After sampling what I think is the United States’ best airport, it was time to head back to Europe on KLM Royal Dutch Airlines on a 787-9 Dreamliner. KLM have a mixed reputation thanks to their dated seat design but, on my great value return fare from Dublin to San Francisco, I managed to get one leg on their newest World Business Class seat.

Boarding at SLC was smooth and efficient although the airline only utilised one boarding pier for all passengers, rather than one for premium passengers and the other for Economy. I find the boarding gates a little interesting in the US where they are heavily branded by local carriers, something I don’t think I’ve seen elsewhere.

Initial impressions

What makes this seat different than their predecessor? It’s in a 1-2-1, rather than 2-2-2 configuration, meaning every passenger can access the aisle rather than climbing over the neighbouring passenger. As somebody who often flies solo, it is welcome even if there are some drawbacks such as the cubby where you have to place your feet.

And here’s the seat, a combination of navy blue with a suede-like KLM blue fabric cocooning the rear of the space. It’s a very common design that can be found on several carriers including older Finnair A350s.

When sat down, there is a decently sized [insert screen size] display with the same in-flight entertainment system as sister airline Air France. Below this is the foot cubby to place your feet while sleeping, which I’ll deliver a verdict on later in the article. A substantial blanket and pillow are placed on this surface before boarding but unlike their partner airline Virgin Atlantic, KLM do not provide pyjamas on overnight services.

Seat controls are quite self-explanatory but are positioned in an accessible location that won’t easily be knocked while seated.

There is some storage on this seat, but it is not plentiful. On the right console is a small space to store larger items like water bottles or headphones alongside the useless mirror.

Below this is a literature pocket which is probably thick enough to hold a laptop but do so at your own risk as it might be a bit difficult to remove the item.

KLM provide a fetching blue amenity kit on boarding for all Business passengers featuring Rituals facial moisturiser and lip balm as well as the usual haunts of a kit including toothbrush, toothpaste, eye mask, socks and earplugs,

Rituals amenities including body moisturiser, body spray and hand wash can be found in the bathroom which is otherwise pretty standard besides the Dutch house wallpaper.

Food and beverages

Despite being an evening overnight flight to Europe, KLM offered a full compliment of service on this flight. This started with the champagne after boarding as well as after reaching altitude, the latter served with a Coke Zero and a bag of nuts.

Cabin crew took orders for the meal service prior to take-off. Here’s a look at the menu options:

The tray table is a dual winged design which means it folds in half. It was sturdy enough to eat from but did wiggle a bit when I tried to do some typing.

For starter, I opted for the divine Lobster with palmheart salad served with a fresh tasting mango miso dressing. This was quite a creative, and upmarket, dish for a Business Class offering which impressed me alongside the generous amount of lobster provided.

Onwards to the main and I chose the decidedly less impressive looking but equally tasty Braised Beef with BBQ sauce and purple potatoes. While the beef was undoubtedly likely to be a cheaper cut, the meat itself was tender and exceptionally tasty owing to the braising process. A sure-fire home comfort winner in my books

And, as with all KLM flights, the small salt and pepper pots stylised as Dutch clogs were included. I nice touch that makes it feel a little bit more connected to their home country.

Finally for dessert, the crew served the petit grand dessert of macaron, petit fours and seasonal fruit. While I doubt pineapple is a seasonal fruit for the Netherlands, the dessert wasn’t overly rich and finished off the meal well – although considering the portion sizes of earlier courses it wasn’t entirely necessary.

Mid-flight snacks were available as self-serve options from the galley including crisps, stroopwafels and drinks.

Breakfast was a more limited option but was more than sufficient considering the large meal just a few hours prior.

While the ‘fresh start’ and ‘cold plate’ were provided to all passengers, I chose the Ciabatta with fried egg, guacamole, harissa and baby spinach served in quirky, burger joint, newspaper wrapping.  While not quite as good as the dinner service, this was one of the better breakfasts I’ve had on a plane – far better than Finnair’s breakfast but not quite good as Etihad. This was more than enough to top up the tank after the Transatlantic hop.

Sleeping, entertainment, odds and ends

I did plan on spending most of this flight sleeping however it didn’t quite work out that way. While the meal was extremely filling and quite tasty, I should know by now that I struggle to sleep on a full stomach.

The seat goes into full flat mode easily using the controls shown earlier stretching to around 6ft2 – meaning its about the same length as I am tall. While the it was comfortable to lay on and the bedding, while lacking the filling of other duvets, was warm, I managed to get no more than three hours sleep on this flight.

As I couldn’t get much rest, I did try watching the in-flight entertainment. While the system is not my favourite design, that goes to European competitor Finnair, it featured a lot of film options – and oddly more than their sister airline I flew a couple weeks prior.

The screen can be used throughout the whole flight (from gate to gate) but it’s unlikely you’ll do that. This is because the screen needs to be stowed for take-off and landing so it will be at an odd angle for you to be able to watch it.

Fairly plasticky and lacking substance, headphones are provided. They are denoted as noise cancelling…but I couldn’t tell much difference when using them…

 In one of the first instances I had after the pandemic, KLM reintroduced real on-board magazines – not digital alternatives. While I fully suspect most airlines will phase them out over the coming years, due to the cost to produce in addition to the extra weight and fuel burn.

And this wouldn’t be a KLM experience without the world-famous Delft Dutch houses which are containers for locally produced gin. Consisting of over 100 individual houses, these have become a collector’s item for frequent KLM travellers – and they are certainly a unique feature of the service. Each year, KLM release a new design which is based on an actual Delft house in the Netherlands making for a great way to include Dutch culture in the flight.

Concluding thoughts 

KLM could be close to one of my favourite European carriers, just short of Finnair in my perspective. While the seat is far better than the generation before it, it’s far from ground-breaking or innovative but what it does reinforce is a well-rounded experience from the airline. A seat that is comfortable in both sleeping and lounging mode decent bedding.

Where KLM did excel was their food and beverage as well as the all-round inclusion of Dutch culture. I loved the food on this flight which provided a large quantity of food while maintaining a high quality – something that is rarely achieved. Most importantly, this felt like I was flying on the flag carrier of the Nethelands – whether the jolly Dutch crew who were polite and very helpful, the Delft houses or small cultural touches. KLM show that a legacy carrier can do an excellent job and I’d be more than happy to fly them again – even if it were on their older Business Class seat.