando here
https://www.scienceabc.com/eyeopeners/why-do-bus-seats-have-weird-patterns.html
Ah this makes sense, you're right about the stains.
It is possible, but I've only experienced this on KLM, which is a little intriguing. My initial guess was cost cutting, but I suppose it could be dual benefits.
Looks great actually...definitely much more interesting than normal boring western breakfast...soggy omelettes, as you mention. I'd even add rubbery and bland from my experience.
It is too bad there was only one meal service on this long-haul flight. I assume it is a combination of cost-cutting and the terrible departure time at 4AM. In the past I believe KLM would have had a light meal on departure for those who wanted it and then served a full meal on arrival on these types of late departures; however, it seems they've cut out the light meal at the beginning of the flight.
Overall I find your rating of the flight to be very fair. Personally I would find a 4AM departure and being in Y in a 3-4-3 config on a 777 to be the epitome of hell so good for your for surviving and having a relative positive experience. And yeah, whenever I have to fly in Y, I avoir 3-4-3 777s like the plague...which is very hard to do these days since they've become the standard.
Thanks for sharing and welcome!
Appreciate it haha!
Agreed, only omelette I've had recently which is was pretty good was on an Emirates flight from Toronto to Dubai.
I try to as well, but almost always land up with it lol, I don't hate the Emirates 777 though, it is much more bearable in Y than other 777 products.
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