Review of KLM flight from Lima to Amsterdam in Economy

This flight concerns the old (until 2025) LIM terminal.

Introduction

It is time to return to home and studying after a couple of weeks in this beautiful country. Turns out that the cheapest option in these dates is a direct flight to Amsterdam, which means I will finally be able to fly a KLM B77W. It will also be the longest distance I've flown, though not the longest time thanks to jet streams.

Since my family has a bunch of bags to check-in, we leave well ahead of time for the airport. Lima's infamous traffic means that it takes around an hour in my uncle’s car from San Isidro to Jorge Chávez.

Departure: LIM

The check-in area is quite busy, and only passengers are allowed in. Fortunately, since we are European citizens we can join a shorter queue, which probably bypasses some document checks. The queue does take 15 minutes, and then it's 7 more minutes to send all the bags and print our boarding passes. There are also self-service kiosks, but they only print paper passes and don't allow for bag drop.

Afterwards, the rest of the family joins us for a snack in a food court just outside security check. This is a pretty busy landside area with many shops and restaurants to pass time.

At security, there are different tracks for domestic and international flights, likely due to the different restrictions. There is no queue at the international side, so we're swiftly out and on the way to passport control.

There is also little queuing to do here, so within 3 minutes I'm out. After passport control, there is a duty free area with a large variety of Peruvian souvenirs; free of tax but significantly marked up, as usual.

Past the duty free, there is a long and wide area with some shops on the side. While it is comfortable to have such a wide space, one wonders if it could be better used with travelators or more seating.

LIM doesn't get many wide-bodies, and these gates don't seem prepared for them. The seats are full, and many passengers have to wait standing up.

Boarding starts rather late, and it is done strictly by groups. Even though my "baggage is not guaranteed in cabin" and the plane is quite full today, there's room for everyone so we don't need to check anything in.

The plane in question is PH-BVU, Nationaal Park Grand Canyon, a 7 years old KLM 777-300ER. For a while I've wanted to fly in one of these; I see them often at AMS but it's usually expensive to book direct long-haul flights. It is a shame that on this trip I get no opportunity to shoot a good photograph of the aircraft…

Flight: KLM Royal Dutch Airlines B777-300ER

My seat today is 38H, an aisle seat on the starboard side of the plane. I personally really like the interior of newer KLM planes, similarly with AF. Waiting for us on the seat are a blanket and a pillow with a single-use cover.

While the padding is a bit hard, the shape of the seat is quite comfortable. I'm not really a plane sleeper, but even I could catch some sleep tonight. Legroom and recline are good, and there is an adjustable headrest.

Under the IFE screen there is a USB outlet, and between the seats, there are universal power outlets. The tray table is rather floppy. Overhead, there are individual reading lights.

Airline: Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij
Flight: KL744
Model: Boeing 777-300ER
Registration: PH-BVU (Netherlands)
Age: 7 years

We take off from 16L, then quickly turn towards the Pacific to gain some altitude, to then turn back East; over the airport, heading to AMS.

Half an hour after departure there is a short service consisting of a refreshing towel and a bottle of Spa water; always appreciated in Economy class, though I wouldn't have complained if a small snack was included.

An hour and a half into the flight, dinner service arrives to my row. The options are the usual chicken or pasta, and this time I pick the chicken. The presentation has its ups and downs; the thin plastic containers give it a cheap feeling, but the cutlery and napkin roll with the KLM ring is a nice touch.

-The coleslaw is fresh and crunchy, and it has raisins to make it less boring. It is still boring, though, it is coleslaw.
-The main is very tasty; the tomato sauce is nicely aromatic and flavorful, the mashed potato is nice and buttery and the zucchini is soft and pleasant. The chicken, though, is dry and somewhat hard.
-The warm bread roll is a welcome feature, especially to soak in the remains of the tomato sauce.
-The dessert seems like a maracuja based cake? It doesn't really satisfy me; it has a weird aroma and lacks the characteristic sweetness of these fruits.

In general, a tasty and filling meal that could use some better plating and chicken cooking technique.

Around an hour later, we get a cookie. It is nice and sweet, and I always appreciate more food. Though personally, I would substitute it for a pre-meal snack.

The IFE here is very good. The screen is rather small by today's (at least AF 777-300) standards, but the hardware can keep up with the entertainment. The mapping application is smooth and controllable, and doesn't move around automatically. The movie selection is far more appealing to my tastes than on CDG-LIM, and the movies don't randomly buffer.

While not as lively as on CDG-LIM, likely due to the time of the flight, there is a self-service bar at the back of the plane, with a small variety of drinks.

There is also a cute box with Dutch ceramic-style designs, which contains some packaged snacks, sweets and cheese sandwiches. The bread here is soft and not really dry.

Class: Economy (H)
Includes: 2x Meal, 1x cabin bag.
Seat: 38H
Price: ~1690 € (Round trip)
Ancillaries (this segment only): None.

The flight is rather calm, or so it seems given that I could sleep through most of it. Around 4 hours before landing, there is a short but notable turbulence, and on approach to AMS the wind shakes the plane again.

Route: Jorge Chávez International Airport (LIM) – (AMS) Amsterdam Airport Schiphol
Great Circle distance: 10511 km
Flight length: ~10820km
Flight time: 11h 15m
Delay on arrival: +5 minutes (late)

The lavatories were standard, and they were kept spotless throughout the flight. Though someone forgot their toothbrush, which was not removed.

An hour and a half before landing, the second meal service takes place. It looks like a lunch service, in AMS time, rather than a breakfast service. This time, there is only one option; fritatta with mushrooms. I am not very hungry, but I accept anyway.

-The muffin is good, despite the weird appearance.
-The main is left untouched, as I was unaware of its mushroomness. I will not judge the dish, as I am biased against mushrooms.
-The fruit is alright. The pineapple is tasty, the watermelon is decent and the cantaloupe is mushy.

Enter text here…

We land on 18R, the Polderbaan, which means a 15 minute taxi to our gate.

Arrival: AMS

From parking, it is 15 more minutes until I leave the aircraft. 10 minutes later, it is time to say goodbye to my family, who will take a connecting flight home.

I head towards passport control for AMS arrivals, there is a very short queue and control is very quick, despite only two counters being open.

After passport control and the baggage area is Schiphol Plaza, with a train station underground, from where one can take direct trains to most of the Netherlands and even some international services. I wonder if one day AFKLM will introduce rail connections for AMS-CDG…

Thanks and Image Credits

Thank you for reading this report! This one was written on my phone on "Desktop Mode" so I hope everything turns out nicely.
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Photography: Own work
Maps: Google
Flight route: Flightradar24