If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Will someone tell Ciao!
If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Will someone tell Ciao!
Member since:29.07.2007
Reviews:207
Members who trust:103
During the 1990s I used KLM on a number of flights from Scotland including visiting relations in the South of France, a Trans Atlantic flight to Boston, Barcelona & Amsterdam. Their prices always undercut BA & they provided a good reliable service. I travel quite a lot & have only lost my baggage on three separate occasions; ironically it has been KLM that lost it on each & every occasion. Although I have to say they found it & returned to me within 24 hours each time.
Last December we decided to travel to Vienna & I booked the flights through Air Miles so I do not know the cash price. The choice with Air Mils was BA, Air France & KLM & the flights that required the least amount of air miles was KLM. It meant we needed to fly from Aberdeen to Amsterdam Schiphol, after a wait of about four hours we would than travel on to Vienna. Checking in at Aberdeen airport was fast & efficient & it left on time, the flight was just under 1.30 hours. The staff on board were smartly dressed & very professional; breakfast wasn't what it use to be with KLM. On this flight it was a hot sandwich in a bag, there was a choice but I can only remember choosing the bacon sandwich. Tasty as it was I would have preferred something more substantial. We arrived at Amsterdam right on time & enjoyed a couple of hours spent at Schiphol airport. For such a large international airport it is really user friendly. I couldn't help noticing the departure & arrival screens, they would display dozens of international flights yet only one was delayed slightly. Try that at a similar sized UK airport & spot the difference!
The flight to Vienna left at mid-day promptly, this would take approximately 2.20 hours. On board there was no entertainment which for such a short flight is no big deal. Lunch was a choice between a cheese sandwich (in a bag) or ham sandwich (in a bag). Complementary drinks & snacks were also served; as we had lunch at the airport a modest sandwich was actually rather appealing. Two hours into the flight the pilot announced that the aircraft had developed a technical fault with its temperature gauge. Due to the fact there was no ground staff at Vienna to rectify this, they would need to return to Amsterdam. Call me an old cynic, but I reckon KLM would need to pay high charges to get someone at Vienna to fix the plane & they probably have their own team of ground staff at Amsterdam to fix at a much lower cost. We landed at Amsterdam four hours after we had left, 40 minutes was spent fixing the problem & refueling whilst we sat on board. Back up in the air & now running 5 hours late I would have thought KLM could have served us a proper meal. However they did stretch to another ham or cheese sandwich followed by shortbread biscuits!!! The flight eventually arrived in Vienna at 7.30 in the evening.
Five days later we left Vienna, the airport there is very modern, apparently the most modern in Europe, very 21st century. However all the departure gates are like small glass rooms next to each other with seating. They get you to go to the departure gates but don't open the rooms until the last 10 minutes, as they don't supply enough seats in the corridors it becomes a rather crowded area with everyone from a number of different flights all huddle next to each other. The flight left on time & we had the same standard of crew & similar hot sandwiches in a bag. Once again the flight to Amsterdam arrived on time & the same applies to the flight from Amsterdam to Aberdeen & my baggage arrived in one piece.
Would I recommend KLM, yes I certainly would, they still maintain a good professional standard & can undercut the competition. On Trans Atlantic flights it works out cheaper flying from Scotland to Amsterdam & then to the USA than flying Scotland - London -USA by BA.
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KLM are probably my favourite of the airlines I have flown with. I also used Martinair (the holiday side of KLM) to fly to Cuba and found them good too.
Coming back from Schipol last month the flight attendant came along with a cardboard tray with either two kinds of snack on it but as it was evening and most people had switched off their lights I couldn't see what the choices were so I just picked one and it was some awful honey coated chilli thing - vile. The other choice was apparently a Mars Bar which I can't eat due to a nut allergy. The flight to Newcastle is so short that it didn't bother me whether I ate anything or not but it just proves that KLM are as thougtless as the rest. Fiona
rouzbeh_am 03.11.2007 12:37
Good review. Yes I confirm. I have tried this airline and it is really good.
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Connoisseur_Haggler 07.07.2001 (07.07.2001)
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Review of KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
Advantages: Fly from regional airports; Provide a gateway to the world; Free sandwich and drink! Get a Demonstration on how to work the emergency exit doors! Disadvantages: More expensive than the standard budget options; pilots who think they are bike racers; get a demonstration on how to work the emergency exit doors
sue.51 13.04.2003 (14.04.2003)
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Review of KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
Advantages: High turnover of passengers, but doesnot feel as stress out as London or Paris airports Disadvantages: Lots of missing baggage lieing somewhere
Advantages: Great prices,Good range of services, Some destinations offer very advanced booking, Booking a single is HALF the return price Disadvantages: Most destinations are in (or very close to) France
davey 13.11.2001 ·
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Review of Buzz
Nov 3rd, 2007
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