Snapshot review: KLM Business Class, Embraer E190, Amsterdam to Dublin

After a great flight from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, it was time to head on to Dublin – where this long adventure all began. On this journey, I’d be taking an Embraer E190 for the ninety minute hop across to the Emerald Isle.

Flights departing for the UK & Ireland often seem to depart from a single dedicated area of the terminal where you will have a bus gate. This is likely because most other E190 flights will depart to Schengen area destinations and boarding bridges are better used for larger aircraft.

It’s all a little claustrophobic and chaotic due to a) the sheer number of flights bound for the British Isles as well as b) the lack of space to begin with. I wouldn’t head down here until your flight says ‘boarding’.

What is quite interesting at Schiphol is how the boarding gate displays give you ETAs for when the various parts of the boarding process will begin – very helpful.

And, as suspected, it was a bus which went on a very long detour.

At least you get to see the lovely blue KLM livery against a bright spring sky.

We experienced a slight delay for departure but nothing too major.

Just like the bus journey, we went on an even longer detour – this time to the Polderbarn runway - which is five kilometres from the main terminal!

For this flight, I was sat in Business. While this is European Business and I wouldn’t pay for it outright, it was included as an extension of my US to Ireland journey. I was sat in the front bulkhead row. In colder climes, the cabin crew can hang your coat in the wardrobe for you.

The seat itself was the usual intra-European standard with a slimline design, which was not too comfortable, and skinny armrests. It did, however, have an adjustable headrest.

Water was served as a pre-departure beverage, how exciting! ;)

And with that, it was take-off over the beautiful Dutch countryside.

The crew rapidly began the meal service with the timely turbulence. A menu was a nice touch on a very short sector – with a surprisingly wide range of beverages, although I’m sure wine connoisseurs will balk at ‘rich, dry, fruity and robust’ wines.

As I was in the front row, the tray table pops out from the arm rest – otherwise it is the same as Economy and flips down from the seat in front.

The meal itself was decent, and like my previous flight, the serving size was generous. While I would usually expect to receive a poor quality of salmon on a flight like this, I was surprised by how flavourful it was. The pesto pasta wasn’t quite to my taste but it was edible.

And, unsurprisingly, the box the meal was served even enveloped a bit of Dutch design and culture – great! I’d also love to have one of the mugs at home…

And with the meal service over, I had a quick peek in the cramped bathroom.

Conclusion

A very short flight..clearly, but KLM managed to pull off a decent flight service. While I would never pay outright for Business on this kind of flight, it was a pleasant experience that I wouldn’t object to doing again in similar circumstances. Dank u, KLM!