Okay, so… why have I called this review KLM to the rescue?!
In order to provide you with a review of KLM, I firstly need to tell you about my huge mistake in regards to my scheduled flight from Birmingham International to Amsterdam with BMI Baby a couple of Friday afternoons back.
This was truly a classic case of "Silly Scouse"…..
If you're not interested in the background and just want the review on KLM, scroll down to "Booking Process".
My best friend, Richard, from Uni and I had planned to go to Amsterdam over a weekend from Friday through to Sunday to attend an annual dance music festival named "Loveland", and visit his Dutch mate, Rutger. Richard lives down in London and had booked his flight from Gatwick, with me booking mine from Birmingham International, both scheduled to land at Schipol Airport within 5-minutes of one another… quite handy!
My flight was booked with BMI Baby and Richard's with British Airways.
I have flown with BMI Baby on 5 occasions already this year and every leg (10 in total… clever hey?!) has been delayed by between 30-minutes and two hours, so I was a little concerned that my mate would be sat around Schipol Airport for an unnecessary amount of time, with me being inevitably delayed again. Actually, my flight back from Edinburgh last Thursday was a little more delayed than this, but this was not the airlines' fault!
However, the inevitable delay was actually this time with me, and possibly my "over efficiency" in terms of being organised and maybe even having boarded that many planes, trains and other modes of transport recently that I really didn't have a clue whether I was coming or going!
What's all this got to do with the carrier KLM? I'm getting there…
I had written down in my diary, all my flight times over the next couple of weeks, including the time I needed to be at the airport for and to leave my place of residence at such time preceding the flight.
I set off from my home bound for Derby train station, whereby when I arrived I received a call from Richard … "Hello mate! Where are you?"
.."Just got to the train station", I replied.
…"Birmingham?" Richard quizzed.
…"Err, no… Derby" I responded.
…."Err… what time is your flight?" he questioned.
…"I can't recall off the top of my head" I replied, with a tinge of worry in my mind.
I knew the second he had asked me that last question, that somehow I had got my timings all wrong and I was going to miss my flight. I still am a little unsure exactly what my brain was thinking… probably more a case that it wasn't! So, I arrived into Birmingham International Airport at 15:10, with my flight due to leave the tarmac at 15:20…. Dohhhhh! Remaining surprisingly calm as I discovered that the next BMI Baby flight was scheduled for 7am the next day, I reviewed the departure boards for other carriers and flights to Amsterdam that day.
KLM have a 17:00 and 18:30, I noted.
Off towards the KLM desk I went to see what this mistake was "potentially" going to cost me.
The KLM desk is situated in the far left hand corner of Terminal 2 at Birmingham International Airport, but is not exclusively for KLM flights, as tickets are sold for other carriers also.
On approach, two ladies were sat at the desk and I asked whether it would be possible to book onto either of the remaining KLM flights to Amsterdam?
"Today Sir?"
…"Yes, please"
…"We're chocca"
I stand staring nervously, hoping that she is going to furnish me with some more slightly useful information… i.e. we are busy but we can get you on such and such a flight, as "chocca" doesn't quite cut the mustard and tell me whether there is some availability, no availability but a wait list, or - pardon moi Francais - fuck all chance.
"So…. Does that mean you can or can't get me on a flight tonight?"
"It'll cost you!" came the reply almost reminiscent of a mechanic when you take your beaten and battered car into the garage for a service.
"How much?", I enquired.
"Around £300", shot back the reply.
GULP ! ... "Can you take me through the booking process please?"
~~~~~~~~~~~ Booking Process ~~~~~~~~~~~
The booking process seemed to take a while, but I am not too sure whether that was down to the operator, the system, or the fact that the actual process is too complex. However, it took 15 minutes to book onto a flight.
I had, under the circumstances, asked whether there was any availability on the 17:00 flight to Amsterdam, but was informed that it was full.
Therefore, I was being booked onto the 18:30 flight, which despite not being ideal was better than waiting until the next morning for the 7am, BMI Baby flight.
As I was due to be in Basingstoke on Sunday night for a meeting on the Monday morning, then I asked whether it was possible to fly back to Heathrow rather than Birmingham, and I was informed this was possible at no additional cost….. which, was nice!
Once the booking procedure was complete, I was informed that the ticket price was £110 Inclusive of all taxes and surcharges, but that a £5 booking fee was to be added. I was actually quite pleased with this, as my expectations had initially been set at paying around £300, so this turned out to only be £2 more than the BMI Baby flight that I had initially booked on. So much for low cost airlines I thought! The actual price of the ticket was only £53, which demonstrates how much we get "screwed" on airport taxes and levies. To give you a further example of this, my mate and I are currently looking into flights to New York in October, and the tax almost doubles the price! British Airways are also much higher than the American airlines… intriguing!
I was provided with a paper ticket, as I asked again whether there was any chance of sneaking onto the 17:00 flight.
"We are 6 over already" was the response.
"Could you put me on the wait list please?", I asked.
She agreed and called across to check in to add my name to the wait list for the 17:00
"Is there usually a lot of attrition on such flights? Do you think I have a chance of getting on it?"
It appeared these two questions were most definitely "piece of string" questions, so I took off (hehehe … that pun was unintentional) to the check-in desks.
At the check-in desks, I was politely informed that I must come back as late as possible, just as they were closing check-in, so I was asked to return at 16:20
Of course, like all airlines these days, you have the option of booking over the Internet, but then I had not planned to travel with KLM, so this had not been an option.
However, I have checked the booking process out and unlike some websites, the Internet procedure at www.klm.com is very simple and self-explanatory. Simply choose your departure and arrival destinations from the pull down list, enter your outbound and return flight dates, total number of passengers (separate boxes for adult, child and infant), whether the flight is return or one-way, and what class of carriage you desire. Once you have completed the procedure, you simply click on start booking, and after a short period of searching the database, the relevant costs appear.
The pricing screen can provide you with a breakdown of the costs and also provides you with an explanation of the different "fare" types and the expected costs associated with each. There are 11 different "fare types" within 45 distinct categories: Lowest Fares, Take Off Fare, Overnight Fare, Same Day Return Fare, and Europe Select Fare; each of these are colour coded and the colour darkens within each category in order to illustrate and accentuate the fact that the fare price will be greater as the colour darkens.
If you are happy with the price displayed, then the next option is "Continue to select times", which brings up a page indicating all the relevant flight times for the dates you have selected, along with the colour coding indicating the fare prices for the selected flights. Once you have selected the appropriate flight times, you scroll to the bottom of the page, where there appears an option to "re-calculate price". If you are happy with the price detailed, then you can click on the option to continue to the "secure payment" area, whereby you are invited to enter all your applicable details, such as name, address, passport number, and email address. An e-ticket is sent via email, which you must print and use to check-in when at the airport.
Once you have completed the personal details outlined, then you click to continue to the "payment" screen, where you must enter your payment details and finally verify all information entered.
It is all very simple and straightforward and should take no longer than 5-minutes from start to finish, which was considerably quicker than it took me dealing with a person at the airport!!
~~~~~~~ Check-In ~~~~~~~
As you would no doubt expect on a return ticket, I had two experiences of check-in, which were quite different experiences, as one was in the UK and the other was in Holland.
As I mentioned earlier on, I was asked to wait until the last possible minute when checking in at Birmingham, as I had asked to be wait listed for the 17:00 flight. On return to check-in at 16:20, as requested, I was politely asked to wait a little longer, until they had closed check-in, which looked like it would be at the last possible minute i.e. half an hour before flight departure (16:30).
I returned a little before 16:30 and waited slightly out of the way, as check-in closed and a number of other people stood close by. I was waiting to be called, but noted that the check-in guy was concentrating on finalising something, so patiently waited, whilst a couple passed by me and approached the desk. It turned out they wanted to check-in for the 18:30 flight, but were asked to just wait a minute, whilst he beckoned me forward … "result", I thought.
He very swiftly checked me in, and asked me to take my baggage to over-sized luggage, which was positioned in the far left hand corner of the terminal, opposite the KLM ticket sales / help desk, which was something like 10 paces from the check-in desks. This was in order that my baggage could be fast tracked onto the plane, whilst I quickly made my way up to customs.
The plane was actually 10-15 minutes late boarding, but this was made up in the air with the short 50-minute flight from Birmingham to Amsterdam. Generally, a lot of airlines promote a schedule with longer flight times than is true because it then allows for some delay without affecting the scheduled flight times.
Upon boarding the plane, it transpired that I had been up-graded to business class, but more on this a little later.
The return leg ~ The check-in desks at Amsterdam Schipol Airport are located on the first floor, as arrivals, along with a multitude of shops are located on the ground floor.
Once I found the KLM check-in desks, I noted there were a number of stand alone ticket machines positioned in front of and to the side of the check-in desks, with 3-4 KLM staff on hand to assist those dummies who cannot read instructions on a computer screen.
I approached one of the electronic stands, and was promoted to enter my flight destination, followed by the departure time. Once I had completed these two rather basic steps, I was then prompted to insert my passport (open at the picture page) into a slot, which scanned the passport, before printing out a ticket stating that I needed to seek assistance at the check-in desks. The electronic screen advised me that the system could not check me in. Unfazed, I queued for the check-in desks, which were acting as a baggage drop off point. However, as people are often lazy and don't wish to follow the instructions that electronic equipment provides them, then this took just as long to queue as it would to check-in under normal circumstances!
Once I was at the front of the queue, I did a little chicken dance and then approached the desk. Only joking. I just did the chicken dance.
The check-in process was completed very swiftly, within 1-minute to be precise, and I was provided with m ticket but informed that I had not - at this stage - been allocated a seat. I was advised that I should make myself known in the departure lounge (maybe by doing a chicken dance?!) and I would be allocated a seat at this stage. This did appear slightly worrying at first, but upon being upgraded to business in the departure lounge, it was clear as to why I was not initially allocated a seat.
~~~~~~~~~~~~ Baggage Handling ~~~~~~~~~~~~
Whilst I was sat in the departure lounge, clearly shattered from all the chicken dancing, I was awaiting my name to be called to allocate me a seat, and sat watching the lone baggage handler loading up the plane.
Baggage handlers generally have a pretty poor reputation amongst many passengers / travellers, and as I was sat watching this chap load bags - one by one - onto the conveyer belt delivering bags into the planes' hold, I was aghast at his methods.
This chap clearly had no regard for any of the baggage he was handling, as he continually, and recklessly flung bags from the trailer to the conveyer belt. Yet, when I was sat watching him, it was obvious to me that his technique was causing him to exert more effort, as he flung many bags up in the air, or hoisted them above his head and the conveyer belt before literally hammering them down onto the conveyer belt! It seemed much more sensible, and much less effort to simply pick them up and place them on the conveyer belt. He actually dropped one or two bags onto the tarmac and missed the conveyor belt entirely on a number of occasions. No wonder some people have damaged bags and contents when they pick them up a baggage reclaim! I was actually quite shocked and appalled, as I have never sat watching these chaps at work before.
~~~~~~~~~ On The Plane ~~~~~~~~~
As I stated earlier, I was upgraded to business class on both legs of the journey. The reason for this being, that I was wait listed for the first flight, and this had an affect on the return leg of the journey. Generally, if you are wait listed for a flight, then it can be pure luck as to whether there are any no shows, allowing you to board the flight.
However, "economy" class is generally the class that is over subscribed, and if this is the case and "business" class has availability, then any passengers who are on the wait list, will be upgraded to business class, unless - of course - any "Economy" class customers have asked for an upgrade at check-in.
I was fortunate enough to be upgraded to business class on both legs of my journey. Although, in honesty, it's not a huge benefit on a small plane and a short 50-minute flight, but I wasn't complaining!! It certainly made up for missing my previous flight and having to fork out the pretty much the same value as the BMI Baby flight had cost me.
The plane was a Boeing of some sort, but I didn't catch what model the captain announced. However, there were only 21 seats in business class, which is not a large number, but the seat pitch was more than adequate, with plenty of leg room, especially good for someone like me, who is over six foot in height.
The plane is decorated in sky blue and white, which are the corporate colours of the Royal Dutch Airline, which I found to be quite calming colours. Although, I must point out that I am personally always very calm on flights and have never - thankfully - suffered from any fear of flying. Well, no fear of flying when I am completely encased by a tube with wings and a capable pilot in the cockpit. If however, I should ever find myself hurtling towards the earth without the comfort of such surroundings, with or without a parachute, then I would undoubtedly be scared of flying! … Just to make my position absolutely clear.
The service, unlike some airlines, was very friendly and all round excellent. I could name a number of other carriers I have travelled with during this year; BMI Baby, Easyjet, Aer Lingus, Ryanair, Lufthansa; who have staff whom - it would seem - would much rather try to see if they can stab you to death with a plastic knife, than so much as look at you, never mind actually provide you with any level of in flight service.
Speaking about plastic knives …
I was served an in-flight meal on the KLM flights, which was part of the flight cost, I might add, rather than these so called low cost airlines who actually charge similar flight charges and then add on additional charges, such as baggage tax, cheer up the steward/ess tax, captain has a family to feed tax, along with ridiculously marked up food & beverage prices. On the outbound journey, plastic knives and forks where provided with the meal, as you would expect on a plane, but I dropped my fork half way through my meal and was unable to retrieve it.
The young chap who I was sat next to, actually recognised me from Derby, as he had served me fairly regularly around 3-years earlier in a local pub, and kindly asked the stewardess whether she had a replacement fork for me. Small world isn't it? I am sat on a plane to Amsterdam, and someone I didn't know recognises me from the town I live in! "You don't get that many ugly people walking into that pub, so I don't blame you for recognising an ugly git like me again!", I joked with him! Nice chap too, and if you happen to be out there and reading this, then I hope you enjoyed your holiday to the Algarve and it was good to catch up with your brother? Anyway, I digress … the stewardess returned with a metallic fork! Metallic? I wasn't aware these were allowed on planes! Furthermore, on the return flight, I was provided with metallic knife, fork and spoon from the off, as was every passenger in business class (as this was all I could see due to a curtain being drawn to separate business from cattle … sorry, economy!). This really did surprise me, as I was under the impression that all planes had banned the usage of metallic condiments, especially during periods of heightened security. A little worrying I thought, as I spilt my steaming hot tea all over my lap… I am much more of a danger to myself than anyone wielding a 2- inch metallic knife on a plane!
The food was fairly tasty and not too bland, but it was largely forgettable. In fact, it seems it was entirely forgettable, as I can't actually remember what I had other than a few bread rolls!
Overall, the experience of flying with KLM was very good and I would definitely rate the airline above any of the other carriers I have travelled with during the course of this year.
Thanks for reading!
Newty ;-D
More details
Class flown most frequently
Business Class
How often do you travel with this airline
Rarely
Where did you book
Directly with this airline
Safety
Good
How well does it cater for disabled people
OK
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