Most horrible experience with food service on board for me: BA LGW to Lima a few years ago (pre-covid), I had pre-ordered a kosher meal in economy. The crew approached me towards the end of the boarding, saying they didn't have enough kosher meals because of a system error. They had presented (as is customary) their respective meals to a few men already, and mine (I'm a female) was the one lacking, of course! They were however offering me to choose a main course in the business class menu, which never came. To cut a long story short, they never brought me anything during the whole time people were being served their trays, finding excuses each time I tried to catch a crew's attention, and ended up collecting empty trays before anyone came to me with something to eat. I finally got a pasta dish, nearly thrown at me by the chief purser, that my friend, a BA crew from a different base on holiday with a confirmed ticket (not a crew standby ticket), recognized as crew meal that is not normally served to passengers. The crew avoided me the whole flight, and I got served something similar during the second service. Once back home, I wrote to BA and their first answer was that "their crew are always exemplary". I finally got some extra miles in compensation when I threatened to take the affair to the media.
Hey Dan, KLM will launch a brand new business class product in the second half of 2022 on the 777s. They’ve announced that it will install seats in a 1-2-1 configuration with closing doors. You’ll always have to have luck when it comes down to pre-ordered food, but the seat will finally be competitive with other airlines like Qatar and Virgin Atlantic.
I remembered i got so sick and my body was itching due to the seat not being cleaned on klm and my parents were so scared and the flight attendant kept going and getting hot towels
Dan, I noticed a few years back that KLM service was slipping when economy stopped getting a hot towels along with a drink and snack after departure. Then the couple of small bottles of wine became one plastic glass and that was that! This was before Covid and our poor experience with some cabin crew led us to use British Airways instead for trips from UK to Washington DC. .
As disappointing as the flight was to you I love how you didn’t ever express your negative opinion to her so that she could still have a pleasant experience. That was the best part!!!
I seriously doubt your experience was a one-time blunder. I don't know how any airline executive at KLM could watch your video and not be humiliated with their catering and their poor service. Airlines will only get better when videos like this get posted and they get exposed. Thank you for the honest reviews that you provide.
I’m ex crew myself. I flew KLM several times, and all of the things you’re describing do really surprise me. Nevertheless, sometimes you het a bad crew, and often times a bad, lazy, or non motivated cabin service director heads the crew, and when this happens, it spills al the way down onto the rest of the crew. When you were waiting for half an hour for the right hand doors to be opened for the catering trucks, and the trucks were already there, it would not surprise me that the crew were performing their safety checks and security, which only 10 minutes tops, and then, perhaps they were having tea, while still waiting for some other crew who hadn’t arrived yet, probably still in the duty free shop !! Each time there is a change of aircraft, it’s a big mess. And the customer always pays the price
@@fatdoi003 William, there are more then 10.000 cabincrew with KLM. So yes. But most of them fly on different types. Like many other airlines do the same.
@@fatdoi003 No they wouldn't necessarily be, it depends on the airlines, too, but normally long-haul crew are trained to work on both these aircrafts these days. The crew will be changed if the delay implies overtime.
I’m an American living in Amsterdam and, thanks to a lot of business travel, have Platinum status on KLM. With business travel picking up again I was SHOCKED at the downgrade in cabin service, especially in catering, on a long haul (AMS-ATL) flight a few weeks ago. It’s clearly a cost saving measure, and I was flying economy, but with this video it’s clear that no class was spared.
Oh Dan ….. you need to be a cabin crew for 25 years before you can understand that the second we get on board the aircraft, catering shit is NOT our first priority!
To play devils advocate: -cabin crew has no say or part of catering. It’s a whole separate department that is organized by operations. Sometimes the catering can be delayed from doing another flight or traffic ( as catering does not come from the airport but offsite and has to clear security). There’s a lot of factors as to why it can be late -aircrafts are usually warm on the ground. The cooling system is from the aircrafts apu or ground air. The AC doesn’t really become working until the engines are on. -they totally lied about not having more food options lol but the rule is service the customers first and then you can eat the leftovers, not the other way around
Crew don't eat leftovers, they have their own crew meals. It's totally possible that the crew meals were similar to what his mummy wanted to eat after changing her mind - too bad that KLM doesn't over-cater its flights in case someone changes their mind, particularly when they have pre-booked a meal!
Old flight attendant here. Crews absolutely eat leftover meals. So yes this happens. Although we never not offered a paying customer a meal switch if it was available just so we could eat what was left but yes crews definitely eat leftovers.
@@Mike-hm2gc Most airlines do, at least on long-haul flights. With LH-flights, crews usually eat leftovers from the business class service. This obviously doesn't mean that there aren't enough meals for the entire crew + business class passengers, but rather that the passengers choose what they eat and the crew eats the choices that are left after the service is done. At least for us, the second service meal on LH-flights is separate for the crew and the passengers, and on SH-flights the crew has separate meals as well
I only flew KLM once from Rio to Berlin (via Amsterdam) in 2018. The plane was a B787 and the crew was the most friendly I've ever flew with. I hope your bad experience was just bad luck
Six years headed to America using British Airways but stopped when they declined to offer breakfast on the London flight. Eight years with KLM before they stopped the hot towels, wine came in one glass instead of a couple of small bottles and finally the last couple of cabin crews seemed more interested in throwing the food at us, clearing up and vanishing! Now use Aer Lingus which is a bit cheaper although alcoholic drinks are chargeable but service is fine.
My mother was a part of this crew. She has seen this video and felt sad about it, she did not want to write anything. I’m writing on the crew’s behalf to let you hear both sides. Firstly, there is a limited amount of food on each airplane. You had specially ordered vegan food. All the fish had been ordered by passengers but one fish meal was left over from a passenger who fell asleep during meal service, and did no longer want it afterwards. The crew ate this after service half cold. The crew eats what is left behind. If you do not eat your special ordered vegan food, that means the crew will have to eat it or other passengers which is wrong since it has been specially catered for you . Secondly, the catering took time since airplanes have different caterings and it is nothing the crew can do about it. Obviously it could have gone smoother, along with other things during the trip, but there are many factors that complicated things in these situations. The crew was, like you said, of course affected by the delay as well, especially considering the complaints they have to deal with as a result. Even one of the passengers and his family started to fight with the purser and only wanted to talk to the attendants after that. So that took a lot of the attention and with a full business class it complicated everything. I’m sorry you had a bad experience with KLM since much went wrong, however I just wanted to shed some light from the crew’s side, so that some things clear up.
Good to hear the crew side of things! I am flying KLM business in June and hope I get a professional like your Mom. :) Sounds like there was a lot to deal with and then to have an harsh review afterwards must have been frustrating!
I really appreciate how balanced your reviews are. Having a strong opinion that is measured with 360 degree perspective and consideration of all factors is hard to come by in any venue.
Great video Dan. In regards to the meal issue you had where you spotted the airline staff eating what your Mother requested. I had an opposite experience with BA recently on a flight from LGW to SJO. The meal I requested wasn't available so I requested another. A few minutes later the steward came back and said a member of staff had kindly given up their choice so I could have it !! Hats off to BA for that one 🙂
Unprofessional to tell you that a flight attendant gave up their meal. They should have just given the meal to you and left it at that. Were they wanting kudos for giving you the meal? Why were they even selecting their meal before all the customers selected theirs?
It's actually shocking that the crew had to say they "gave up" their meal, as if to look generous when they are in fact just following the rules in letting go of what they "would have preferred" to eat. Cabin crew don't have a choice of meals, they choose amongst whatever the passengers didn't order, obviously. Totally unprofessional.
In the airline where I worked we had separate crew and pax meal and yes sometimes passengers are left with no choice(one option of meal is left) but it was strictly prohibited to offer them a replacement with your own meal. Imagine situation on the next flight this person has the same problem (no choice left) and he says “on the previous flight crew gave me their meal and you are just bad” and then writes a bad review. Plus other pax who saw that replacement is possible would ask if they can have it too and you have limited crew meals and limited “kind” crew who wants give up their food.
Good news! I dont know if you already know it, but KLM is going to replace all business class seats on their 777’s with the loved 1-2-1 configuration. The seats will also be broader and get a privacy “door” like you have on Delta One😄
OH DAN OH DAN OH DAN! I’m shaking my head! As a forty year Flight Attendant for a major US carrier (now retired) I was so taken aback at your comment regarding the delay from catering and putting it on the crew. Just so we’re clear, anything having to do with catering is not the responsibility of crew members. The food service company is responsible for checking to see what is going on with the flight and knowing what gate and when the aircraft will be there. That information is provided by the airline. When they actually show up to cater the aircraft is on them. Please don’t ever put blame on crew members, it’s not their jurisdiction. Also, same holds true for “items” that maybe you’ve missed seeing on a particular flight. Sometimes catering screws up and forgets things…mistakes happen. I could write a book on the millions of mistakes a catering company has made….🤷🏼♀️🤦♀️. I love your videos, keep up the good work!
I had a sh*t KLM experience not long ago. They were incredibly rude and when I called customer service to get a hand, they promised they'd call back and never did
We were 'packed in' so close in economy. My son dropped a bread roll during 'dinner'. We couldn't see it or reach it! I asked the attendant if they had another bread roll? Answer: ' No, we don't carry more than what the number of passengers are given' ! What an answer--a bread roll FFS!
I must definitely say that KLM has downgraded a LOT! Understandably during the pandemic they had to scramble to do the best possible to accommodate their routes, however, selling ghost flights, downgrading service as well as pre flight options is an absolute bummer. I ended up having to sue them because they deliberately sold me a ghost flight LED-AMS a couple of months ago. Not to mention the ticket was exaggeratedly overpriced, and customer service was painfully terrible. So, KLM has sunk to the bottom of my list.
@@frontmaster2577 How is he full of shit, just because it doesn't line up with your opinion? That's childish behaviour. Don't get me wrong, of course, it could be bs, but there's no evidence for you to make that claim. The video clearly showed their original 787 was on the ground due to engine maintenance. Look at the other comments, some people have good experiences, some bad. That's just the way it goes.
Very accurate. Only thing? I do love a slower food service. I hate when they stuff you food 20 minutes after takeoff. If flying first or business, I want to enjoy a drink or two before the meal service.
I've just flown KLM for the first time (two intercontinental flights and one regional) and my experience was pretty amazing - I particularly liked the lounge and also the crews were fantastic - so I really hope your experience was an one time blunder as I'm already considering flying with them again soon. love your videos!
The last time I went KLM the staff made me change seats 3 times so people could sit together. When I protested on the last move they said I was a difficult passenger, never again with them!
Similar experience. The last time I flew KLM from Curacao to Belgrade via Amsterdam... on the first leg there was slight delay so I asked how long the delay would be and how to access info to rebook my next flight if I could not catch my connection flight. They ignored me and told me i was a difficult passenger... (not to mention they missed my luggage😮💨)
Air transport has been a nightmare in Europe since reopening. I'm waiting for another few months to travel again. KLM is one of my favourites for international flights.
This was just a series of unfortunate events for you! I'm so sorry there was such a massive delay and an airplane change. Too bad the service/cabin didn't match the level of service that you remember from other KLM experiences. Hmm...I, too, wonder why the portion sizes were so small? I do love the idea of collecting those mini houses! Such a cool feature! I'm not sure if I would spend $$$ on business class for KLM. I think I'd rather stick to economy or premium on another airline. Thanks for the thorough review!
Side note: as former crew (5 years with EK) you sometimes get to know you have no catering on board ONLY after safety and security checks which aprox take from 15 to 30 mins.
I agree! Especially for airlines like KLM that don't ever get any criticism. It can feel daunting for reviewers, because these airlines have such hard core fans (as the comments show). I feel like if this were a British Airways, Delta, or Air Canada flight, the comments would have been like "you are being too nice to them".
It is so disappointing when you're excited to fly an airline and they let you down like this. 😞 The reverse swap actually happened to Amanda on KLM last year because they usually fly the 2-2-2 A330 to Boston and switched to a 787. I always love watching when you bring your mom along and I'm glad she still had a great flight!
The cabin crew didn’t neglect to notify the catering trucks to come and cater the aircraft. (That’s not how it works) Catering was automatically scheduled for your flight. It is controlled by operations. The crew can call & inquire of their whereabouts but the answer is always the same “Catering is on their way”
Dont you think crew called for catering right after they went on the aircraft but it takes some time for catering to load whole meals etc and basically drive to the aircraft?
Not just that, catering needs to reload all the stocks into correct carts since carts are not interchangeable between different models. This takes time when KLM keeps switching between planes.
Awesome vid! 🥳 I’ve only traveled business class once in my life from Stockholm to Lima in KLM last February and I felt so warmly welcomed by the crew and the experience was marvelous, one-two-one seats laying, I had the first one so it was cool. But one thing… the food 🥲 I rather had what the economy class had, it was very disappointing and tasteless and INDEED the portions…. I was hungry the whole flight 😂, hopefully that changes soon!
How thoughtful of you to want to provide the best experience for your mum. Glad she enjoyed herself still. Re KLM, they need to get their act together. Totally agree with you, they don’t even try to compensate you for creating a poor experience for the passenger.
I just booked my first business class for next year. Very expensive. To the extent that you want to get value for this, I get it. I hope you and your mom and Oskar enjoyed the rest of the trip.
Hi Dan. Don’t get me wrong I love watching your videos and feel like I learn so much from them but I don’t think this video was quite fair on KLMs side- this seemed more of a personal issue then a hard product issue. - crew don’t realize catering last minute. It’s the first thing we look at when we board the aircraft. I call for catering all the time but most times it takes 20-40 minutes until it arrives. Also, on a safety aspect, on wide body you cannot board when catering is happening from the forward doors. - with the aircraft swap, I know it sucks but the service offerings and delivery would be the same if you flew the Dreamliner. It wouldn’t of been different. Unfortunately the crew on this specific leg probably wasn’t the greatest but from a constant viewer of your videos, it seems like your mood was ruined from the moment you found out about the aircraft swap and it went downhill from there. Don’t let one flight ruin anything. Keep making great videos. Things happen and that’s aviation. Have a fantastic weekend!
I wonder how you can excuse crew’s attitude of laziness and unfriendliness with Dan’s mood. Care to elaborate on that? Telling customer can’t have an item on the business class menu only to eat it themselves later is appalling. Also please work on your comprehension skills because Dan said the issue he had was with KLM staff telling them boarding would happen in 15 minutes instead of 1hr40min.
@@YT-mp7ei i actually meant the change off equipment, not the delayed boarding. I’m not sure attaching my comprehension is necessary. Maybe this is Oscar’s burner account? LOL I agree with you about the meal. If that did happen, and it was the same meal that was denied to them during the ordering process then that is indeed egregious and should be addressed by KLM executive management
Having been a flight attendant for KLM for 11 years, the crew would have had nothing to do with the delayed catering. The caterers had to repack all the catering as the aircraft type changed last min from a 787 to a 777 as you observed. The crew were trying their best with what they had to had with regards the catering loaded in Amsterdam.
@@fatdoi003 In Europe cabin crew can fly on a maximum of three different types, this includes variations. For example the Airbus A319, A320, A321 would be classed as one type. The Embraer E175, E190, E195 would be one type but the Boeing 777 and 787 are different types. Other parts of the work, cabin crew can operated on more than three types at once.
Ig the fact that was most upsetting was that they said there would be a 15 minutes delay, then a 20 one and just kept pushing it instead of just saying there’s an hour delay from the beginning
One day I had an appointment with a dentist. When I arrived they simply said, "you don't have an appointment". I disagreed. After showing them proof of arrangement, they simply said "this dentist is no longer working here". And they simply said: "we will make a new appointment with another dentist". When I ask about the reason, and why they didn't call me, and 100 other questions, they simply said "we sent you a letter". The letter came in the afternoon after I came back home. They never used the word "APOLOGIZE". Not in person not in the letter. I live in Venlo, Limburg.
Hi Dan! I am crew for an European airline and let me tell you, unfortunately this things happen... It makes sense to me that the gate agents would say that the boarding would start in 20 minutes because that is what usually takes us to do our pre-departure checks. Which also includes catering, now, the gate agents don't know anything about catering, and yes you might expect that the different departments communicate between them, but since normally operations go smoothly there is no reason to inform the gate agents of such things I believe. So, how could they know in advance that the catering was not loaded? So here is why they had said 20 minutes... Also, the crew certainly noticed the missing catering, but usually we don't call them, because crew is not responsible for the delivery of the catering, the catering handlers are, what I think might have happened is that, since the flight was originally scheduled on the 787, the catering must have been loaded in there, then because of the technical issue to the ac, the catering most likely had to offload it from the previous ac and go and load it into the new ac so as you can imagine it takes time...
Been flying KLM every year for the past 5 years. Always great service, comfortable seats and fairly good food.. They use the 787 10 from Houston to Amsterdam. Very nice aircraft. But stay away from the pre-arrival meals.
I love when airlines have an aircraft fleet chart in their in-flight magazines. Whatever airline it is doesn't matter, I love that. Still have a 1997 issue of American Airlines' American Way magazine, with a fleet from when AA still had F100s, MD-11s, DC-10s, and IIRC Shorts 360s in their Eagle fleet.
KLM swapped equipment from 787 to 777 on my flight from SFO to AMS in May. Upgraded to biz class and got a seat in the single row cabin, behind the entry door, that Dan recommended. Seat was great and service pleasant. The cabin temp was sweltering hot 🥵. As was AMS terminals. Felt slightly cooked upon arrival at my final destination Oslo.
From my extensive travel experience; sometimes airlines don’t like to announce “creeping delays”. Which are hard to estimate due to many factors. If there are fueling issues along with crew scheduling issues along with possible lavatory problems and equipment change. If a new departure time is announced many passengers start running to duty free/cafes etc and when it’s time to depart you can’t find them.
grond crew here! mainly true; although sadly these times lots of things we have to work with are broken, in my experience (like the announcement system, microphone) so when we want to announce things we sometimes we just sadly can’t..
Estimated time not actual time big difference people please don't wonder off . You may not hear the announcements. If you're not you might miss your flight unless it's weather related they'll let you know. But they're not going going to search for you around a large busy airport it's not their job. They don't get paid for it, also don't scream at them because you didn't get to check in time .
@@debraseiber8820 Definitely true, and let’s not forget airlines can’t just leave passengers behind if they have bags checked. Further delays offloading a “no-show” bags.
Even United Airlines send text messages to passengers while they wait. Often going into detail about the cause and estimated completion. That is marvelous and other airlines should do that.
I had the pleasure to be able to fly the new business class from KLM this summer, to Lima. It is such a big upgrade compared to this. It has a 1+2+1 configuration, and complete privacy cabines with sliding doors! It was amazing.
I was flying 4 times already in KLM business class, including flight to Panama and 4 times caught delays, especially in Amsterdam. I am flying with KLM for over 10 years and must say that it getting worse and worse every year.
I have also noted the KLM service slipping over the last 3-4 years. They used to be amazing, but lately, it seems awful, whether that's in Business class or economy. I now try to opt for Virgin Atlantics Upper Class where possible.
I have to say that even if the crew called for catering the moment they stepped on the plane it would still take at least half an hour for catering to get there and that would be if they had all the carts ready to go, especially at an airport as big as AMS. If they had to assemble the carts for a 777 I would easily expect at least an hour if not longer to get catering done.
Hello, I have flown a few times with KLM and have always been satisfied with the service. No one is sheltered from having a bad experience with any airline. Hope your trip with your mom was quite nice once you landed.
well, i have to say this is too me one of the most confortable business class in Europe. I have tested both KLM products and i know i might be the exception, but i really prefer this one (when accompanied of course), its wider and makes for a better bed than those 1.2.1 configuration.
I had a simular bad experience in a flight from Muscat to Amsterdam. There they replaced the promised 787 for a A330. Now for May I had a 787 booked to Curacao that they now changed to a 777-200. Seems like the 787 is cursed as well with them.
in mid-February, I flew on the 777-200 from AMS-SCL, amazing service and seat even though it's a 2-2-2 config. my dad didn't get to choose his main meal though, because KLM doesn't put enough food of 1 dish to everyone, (if the first 4 rows chose 1 dish, the rest don't have a choice)... we originally had 4 hours in AMS but because of a storm, our flight from CPH-AMS (a 737-800 amazing service and food for a European business) got cancelled and we were rebooked to a flight earlier, so then we had 7 hours in AMS. KLM Choose to delay our 14-hour flight (AMS-SCL) even though they cancelled every other except 2 flights, which we were happy about, even though we now had an 18-hour layover in AMS... so we went to the service desk in the non-Schengen crown lounge, and KLM booked us (and many others because of the storm) in at corendon village where we had an amazing night of sleep and an amazing view of the old KLM 747-400, painted in orange corendon colours. Overall both flights were Amazing, and the food was fantastic just like the service, even though my father couldn't choose his main dish, and I had to change seat, as my IFE's sound didn't work properly, (to the only other free seat in the cabin). We flew home from SCL to CPH via CDG with Airfrance on their A350-900, where I think that klms 2-2-2 config old 777-200 were superior over Airfrances A350-900 1-2-1 Config, seats were softer on KLM food was better. Sadly due to the opening of SCLs brand new international lounge had opened 3 days prior, SkyTeam had no lounge in SCL and we didn't get any Compensation for this sadly.
When you order a special meal you should eat the meal that you have intentionally (!) ordered. It's very common for crews to not give out meals from the menu card, if the passenger has ordered a special meal
Small correction I make as flight attendant. there are crew who take care of the galleys only, so the first thing they do is checking the catering. I'm positive they noticed right away the food was missing but simply catering arrived late. Lately many European airport are facing delays 😮💨
As I work in aviation as a Cabin Crew I gotta say the reason why the aircraft didn't have any catering on it as it was a spare aircraft you and your family flew on. Airlines keep spare A/C on standby for cases when the planned A/C would go tech. Needing no more proof than that A/C arrived only two hours ago from somewhere - so it sounds like operations had two options: delay / cancel the flight altogether. Those spare A/C usually've got no catering on them for obvious reasons (they can be a spare for a day or two before they fly on a scheduled flight). Hence you saw the catering invading the plane prior boarding. And this is also the answer to the crew handing out limited amount of food or having limited choices. It's complicated to fully cater an A/C that was changed last minute, especially with people's special food orders. I would say, you gotta be happy having that much choice to be honest ;) Hoping for a better KLM experience next time :)
I believe your expectations are a bit high, taking into consideration that airlines are trying to come back after the losses they suffered during the pandemic. They have staff shortages in all areas and supply/demand chain struggles. Of course I agree that the service could have been better. You cannot compare KLM to other airlines like Emirates that receive funding from government, etc.
Hi, so as a partner of a flight attendant, these are the things the airlines do re meals. They have to supply the crew with 'crew meals'. These cannot and should never be given to passengers. They may look like something you wanted and missed out on but they are catered separately and just for the crew. It is most likely part of their terms of employment. It is their meal and no one else's. If a passenger orders a 'special meal', like your Mum did, they will cater for that and then reduce the standard meals by the number of special meals requested on that flight so it is not always possible to just change your mind, most people want airlines to reduce food wastage so this is a way they can try. I doubt any airline would cater 100% of meals for every option for every passenger. Imagine the waste?, they usually work on a % of the number of people who won't eat v's people who eat etc to reduce waste. They would have supplied a special meal for your Mum so technically, your Mum changing her mind is wasting a meal unless some other PAX would have that exact same option. I would have thought you would be aware of these things as a frequent flyer and airline blogger?
Had exactly the same experience two weeks ago flying KLM business from Rio to Amsterdam. Too warm cabin, bad food and grumpy staff. The return flight with AF was much better! Great video, keep up the good work!
Crew meals are a part of the crews salary. Don’t expect someone to give up food for a passenger who decided to change their mind. Also, I don’t know if the flight crew has much to do with ordering catering. An aircraft change means different catering set ups😱
It’s on the business class menu so a business class passenger has right to order it. How is that the same thing as crew giving up their food? But if your attitude is the typical one of KLM and Netherlands, at least I’ve now learned to stay away from both the airline and the country. Even Parisian seems friendlier and I do enjoy Air France catering.
@@YT-mp7ei that's not how it works. if a passenger pre orders a special meal, and they cater per the exact number of people, then the person who ordered the special meal will have to have it. your theory doesn't even make sense - what if everyone pre ordered a special meal and then changed their mind onboard? you think the airline double caters? absolutely not. if there are regular meals available, then crew will be happy to offer them, but it's not guaranteed.
Actually, crew meals are catered seperatly. So it's not a business class meal that is reserved for the cabin attedants. They should have more than enough. They are actually known for reserving the business class meals for themselves because they are of better quality than the crew meals. I had the same happen on my flight from Panama. They didn't have any sweet desserts left when it was my turn to order, and then I walked in on them eating it in the galley.. Disappointing to say the least.
As a regular KLM flyer, I honestly prefer the "old" seats. They are wider, have more leg support and are more comfortable overall. A massive downgrade is not something I'd call this. Sure, it's not a herringbone setup with isle access for every seat, but imho the seats are WAY better.
I flew the AMS EZE route many times on the 777 and on the 787 and that small business class row you mentioned was always my choice. It felt like a semi private living room. People avoided it for some reason and i was 95% of them time seated alone. Downside is that if the main cabin had more than 6 free seats, the crew would reassign you a seat in front so they could use that little row themselves. Food and seat were great. I have good memories of it. And they had some of the best prices i’ve ever seen for long haul business. Dutch crew are always mega friendly and nice.
It wasn't her mother's meal, it was the crew's meal. Why should they have to give it up just because a passenger changes their mind on something they preselected?
Dan seems like a nice guy but I hate it when he says he’s obsessed with planes from a young age. I am too, but the difference is I wanna make them and he wants to enjoy the luxury of first fucking class. You don’t enjoy aerospace, you enjoy fancy seats
The meal uplift is meant for the booked number of passenger + number of crew members. The crew eats whatever is left from the remaining meal choices. The number of special meals, e.g. VGML, CHML, AVML, etc. is included in the uplift and is not meant as an extended meal choice. Furthermore, the change of meal would mean that another passenger or ccm would have to trade their regular meal for the other passenger‘s SPML. Most airlines do not offer alternatives, if the passenger changes his mind about his meal order.
25 years ago they told my mom and dad that they ran out of food and there was nothing to serve between Amsterdam and Wash DC. Same $hit, different decade! KLM is a waste of time and Money. I guess it is the Dutch Hospitality keeps on giving!
Hey hey Dan, I fly KLM often from Birmingham UK around the world, the 777 in a 222 configuration is a drag especially when you are travelling for business and expect good rest and it is always the biggest turn off when booking. But still better than AF A380 in a 222. In 100+ flights I’ve never honestly experienced poor service with KLM. I guess operational issues happen from time to time on all airlines but I feel your disappointment and sorry to hear this trip didn’t work out for you. My Delft house collection is still growing. Doing this route to Dubai later this year so will happily feedback, may even make a vlog 😀Rich
I've just flown KLM business class. Whilst the cabin crew were amazing. 3 out of my 4 prebooked seats weren't available as they'd be given to other passengers. Bearing in mind, I pre booked these seats in July, and had written confirmation at the end of September of my seats. One of the seats I was allocated, was broken! Nothing like an 8 hour flight, in business with a seat that not only doesn't recline but also no entertainment system! Whilst the cabin crew were apologetic, nothing as yet from KLM - however I only got home yesterday.
Since you were traveling in the EU you do have protection if the flight is delayed more than 2 hours from your original departure. KLM has a compensation tab on their website.
flying or buying with airline (cooperation vis or amex with airlines)credit cards ..... he has amex and another cards you pay everything with those cards ... for example in Switzerland amex give for every new card 14.000 miles and when you pay with this cards 1 Swiss franks you can earn 2 miles .....400 franks earned 800 miles you k now what I mean .... you can buy a ticket you can double the miles ... another for example from zürich to New York 3500 swiss frank business class you earn 7000 miles and plus 8000 real miles when fly with airline ...to the New York when you fly offen ........in 2 years you can beginn flying with earn miles or you can pay economy then you can upgrade with miles to business !
Just found your channel, I love your content, I love listening to the reviews while I'm working. Your mother is so wholesome, I absolutely love seeing her in your videos
It seems to me the DXB route is cursed with KLM. Recently I had same experience (DXB-AMS) although it wasn't as bad as yours. It seems to me 789 was changed to another flight and they had to improvise with catering and crew, hence the poor choice of food. It must be said that the arrival snack (except breakfast) is not KLM's strong point.
The meal portions are laughable. the portions in business class on Ba long haul are twice bigger, much better presented, with more food choices. After having seen the meal portions you show, it means that in their new business class on the 787-9, it’s probably the same exact thing. It’s a real shame for the price people pay. Also, you the whole meal service took over 2 hours…. When I flew on BA in business, although the meal was totally better, it just took them FOREVER to deliver the service. You could actually hear them chatting in the galley for long periods of time, laughing out loud, with cups of tea in their hand. Taking their jolly time. That’s what you get. With those new ba or new KLM pay scales for crew. You pay them peanuts? They deliver lazy service.
I like the way you used expat worker instead of immigration, generally western nation people are seen as expat while people from other country are called immigrants
As groundcrew at Schiphol I can tell it is common to tell that boarding starts sooner than it’s actually is going to. This prevents passengers to wander off getting lost in the airport or losing track of time. Causing them to miss the flight. If they miss the flight their baggage needs to be offloaded which only is going to extend the delay.
KLM is always my first choice. I'm a frequent flyer, have KLM Platinum status, have flown hundreds (not an exaggeration) of times with them. Never had a bad experience!
'One time blunder'. Yes, I think so. I've flown KLM long haul since 1976, my airline of choice, and in the past 20 years, invariably in business class. Perhaps 100 flights (200 sectors)? In that time I've had but one sub-standard flight rather like yours - Amsterdam-Cairo in 1995.
Flown their business class 3 times now. 2 of three were a dissapointment. Mediocre food, slow service, entertainment system broken once. I would never pay full price for it. Nothing about it is premium. You're just paying for the flat bed.
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Hi Dan, you mentioned signature KLM drink in BC. They have one it's called 'The Flying Dutchman' (it's alcohol based though) :)
Most horrible experience with food service on board for me: BA LGW to Lima a few years ago (pre-covid), I had pre-ordered a kosher meal in economy. The crew approached me towards the end of the boarding, saying they didn't have enough kosher meals because of a system error. They had presented (as is customary) their respective meals to a few men already, and mine (I'm a female) was the one lacking, of course! They were however offering me to choose a main course in the business class menu, which never came. To cut a long story short, they never brought me anything during the whole time people were being served their trays, finding excuses each time I tried to catch a crew's attention, and ended up collecting empty trays before anyone came to me with something to eat. I finally got a pasta dish, nearly thrown at me by the chief purser, that my friend, a BA crew from a different base on holiday with a confirmed ticket (not a crew standby ticket), recognized as crew meal that is not normally served to passengers. The crew avoided me the whole flight, and I got served something similar during the second service. Once back home, I wrote to BA and their first answer was that "their crew are always exemplary". I finally got some extra miles in compensation when I threatened to take the affair to the media.
Hey Dan, KLM will launch a brand new business class product in the second half of 2022 on the 777s. They’ve announced that it will install seats in a 1-2-1 configuration with closing doors. You’ll always have to have luck when it comes down to pre-ordered food, but the seat will finally be competitive with other airlines like Qatar and Virgin Atlantic.
I remembered i got so sick and my body was itching due to the seat not being cleaned on klm and my parents were so scared and the flight attendant kept going and getting hot towels
Dan, I noticed a few years back that KLM service was slipping when economy stopped getting a hot towels along with a drink and snack after departure. Then the couple of small bottles of wine became one plastic glass and that was that! This was before Covid and our poor experience with some cabin crew led us to use British Airways instead for trips from UK to Washington DC. .
As disappointing as the flight was to you I love how you didn’t ever express your negative opinion to her so that she could still have a pleasant experience. That was the best part!!!
“Did I book a business diet class?” That had me in an asthmatic laughing fit 😂 😂
Same bruh 😂
Oooh I just picked my nose
Yea, you got that right. The want you to loose weight. Terrible that they served so little food.
I seriously doubt your experience was a one-time blunder. I don't know how any airline executive at KLM could watch your video and not be humiliated with their catering and their poor service. Airlines will only get better when videos like this get posted and they get exposed. Thank you for the honest reviews that you provide.
KLM and Lufthansa have signed an agreement with the UAE government to keep their service as crappy as possible so that everyone flies Emirates.
@Thijs is in the air the attitude of the cabin crew leaves alot to be desired
@@godisacorgi9835 then they must have also signed an agreement on African flights to give crazy and rode service
Would you rather have KLM fly a damaged plane? Planes have issues and the company would either choose a replacement or cancel the flight.
@Thijs is in the air okay okay i think they still have to own the business class compensation
I’m ex crew myself. I flew KLM several times, and all of the things you’re describing do really surprise me. Nevertheless, sometimes you het a bad crew, and often times a bad, lazy, or non motivated cabin service director heads the crew, and when this happens, it spills al the way down onto the rest of the crew. When you were waiting for half an hour for the right hand doors to be opened for the catering trucks, and the trucks were already there, it would not surprise me that the crew were performing their safety checks and security, which only 10 minutes tops, and then, perhaps they were having tea, while still waiting for some other crew who hadn’t arrived yet, probably still in the duty free shop !! Each time there is a change of aircraft, it’s a big mess. And the customer always pays the price
but the crew would be different right? changing from B787 to B777
@@fatdoi003 William, there are more then 10.000 cabincrew with KLM. So yes. But most of them fly on different types. Like many other airlines do the same.
True story
@@fatdoi003 No they wouldn't necessarily be, it depends on the airlines, too, but normally long-haul crew are trained to work on both these aircrafts these days. The crew will be changed if the delay implies overtime.
I’m sorry, *hadn’t arrived yet*!? When I was flying I would receive 10 lashes, offloaded and then pay a fee
I’m an American living in Amsterdam and, thanks to a lot of business travel, have Platinum status on KLM. With business travel picking up again I was SHOCKED at the downgrade in cabin service, especially in catering, on a long haul (AMS-ATL) flight a few weeks ago.
It’s clearly a cost saving measure, and I was flying economy, but with this video it’s clear that no class was spared.
Better delta next time
Oh Dan ….. you need to be a cabin crew for 25 years before you can understand that the second we get on board the aircraft, catering shit is NOT our first priority!
To play devils advocate:
-cabin crew has no say or part of catering. It’s a whole separate department that is organized by operations. Sometimes the catering can be delayed from doing another flight or traffic ( as catering does not come from the airport but offsite and has to clear security). There’s a lot of factors as to why it can be late
-aircrafts are usually warm on the ground. The cooling system is from the aircrafts apu or ground air. The AC doesn’t really become working until the engines are on.
-they totally lied about not having more food options lol but the rule is service the customers first and then you can eat the leftovers, not the other way around
Exactly.
Crew don't eat leftovers, they have their own crew meals. It's totally possible that the crew meals were similar to what his mummy wanted to eat after changing her mind - too bad that KLM doesn't over-cater its flights in case someone changes their mind, particularly when they have pre-booked a meal!
Old flight attendant here. Crews absolutely eat leftover meals. So yes this happens. Although we never not offered a paying customer a meal switch if it was available just so we could eat what was left but yes crews definitely eat leftovers.
@@nicki4715 Maybe where you worked that was the case, but not all airlines treat their crew that way. Cheers.
@@Mike-hm2gc Most airlines do, at least on long-haul flights. With LH-flights, crews usually eat leftovers from the business class service. This obviously doesn't mean that there aren't enough meals for the entire crew + business class passengers, but rather that the passengers choose what they eat and the crew eats the choices that are left after the service is done. At least for us, the second service meal on LH-flights is separate for the crew and the passengers, and on SH-flights the crew has separate meals as well
I only flew KLM once from Rio to Berlin (via Amsterdam) in 2018. The plane was a B787 and the crew was the most friendly I've ever flew with. I hope your bad experience was just bad luck
Same, i have never had a bad experience and i think i flew around 20 times with klm.
Very friendly crew as well
Same, I love klm. Such good service
here in holland is always a mess that klm
Six years headed to America using British Airways but stopped when they declined to offer breakfast on the London flight.
Eight years with KLM before they stopped the hot towels, wine came in one glass instead of a couple of small bottles and finally the last couple of cabin crews seemed more interested in throwing the food at us, clearing up and vanishing!
Now use Aer Lingus which is a bit cheaper although alcoholic drinks are chargeable but service is fine.
My mother was a part of this crew. She has seen this video and felt sad about it, she did not want to write anything. I’m writing on the crew’s behalf to let you hear both sides. Firstly, there is a limited amount of food on each airplane. You had specially ordered vegan food. All the fish had been ordered by passengers but one fish meal was left over from a passenger who fell asleep during meal service, and did no longer want it afterwards. The crew ate this after service half cold. The crew eats what is left behind. If you do not eat your special ordered vegan food, that means the crew will have to eat it or other passengers which is wrong since it has been specially catered for you . Secondly, the catering took time since airplanes have different caterings and it is nothing the crew can do about it. Obviously it could have gone smoother, along with other things during the trip, but there are many factors that complicated things in these situations. The crew was, like you said, of course affected by the delay as well, especially considering the complaints they have to deal with as a result. Even one of the passengers and his family started to fight with the purser and only wanted to talk to the attendants after that. So that took a lot of the attention and with a full business class it complicated everything. I’m sorry you had a bad experience with KLM since much went wrong, however I just wanted to shed some light from the crew’s side, so that some things clear up.
Thanks for sharing this perspective Sam.
Good to hear the crew side of things! I am flying KLM business in June and hope I get a professional like your Mom. :) Sounds like there was a lot to deal with and then to have an harsh review afterwards must have been frustrating!
I really appreciate how balanced your reviews are. Having a strong opinion that is measured with 360 degree perspective and consideration of all factors is hard to come by in any venue.
Great video Dan. In regards to the meal issue you had where you spotted the airline staff eating what your Mother requested. I had an opposite experience with BA recently on a flight from LGW to SJO. The meal I requested wasn't available so I requested another. A few minutes later the steward came back and said a member of staff had kindly given up their choice so I could have it !! Hats off to BA for that one 🙂
Unprofessional to tell you that a flight attendant gave up their meal. They should have just given the meal to you and left it at that. Were they wanting kudos for giving you the meal? Why were they even selecting their meal before all the customers selected theirs?
theyre MEANT to give up their meal, they dont get first choice thats the point
It's actually shocking that the crew had to say they "gave up" their meal, as if to look generous when they are in fact just following the rules in letting go of what they "would have preferred" to eat. Cabin crew don't have a choice of meals, they choose amongst whatever the passengers didn't order, obviously. Totally unprofessional.
In the airline where I worked we had separate crew and pax meal and yes sometimes passengers are left with no choice(one option of meal is left) but it was strictly prohibited to offer them a replacement with your own meal. Imagine situation on the next flight this person has the same problem (no choice left) and he says “on the previous flight crew gave me their meal and you are just bad” and then writes a bad review. Plus other pax who saw that replacement is possible would ask if they can have it too and you have limited crew meals and limited “kind” crew who wants give up their food.
Good news! I dont know if you already know it, but KLM is going to replace all business class seats on their 777’s with the loved 1-2-1 configuration. The seats will also be broader and get a privacy “door” like you have on Delta One😄
Yeah, I flight with one of this in February from
Nairobi to Amsterdam. Thanks good it was pretty nice.
OH DAN OH DAN OH DAN! I’m shaking my head! As a forty year Flight Attendant for a major US carrier (now retired) I was so taken aback at your comment regarding the delay from catering and putting it on the crew. Just so we’re clear, anything having to do with catering is not the responsibility of crew members. The food service company is responsible for checking to see what is going on with the flight and knowing what gate and when the aircraft will be there. That information is provided by the airline. When they actually show up to cater the aircraft is on them. Please don’t ever put blame on crew members, it’s not their jurisdiction. Also, same holds true for “items” that maybe you’ve missed seeing on a particular flight. Sometimes catering screws up and forgets things…mistakes happen. I could write a book on the millions of mistakes a catering company has made….🤷🏼♀️🤦♀️. I love your videos, keep up the good work!
This journey looks really unusual. As far as your mum would not see that much difference, and enjoyed the trip, everything is positive!
I had a sh*t KLM experience not long ago. They were incredibly rude and when I called customer service to get a hand, they promised they'd call back and never did
We were 'packed in' so close in economy. My son dropped a bread roll during 'dinner'. We couldn't see it or reach it! I asked the attendant if they had another bread roll? Answer: ' No, we don't carry more than what the number of passengers are given' ! What an answer--a bread roll FFS!
They stole seven thousand dollars from me. Canceled a flight, no refund.
@N Fels I think I know what 'far apart ' here!
@@NothingMatterz They just don't care! Worst airline I have ever used! Even the Chinese airlines are better!
@@NothingMatterz Yaeh right.
I must definitely say that KLM has downgraded a LOT! Understandably during the pandemic they had to scramble to do the best possible to accommodate their routes, however, selling ghost flights, downgrading service as well as pre flight options is an absolute bummer. I ended up having to sue them because they deliberately sold me a ghost flight LED-AMS a couple of months ago. Not to mention the ticket was exaggeratedly overpriced, and customer service was painfully terrible. So, KLM has sunk to the bottom of my list.
wait what's wrong with being on a ghost flight? sorry im new to flying stuff
Agree, standard service 👎
@@jmanly707 no money
ok your problem. I never experienced this
@@bodigames it’s basically where they stick you on an empty plane that they are only flying to meet quota
KLM does this a lot on routes like this. If demand increases close to the flight, they will just swap out the 787 or A330 for a 777
@Thijs is in the air wrong
@Thijs is in the air Nah, I fly KLM frequently and have experienced this exact scenario very often
@Thijs is in the air Probably
@Thijs is in the air you sound like an employee trying to stick up for the company even though we all know you’re full of crap🤣
@@frontmaster2577 How is he full of shit, just because it doesn't line up with your opinion? That's childish behaviour. Don't get me wrong, of course, it could be bs, but there's no evidence for you to make that claim. The video clearly showed their original 787 was on the ground due to engine maintenance. Look at the other comments, some people have good experiences, some bad. That's just the way it goes.
Very accurate. Only thing? I do love a slower food service. I hate when they stuff you food 20 minutes after takeoff. If flying first or business, I want to enjoy a drink or two before the meal service.
I've just flown KLM for the first time (two intercontinental flights and one regional) and my experience was pretty amazing - I particularly liked the lounge and also the crews were fantastic - so I really hope your experience was an one time blunder as I'm already considering flying with them again soon. love your videos!
Never klm again
The last time I went KLM the staff made me change seats 3 times so people could sit together. When I protested on the last move they said I was a difficult passenger, never again with them!
so people didn't pay for seat reservation, and after that you needed to pay> #cheapDutch
Thanks American here. Headed for Amsterdam in Sept. Good info. Thx
#cheapSwede
Similar experience. The last time I flew KLM from Curacao to Belgrade via Amsterdam... on the first leg there was slight delay so I asked how long the delay would be and how to access info to rebook my next flight if I could not catch my connection flight. They ignored me and told me i was a difficult passenger... (not to mention they missed my luggage😮💨)
Air transport has been a nightmare in Europe since reopening. I'm waiting for another few months to travel again. KLM is one of my favourites for international flights.
My dad owns all those small blue houses :D! Fun to see them shown like this!
Do you get anything for getting all of them?
Nope… they just tell you it’s time for round 2.. :-D
My mom is a senior purser at klm and our house is litterally full with those little houses haha
We have them too! Except ours were filled with gin ;)
This was just a series of unfortunate events for you! I'm so sorry there was such a massive delay and an airplane change. Too bad the service/cabin didn't match the level of service that you remember from other KLM experiences. Hmm...I, too, wonder why the portion sizes were so small? I do love the idea of collecting those mini houses! Such a cool feature! I'm not sure if I would spend $$$ on business class for KLM. I think I'd rather stick to economy or premium on another airline. Thanks for the thorough review!
Side note: as former crew (5 years with EK) you sometimes get to know you have no catering on board ONLY after safety and security checks which aprox take from 15 to 30 mins.
This is way we love you Dan! Always so honest! Nice content!
Thanks Johannes!
I agree! Especially for airlines like KLM that don't ever get any criticism. It can feel daunting for reviewers, because these airlines have such hard core fans (as the comments show). I feel like if this were a British Airways, Delta, or Air Canada flight, the comments would have been like "you are being too nice to them".
It is so disappointing when you're excited to fly an airline and they let you down like this. 😞 The reverse swap actually happened to Amanda on KLM last year because they usually fly the 2-2-2 A330 to Boston and switched to a 787. I always love watching when you bring your mom along and I'm glad she still had a great flight!
The cabin crew didn’t neglect to notify the catering trucks to come and cater the aircraft. (That’s not how it works)
Catering was automatically scheduled for your flight.
It is controlled by operations.
The crew can call & inquire of their whereabouts but the answer is always the same
“Catering is on their way”
Dont you think crew called for catering right after they went on the aircraft but it takes some time for catering to load whole meals etc and basically drive to the aircraft?
Not just that, catering needs to reload all the stocks into correct carts since carts are not interchangeable between different models. This takes time when KLM keeps switching between planes.
Awesome vid! 🥳 I’ve only traveled business class once in my life from Stockholm to Lima in KLM last February and I felt so warmly welcomed by the crew and the experience was marvelous, one-two-one seats laying, I had the first one so it was cool. But one thing… the food 🥲 I rather had what the economy class had, it was very disappointing and tasteless and INDEED the portions…. I was hungry the whole flight 😂, hopefully that changes soon!
How thoughtful of you to want to provide the best experience for your mum. Glad she enjoyed herself still.
Re KLM, they need to get their act together. Totally agree with you, they don’t even try to compensate you for creating a poor experience for the passenger.
I just booked my first business class for next year. Very expensive. To the extent that you want to get value for this, I get it. I hope you and your mom and Oskar enjoyed the rest of the trip.
Hi Dan.
Don’t get me wrong I love watching your videos and feel like I learn so much from them but I don’t think this video was quite fair on KLMs side- this seemed more of a personal issue then a hard product issue.
- crew don’t realize catering last minute. It’s the first thing we look at when we board the aircraft. I call for catering all the time but most times it takes 20-40 minutes until it arrives. Also, on a safety aspect, on wide body you cannot board when catering is happening from the forward doors.
- with the aircraft swap, I know it sucks but the service offerings and delivery would be the same if you flew the Dreamliner. It wouldn’t of been different. Unfortunately the crew on this specific leg probably wasn’t the greatest but from a constant viewer of your videos, it seems like your mood was ruined from the moment you found out about the aircraft swap and it went downhill from there.
Don’t let one flight ruin anything. Keep making great videos. Things happen and that’s aviation.
Have a fantastic weekend!
I actually feel like Dan is somewhat often unfair.. Seems like he can get thrown off early by something and it cascades from there
Dan provides the most honest reviews of the airlines and he does it in a diplomatic and funny way.
I wonder how you can excuse crew’s attitude of laziness and unfriendliness with Dan’s mood. Care to elaborate on that? Telling customer can’t have an item on the business class menu only to eat it themselves later is appalling. Also please work on your comprehension skills because Dan said the issue he had was with KLM staff telling them boarding would happen in 15 minutes instead of 1hr40min.
Good take! Dan always gets over these kind of flights, I just think that because he wanted it to be special for his mom and unexpected things happen.
@@YT-mp7ei i actually meant the change off equipment, not the delayed boarding. I’m not sure attaching my comprehension is necessary. Maybe this is Oscar’s burner account? LOL
I agree with you about the meal. If that did happen, and it was the same meal that was denied to them during the ordering process then that is indeed egregious and should be addressed by KLM executive management
I really hope you keep your honesty throughout your future flights...Greetings from Greece.
Having been a flight attendant for KLM for 11 years, the crew would have had nothing to do with the delayed catering. The caterers had to repack all the catering as the aircraft type changed last min from a 787 to a 777 as you observed. The crew were trying their best with what they had to had with regards the catering loaded in Amsterdam.
also it would be a different crew changing from B787 to B777? or flight attendants are certified in multiple types?
@@fatdoi003 you fly on almost all planes
@@fatdoi003 In Europe cabin crew can fly on a maximum of three different types, this includes variations. For example the Airbus A319, A320, A321 would be classed as one type. The Embraer E175, E190, E195 would be one type but the Boeing 777 and 787 are different types. Other parts of the work, cabin crew can operated on more than three types at once.
Ig the fact that was most upsetting was that they said there would be a 15 minutes delay, then a 20 one and just kept pushing it instead of just saying there’s an hour delay from the beginning
It's not actually KLM, It's actually Air-France KLM. Ever since that purchase by Air France, KLM service has been slowly going to shit.
I hope you can do train reviews one day as well! Especially with the abundance of high speed rail in europe
He deos it on his second channel
@@attosmith7903 What’s his second channel? Isn’t Dan an aviation fan who focuses on airplanes and air travel?
One day I had an appointment with a dentist. When I arrived they simply said, "you don't have an appointment". I disagreed. After showing them proof of arrangement, they simply said "this dentist is no longer working here". And they simply said: "we will make a new appointment with another dentist". When I ask about the reason, and why they didn't call me, and 100 other questions, they simply said "we sent you a letter". The letter came in the afternoon after I came back home. They never used the word "APOLOGIZE". Not in person not in the letter. I live in Venlo, Limburg.
@Ruben Zoals ik al zei, het woord sorry komt niet in het Nederlandse woordenboek voor. Hetzelfde als bij Daan.
Dude, I'm having my dinner. Please don't show me flashbacks to that cursed Lufthansa sandwich 😔
Hi Dan! I am crew for an European airline and let me tell you, unfortunately this things happen...
It makes sense to me that the gate agents would say that the boarding would start in 20 minutes because that is what usually takes us to do our pre-departure checks. Which also includes catering, now, the gate agents don't know anything about catering, and yes you might expect that the different departments communicate between them, but since normally operations go smoothly there is no reason to inform the gate agents of such things I believe. So, how could they know in advance that the catering was not loaded? So here is why they had said 20 minutes...
Also, the crew certainly noticed the missing catering, but usually we don't call them, because crew is not responsible for the delivery of the catering, the catering handlers are, what I think might have happened is that, since the flight was originally scheduled on the 787, the catering must have been loaded in there, then because of the technical issue to the ac, the catering most likely had to offload it from the previous ac and go and load it into the new ac so as you can imagine it takes time...
Exactly!
Been flying KLM every year for the past 5 years. Always great service, comfortable seats and fairly good food.. They use the 787 10 from Houston to Amsterdam. Very nice aircraft. But stay away from the pre-arrival meals.
It’s videos like yours that help consumers steer clear of companies which don’t provide consumers with their advertised goods and services.
I love when airlines have an aircraft fleet chart in their in-flight magazines. Whatever airline it is doesn't matter, I love that.
Still have a 1997 issue of American Airlines' American Way magazine, with a fleet from when AA still had F100s, MD-11s, DC-10s, and IIRC Shorts 360s in their Eagle fleet.
KLM swapped equipment from 787 to 777 on my flight from SFO to AMS in May. Upgraded to biz class and got a seat in the single row cabin, behind the entry door, that Dan recommended. Seat was great and service pleasant. The cabin temp was sweltering hot 🥵. As was AMS terminals. Felt slightly cooked upon arrival at my final destination Oslo.
From my extensive travel experience; sometimes airlines don’t like to announce “creeping delays”. Which are hard to estimate due to many factors. If there are fueling issues along with crew scheduling issues along with possible lavatory problems and equipment change. If a new departure time is announced many passengers start running to duty free/cafes etc and when it’s time to depart you can’t find them.
Probably then complained about missing their flight ✈ taking off like that is not worth it
grond crew here! mainly true; although sadly these times lots of things we have to work with are broken, in my experience (like the announcement system, microphone) so when we want to announce things we sometimes we just sadly can’t..
Estimated time not actual time big difference people please don't wonder off . You may not hear the announcements. If you're not you might miss your flight unless it's weather related they'll let you know. But they're not going going to search for you around a large busy airport it's not their job. They don't get paid for it, also don't scream at them because you didn't get to check in time .
@@debraseiber8820 Definitely true, and let’s not forget airlines can’t just leave passengers behind if they have bags checked. Further delays offloading a “no-show” bags.
Even United Airlines send text messages to passengers while they wait. Often going into detail about the cause and estimated completion. That is marvelous and other airlines should do that.
I had the pleasure to be able to fly the new business class from KLM this summer, to Lima. It is such a big upgrade compared to this.
It has a 1+2+1 configuration, and complete privacy cabines with sliding doors! It was amazing.
I was flying 4 times already in KLM business class, including flight to Panama and 4 times caught delays, especially in Amsterdam. I am flying with KLM for over 10 years and must say that it getting worse and worse every year.
Don't bullying KLM, KLM is the best Airline
EXACTLY! It was quite a reputable airline years ago but now it is just terrible. Lots of delays and missing baggage...
I love how you treat your mom to these experiences
I have also noted the KLM service slipping over the last 3-4 years. They used to be amazing, but lately, it seems awful, whether that's in Business class or economy. I now try to opt for Virgin Atlantics Upper Class where possible.
Thank god, a new video. I was getting desperate for new content! Love the video!
I have to say that even if the crew called for catering the moment they stepped on the plane it would still take at least half an hour for catering to get there and that would be if they had all the carts ready to go, especially at an airport as big as AMS. If they had to assemble the carts for a 777 I would easily expect at least an hour if not longer to get catering done.
KLM was a disaster from BOM to AMS in biz. No welcome drink. Bad breakfast. 2hrs delay. Felt like economy.
Hello, I have flown a few times with KLM and have always been satisfied with the service. No one is sheltered from having a bad experience with any airline. Hope your trip with your mom was quite nice once you landed.
well, i have to say this is too me one of the most confortable business class in Europe. I have tested both KLM products and i know i might be the exception, but i really prefer this one (when accompanied of course), its wider and makes for a better bed than those 1.2.1 configuration.
I had a simular bad experience in a flight from Muscat to Amsterdam. There they replaced the promised 787 for a A330. Now for May I had a 787 booked to Curacao that they now changed to a 777-200. Seems like the 787 is cursed as well with them.
in mid-February, I flew on the 777-200 from AMS-SCL, amazing service and seat even though it's a 2-2-2 config. my dad didn't get to choose his main meal though, because KLM doesn't put enough food of 1 dish to everyone, (if the first 4 rows chose 1 dish, the rest don't have a choice)...
we originally had 4 hours in AMS but because of a storm, our flight from CPH-AMS (a 737-800 amazing service and food for a European business) got cancelled and we were rebooked to a flight earlier, so then we had 7 hours in AMS. KLM Choose to delay our 14-hour flight (AMS-SCL) even though they cancelled every other except 2 flights, which we were happy about, even though we now had an 18-hour layover in AMS...
so we went to the service desk in the non-Schengen crown lounge, and KLM booked us (and many others because of the storm) in at corendon village where we had an amazing night of sleep and an amazing view of the old KLM 747-400, painted in orange corendon colours.
Overall both flights were Amazing, and the food was fantastic just like the service, even though my father couldn't choose his main dish, and I had to change seat, as my IFE's sound didn't work properly, (to the only other free seat in the cabin).
We flew home from SCL to CPH via CDG with Airfrance on their A350-900, where I think that klms 2-2-2 config old 777-200 were superior over Airfrances A350-900 1-2-1 Config, seats were softer on KLM food was better.
Sadly due to the opening of SCLs brand new international lounge had opened 3 days prior, SkyTeam had no lounge in SCL and we didn't get any Compensation for this sadly.
When you order a special meal you should eat the meal that you have intentionally (!) ordered. It's very common for crews to not give out meals from the menu card, if the passenger has ordered a special meal
If you want your collection of houses complete go to a flea market somewhere in the Netherlands. They are very often on sale there.
Small correction I make as flight attendant. there are crew who take care of the galleys only, so the first thing they do is checking the catering. I'm positive they noticed right away the food was missing but simply catering arrived late. Lately many European airport are facing delays 😮💨
His point was they should not have announced boarding was on track if these things were missing. The passengers could have better spent their time.
As I work in aviation as a Cabin Crew I gotta say the reason why the aircraft didn't have any catering on it as it was a spare aircraft you and your family flew on. Airlines keep spare A/C on standby for cases when the planned A/C would go tech. Needing no more proof than that A/C arrived only two hours ago from somewhere - so it sounds like operations had two options: delay / cancel the flight altogether. Those spare A/C usually've got no catering on them for obvious reasons (they can be a spare for a day or two before they fly on a scheduled flight). Hence you saw the catering invading the plane prior boarding. And this is also the answer to the crew handing out limited amount of food or having limited choices. It's complicated to fully cater an A/C that was changed last minute, especially with people's special food orders. I would say, you gotta be happy having that much choice to be honest ;) Hoping for a better KLM experience next time :)
You have to love this mans honesty
Sorry to hear you had such a bad experience with us! We apologize for this problems🧡💙
I believe your expectations are a bit high, taking into consideration that airlines are trying to come back after the losses they suffered during the pandemic. They have staff shortages in all areas and supply/demand chain struggles. Of course I agree that the service could have been better. You cannot compare KLM to other airlines like Emirates that receive funding from government, etc.
Hi, so as a partner of a flight attendant, these are the things the airlines do re meals.
They have to supply the crew with 'crew meals'. These cannot and should never be given to passengers. They may look like something you wanted and missed out on but they are catered separately and just for the crew. It is most likely part of their terms of employment. It is their meal and no one else's.
If a passenger orders a 'special meal', like your Mum did, they will cater for that and then reduce the standard meals by the number of special meals requested on that flight so it is not always possible to just change your mind, most people want airlines to reduce food wastage so this is a way they can try. I doubt any airline would cater 100% of meals for every option for every passenger. Imagine the waste?, they usually work on a % of the number of people who won't eat v's people who eat etc to reduce waste.
They would have supplied a special meal for your Mum so technically, your Mum changing her mind is wasting a meal unless some other PAX would have that exact same option.
I would have thought you would be aware of these things as a frequent flyer and airline blogger?
Had exactly the same experience two weeks ago flying KLM business from Rio to Amsterdam. Too warm cabin, bad food and grumpy staff. The return flight with AF was much better! Great video, keep up the good work!
No klm please
You’re not the only one who thinks those sounds are relaxing! They are by far the best sounds in the world
By the way, do you ever plan to become a pilot?
If landing in Kuwait or Saudi Arabia, be sure to ask for a couple of alcoholic drinks before the plane lands as they are dry countries.
I am so happy you can flying the KLM airlines, good video and keep it up. 👍🏼👍🏼🤩
Crew meals are a part of the crews salary. Don’t expect someone to give up food for a passenger who decided to change their mind. Also, I don’t know if the flight crew has much to do with ordering catering. An aircraft change means different catering set ups😱
It’s on the business class menu so a business class passenger has right to order it. How is that the same thing as crew giving up their food?
But if your attitude is the typical one of KLM and Netherlands, at least I’ve now learned to stay away from both the airline and the country. Even Parisian seems friendlier and I do enjoy Air France catering.
She sounds like a KLM flight crew…..
@@YT-mp7ei that's not how it works. if a passenger pre orders a special meal, and they cater per the exact number of people, then the person who ordered the special meal will have to have it. your theory doesn't even make sense - what if everyone pre ordered a special meal and then changed their mind onboard? you think the airline double caters? absolutely not. if there are regular meals available, then crew will be happy to offer them, but it's not guaranteed.
@@mgilani21 no-just a seasoned traveler that respects what airline crews have to deal with
Actually, crew meals are catered seperatly. So it's not a business class meal that is reserved for the cabin attedants. They should have more than enough. They are actually known for reserving the business class meals for themselves because they are of better quality than the crew meals. I had the same happen on my flight from Panama. They didn't have any sweet desserts left when it was my turn to order, and then I walked in on them eating it in the galley.. Disappointing to say the least.
Anyone else see Oskar at 6:54 on the floor below standing up for the camera 🤣. Great video!
As a regular KLM flyer, I honestly prefer the "old" seats. They are wider, have more leg support and are more comfortable overall. A massive downgrade is not something I'd call this. Sure, it's not a herringbone setup with isle access for every seat, but imho the seats are WAY better.
I flew the AMS EZE route many times on the 777 and on the 787 and that small business class row you mentioned was always my choice. It felt like a semi private living room. People avoided it for some reason and i was 95% of them time seated alone. Downside is that if the main cabin had more than 6 free seats, the crew would reassign you a seat in front so they could use that little row themselves.
Food and seat were great. I have good memories of it. And they had some of the best prices i’ve ever seen for long haul business. Dutch crew are always mega friendly and nice.
I think its a rare bad experience.
Hope its better next time.
Keep it up.
Shocking - cannot believe the onboard catering! This is definitely NOT OK for the price point that these flights come at.
Half a million people see this and that the crew ate your mothers meal. Inexcusable hubris on KLMs part.
It wasn't her mother's meal, it was the crew's meal. Why should they have to give it up just because a passenger changes their mind on something they preselected?
@@_Madfly It comes with the job
@@pacmanc8103 It did when I worked there.
@@_Madfly I thought the crew meals were specially catered. No?
Dan seems like a nice guy but I hate it when he says he’s obsessed with planes from a young age. I am too, but the difference is I wanna make them and he wants to enjoy the luxury of first fucking class. You don’t enjoy aerospace, you enjoy fancy seats
I flew their 787 from Rio in biz and loved it, staff called me by last name and were just incredible.
I remember going to Espresso House when i visited Stockholm. It's like a very stylish, upmarket-looking Swedish Starbucks.
I will be on a KLM 777 300 ER business class in a couple of weeks will let you know how it was.
The meal uplift is meant for the booked number of passenger + number of crew members. The crew eats whatever is left from the remaining meal choices. The number of special meals, e.g. VGML, CHML, AVML, etc. is included in the uplift and is not meant as an extended meal choice. Furthermore, the change of meal would mean that another passenger or ccm would have to trade their regular meal for the other passenger‘s SPML. Most airlines do not offer alternatives, if the passenger changes his mind about his meal order.
sorry Dan, indeed a lot of disappointment with delay
and equipment change, but god..you know how to make drama!
25 years ago they told my mom and dad that they ran out of food and there was nothing to serve between Amsterdam and Wash DC. Same $hit, different decade! KLM is a waste of time and Money. I guess it is the Dutch Hospitality keeps on giving!
Hey hey Dan, I fly KLM often from Birmingham UK around the world, the 777 in a 222 configuration is a drag especially when you are travelling for business and expect good rest and it is always the biggest turn off when booking. But still better than AF A380 in a 222. In 100+ flights I’ve never honestly experienced poor service with KLM. I guess operational issues happen from time to time on all airlines but I feel your disappointment and sorry to hear this trip didn’t work out for you. My Delft house collection is still growing. Doing this route to Dubai later this year so will happily feedback, may even make a vlog 😀Rich
are you new here ?
I've just flown KLM business class. Whilst the cabin crew were amazing. 3 out of my 4 prebooked seats weren't available as they'd be given to other passengers. Bearing in mind, I pre booked these seats in July, and had written confirmation at the end of September of my seats. One of the seats I was allocated, was broken! Nothing like an 8 hour flight, in business with a seat that not only doesn't recline but also no entertainment system! Whilst the cabin crew were apologetic, nothing as yet from KLM - however I only got home yesterday.
Dude, you seem to have gone from posting travel videos to sharing travel stories. You’re evolving, and I love it. Great job!
Since you were traveling in the EU you do have protection if the flight is delayed more than 2 hours from your original departure. KLM has a compensation tab on their website.
Klm never helpful here
Something I’ve wondered: if a lot of your flights are flown using miles, how do you earn those miles?
flying or buying with airline (cooperation vis or amex with airlines)credit cards .....
he has amex and another cards you pay everything with those cards ...
for example in Switzerland
amex give for every new card 14.000 miles and when you pay with this cards 1 Swiss franks you can earn 2 miles .....400 franks earned 800 miles you k now what I mean ....
you can buy a ticket you can double the miles ...
another for example
from zürich to New York 3500 swiss frank business class you earn 7000 miles and plus 8000 real miles when fly with airline ...to the New York
when you fly offen ........in 2 years you can beginn flying with earn miles
or you can pay economy then you can upgrade with miles to business !
Just found your channel, I love your content, I love listening to the reviews while I'm working. Your mother is so wholesome, I absolutely love seeing her in your videos
It seems to me the DXB route is cursed with KLM. Recently I had same experience (DXB-AMS) although it wasn't as bad as yours. It seems to me 789 was changed to another flight and they had to improvise with catering and crew, hence the poor choice of food. It must be said that the arrival snack (except breakfast) is not KLM's strong point.
Been flying KLM for over 7 years, haven't had any bad experience with them, I really hope it was bad luck since it's my favorite airline
The meal portions are laughable. the portions in business class on Ba long haul are twice bigger, much better presented, with more food choices. After having seen the meal portions you show, it means that in their new business class on the 787-9, it’s probably the same exact thing. It’s a real shame for the price people pay. Also, you the whole meal service took over 2 hours…. When I flew on BA in business, although the meal was totally better, it just took them FOREVER to deliver the service. You could actually hear them chatting in the galley for long periods of time, laughing out loud, with cups of tea in their hand. Taking their jolly time.
That’s what you get. With those new ba or new KLM pay scales for crew. You pay them peanuts? They deliver lazy service.
I like the way you used expat worker instead of immigration, generally western nation people are seen as expat while people from other country are called immigrants
As groundcrew at Schiphol I can tell it is common to tell that boarding starts sooner than it’s actually is going to.
This prevents passengers to wander off getting lost in the airport or losing track of time. Causing them to miss the flight.
If they miss the flight their baggage needs to be offloaded which only is going to extend the delay.
Can I just say, I LOVE that you take your mum travelling!!
KLM is always my first choice.
I'm a frequent flyer, have KLM Platinum status, have flown hundreds (not an exaggeration) of times with them.
Never had a bad experience!
I’m Dutch and I wouldn’t fly business on KLM.
Your complaints are reasonable. For a repeat experience, fly SWISS from Zurich to Chicago. Terrible business class seats, food, equipment.
“Which tasted about good as you’d expect, Dutch mangos to taste in February” 😂😂 Oh God 🤣🤦♀️
'One time blunder'. Yes, I think so. I've flown KLM long haul since 1976, my airline of choice, and in the past 20 years, invariably in business class. Perhaps 100 flights (200 sectors)? In that time I've had but one sub-standard flight rather like yours - Amsterdam-Cairo in 1995.
Flown their business class 3 times now. 2 of three were a dissapointment. Mediocre food, slow service, entertainment system broken once. I would never pay full price for it. Nothing about it is premium. You're just paying for the flat bed.