Review: KLM Boeing 777 (old) Business Class from Amsterdam to Lima

Wednesday newsletters always feature a hotel or flight review.

Last summer, I enjoyed a terrific holiday in Peru in South America. Over the coming weeks, I’ll publish the following trip reports:

• Review: KLM (old) Business Class Boeing 777 from Amsterdam to Lima (today)
• Review: Central, world’s best restaurant 2023, Lima
• Review: Cirqa, a Relais & Châteaux Hotel, Arequipa
• Review: Puqio Lodge, Colca Canyon
• Review: Titilaka, a Relais & Châteaux Hotel, Lake Titicaca
• Review: PeruRails Titicaca Luxury Train, from Puno to Cusco
• Review: Explora Valle Sagrado, Sacred Valley
• Review: Rio Sagrado, a Belmond Hotel, Sacred Valley
• Review: Hiram Bingham, a Belmond Train, from Cusco to Machu Picchu
• Review: Sanctuary Lodge, a Belmond Hotel, Machu Picchu
• Review: Inca trail to Machu Picchu
• Review: Fausto Hotel, Lima
• Review: KLM (new) Business Class Boeing 777 from Lima to Amsterdam

Today: Review – KLM Boeing 777 (old) Business Class from Amsterdam to Lima

Last July, I flew Business Class in a KLM Boeing 777-200ER from Amsterdam (The Netherlands) to Lima (Peru). KLM is one of my favorite airlines to fly with and my experience with them has always been great. The service is consistently courteous; the catering is decent (meals are created by Jonnie Boer, a famous Dutch chef of the three Michelin starred restaurant De Librije); and KLM’s onboard Business Class product focuses on Dutch design, which I love (e.g. Marcel Wanders tableware, Jan Taminiau amenty kit, and miniature Dutch houses).

KLM is currently refurbishing its B777 aircraft and replacing its old Business Class product (with seats in a 2-2-2 layout) by a new Business Class product (with seats in a 1-2-1 layout with privacy doors). The carrier has almost finished the cabin overhaul of its Boeing 777 fleet: all their Boeing 777-300ERs have been refurbished already and there are just a few more Boeing 777-200ERs to go. Unfortunately, an aircraft swap took place a few weeks prior to my flight, and the flight was ‘downgraded’ from a Boeing 777 with the new Business Class to a Boeing 777 with the old Business Class (FYI, no compensation nor an excuse was offered). But even though KLM’s old Business Class cabin feels dated compared to other Business Class products, the seat is still one of the widest, most spacious and most comfortable Business Class seats in the skies.

Have you ever flown with KLM? If so, what was your experience? Leave a comment.

• Trip: Amsterdam (AMS) to Lima (LIM)
• Airline: KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
• Aircraft type: Boeing 777-ER
• Aircraft registration number: PH-BQN (nicknamed Nahanni National Park)
• On time departure: 9:45 am (yes)
• On time arrival: 3:45 am (yes)
• Miles: 6530 miles (10500 km)
• Flight time: 11 hours
• Seat: 6K
• Class: Business Class

In this review (more information & photos below my Youtube clip & slideshow):

1. Cost of my ticket
2. Lounge at Cape Town Airport
3. Business Class cabin
4. Business Class seat (+ best & worst seats)
5. Amenities & bedding
6. Meals
7. Entertainment
8. Onboard internet
9. Gift: KLM Delft Blue House
10. Other inflight experiences
11. My verdict (score)

1. COST OF MY TICKET

I paid 2753 euros for my return Business Class ticket from Amsterdam to Peru. The Amsterdam-Lima flight was operated by a KLM Boeing 777-200ER with the old Business Class product while the return flight from Cuzco (via Lima) to Amsterdam was operated by a KLM Boeing 777-300ER with the new Business Class product.

2. LOUNGE

I had booked a KLM Business Class ‘light’ ticket which doesn’t come with lounge access (I only realized that when trying to access the lounge in Amsterdam). It was a pity since KLM offers a terrific lounge at Schiphol Airport, which I reveiwed here. Since I couldn’t get into the lounge, I decided to visit Schiphol’s small, carrefully arranged museum exhibit, located right next to the lounge. This art exhibit is the result of a collaboration between Schiphol Airport and Amsterdam’s world-famous Rijksmuseum. The museum features a selection of famous 19th century Dutch paintings, which regularly rotate within the museum’s main collection. The museum is open 24 hours a day and absolutely free.

3. BUSINESS CLASS CABIN

KLM’s Boeing 777-200ER aircraft equipped with the old Business Class product feature 34 seats arranged spread over two cabins in a 2-2-2 configuration. The main cabin is located in the plane’s front and featured 5 rows comprising the bulk of the seats (28 in total) while the smaller cabin is set between the galley and Premium Economy with only one row of just 6 seats. The smaller cabin feels extremely private and to the best of my knowledge, it’s the only Business Class cabin in a wide body aircraft with only one row of seats (correct me if I am wrong please). However, this smaller cabin is situated just ahead of the Premium Economy bulkhead seats, so it may be less appealing to some passengers.

The 2-2-2 layout is ideal for passengers traveling together as a couple, friends or colleagues, but it is not the best configuration when you are a solo traveler as you have to crawl over the legs of your seatmate to reach the aisle when you are allocated in a window seat. Also, the seats lack privacy, although paired seats are staggered by a couple of inches (cm) and separated by a small fixed divider screen, allowing some privacy in case you are seated next to a stranger. As already said, this isn’t an issue anymore in KLM’s retrofitted Business Class cabins, which feature seats in a 1-2-1 layout with privacy doors.

The cabin’s interior, which is designed by renowned Dutch designer Hella Jongerius, feels fresh, airy and modern. The seat shelfs feature a calming light blue color, while the seats themselves are covered in a dark brown texture, giving the cabin an upscale ambience. As a passenger, you can notice that a lot of effort has been put in the design; for example, the bulkheads’ handles feature the KLM logo in metalwork and the sustainable carpet is specially developed Wilton woven carpet made of Norwegian wool.

Click here for a seat map of KLM’s Boeing 777-200ER.

4. BUSINESS CLASS SEAT (+ BEST & WORST SEATS)

KLM’s Boeing 777 old Business Class seat is a B/E Aerospace Diamond seat, the same type you also find on other carriers, such as Qatar Airways’ A330s and Ethiopian Airlines’ A350/B787s. However, a big difference is that the Boeing 777 is wider than all other mentioned aircraft types: the Boeing 777 cabin measures 5,84 m (19 feet 2 inches) from wall to wall, while the A350, for example, is nearly 22 cm (9 inches) narrower than the 777 variant. Consequently, the seats in KLM’s B777 are wider and more comfortable compared to similar seats in other aircraft types (and yes, the difference can be felt). In addition, one of the seat’s arm rests can be manually lowered, offering increased seat width and even more space (especially welcome when the seat is turned into its flat-bed position). The seat’s other arm rest – shared with the paired seat – is a console which holds the seat & entertainment controls as well as the tray table.

In front of the seat is a large 17 inch touchscreen HD TV, which uses Panasonic’s ex3 system  (one of the best in the skies). Below the TV monitor is a drawer (which is large enough to store a laptop) and a leather covered ottoman (which becomes part of the flatbed once the seat is fully reclined). The size of the ottoman differs dramatically depending upon the row: the bulkhead seats in rows 1 & 6 offer larger ottomans as compared to the narrow footwells of all the other Business Class seats.

The seat offers plenty of storage space, with a shoe drawer located under the seat in front, a tray situated under the entertainment screen, space below the ottoman for a backpack or handbag, and a storage pocket next to the headrest which also holds a USB port and international power sockets for charging your personal devices.

The seat feels comfortable, both in the upright position and in the flat-bed position. The seat can be reclined into a full flat-bed that is 206 cm (6 ft and 10 inches) long. Again, your sleep comfort will depend on the seat you choose: except for the bulkhead seats in rows 1 & 6 (which come with large ottomans), the footwells are quite narrow, which means you may accidentally hit the seat walls with your feet when you turn during your sleep.

What are the best Business Class seats on KLM’s B777s?

• All Business Class seats are excellent for those traveling with a companion because of the 2-2-2 cabin configuration.
• The bulkhead seats in row 1 & 6 feature a much larger footrest as compared to all other seats, so these are the seats you want to fly (and sleep) in, although proximity to the galley and lavatory may cause some slight noise disturbance from time to time.
• The seats in row 6 are set in their own super private and intimate cabin (which features just one row of seats), and I would stronlgly recommend them.

What are the worst Business Class seats on KLM’s B777s?

• The 2-2-2 Business Class layout does not make the cabin very attractive for solo travelers, since you will always end up sitting next to a stranger.
• Window seats don’t offer direct aisle access.
• As mentioned above, the footrests are quite narrow (except for the bulkhead seats in rows 1 & 6), so not very comfortable for a good night’s rest.

Click here for a seat map of KLM’s Boeing 777-200ER.

5. AMENITIES & BEDDING

Business Class passengers receive the following amenities on one of KLM’s longhaul flights :

• An amenity kit, which is presented as a pouch. The kit is created by successful Dutch fashion designer Jan Taminiau (in 2014 he was awarded the Netherlands’ most prestigious fashion prize the Grand Seigneur). It contains an eye mask, ear plugs, comb, toothbrush, toothpaste, and Rituals lip balm & face moisturizer.
• A comfortable pillow
• A stylish and comfortable, marine blue blanket
• Noise cancelling headphones (which can only be powered within the plane and need to be returned to the crew prior to landing)

6. MEALS

On flights departing from Amsterdam, KLM offers menus in Business Class that are created by Jonnie Boer, a famous Dutch chef who is known for his three Michelin starred restaurant De Librije. Located in Zwolle, this restaurant features amongst the world’s top 50. KLM’s dishes are made with sustainable and traditional Dutch ingredients which could also be found on the menu of restaurant De Librije. The carrier also offers excellent wine pairing, selected by sommelier Thérèse Boer, Jonnie Boer’s longtime partner and co-owner at the De Librije.

During this 11 hour flight, two meals were offered: a lunch after takeoff and a light dinner before landing. The beautifully designed menus (with references to Delft tiles and houses) were extensive and offered excellent wine pairings (although I never drink alcohol on a plane to avoid headaches). Another unexpected design detail that KLM get totally right is the stylish and unique tableware. The porcelain, glassware, cutlery, linen and tray have all been designed by Marcel Wanders, a famous Dutch designer.

I choose the following selection from the lunch menu:

• Aperitif served with cheese cubes
• Appetiser: thin sliced beef tartare with mustard gravy, served with piccalili cream, Reypenaar cheese and cornichons
• Side dish: green mesclun salad with tommy tomatoes and candied pine nuts, served with Italian balsamic vinaigrette
• Main course: chicken in lemon sauce, served with green asparagus, carrots, broad beans, rice and Japanese furikake
• Dessert: strawberry bavarois layered with raspberry and topped with delicious chocolate curis

Halfway the flight, a snack was offered with a choice between a vegetarian croquette sandwich or a sandwich with egg salad, cheese, bell pepper, and mayonnaise.

Ninety minutes prior to landing, a light dinner was served on one tray and included the following items:

• Main course: pasta salad with smoked salmon and trout roe, served with haricots verts, pimento mayonnaise and fresh daikon cress
• Side dish: marinated chicken with cashew nuts & fried rice
• Dessert: chocolate pastry

All meals were beautifully presented and tasted quite good.

7. ENTERTAINMENT

Each Business Class seat is equipped with a large 17 inch high resolution TV screen with bright and clear pictures. The TV can be commanded by directly touching the screen or by using a handheld wired controller which is located in a fixture above the armrest. The controller also features its own small touchscreen, allowing you to watch a different program (e.g. flight map) from the main screen.

KLM offers more than 1000 hours of interactive entertainment in various languages (e.g. Arabic, Chinese, Dutch, English, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese or Spanish). There are more than 200 films to choose from, including recent releases, classics and world cinema, in addition to hundreds of TV shows, CDs, language courses, games, audiobooks, and a dedicated kids channels.

8. ONBOARD INTERNET

KLM offers W-iFi onboard its Boeing 777s and complimentary messaging is available to all passengers during the entire flight. This allows to send and receive text messages via WhatsApp, Messenger, WeChat, and similar services, although you cannot send or receive photos, videos, or audio files.

Two other internet packages are available for purchase on KLM’s longhaul flights:

• The Surf Pass is available as 1-hour voucher for EUR 8, or a full-flight voucher for EUR 18. With this pass, you can surf the internet, and send & receive e-mails.
• The Stream Pass costs EUR 18 for the entire flight and lets you surf the internet, send and receive e-mails including (large) attachments, send & receive messages including photos, videos, & audio files, and stream music, audio, & video. The Surf Pass is currently only available on KLM’s B777s and A330s.

ONBOARD WI-FI

ONBOARD WI-FI

ONBOARD WI-FI

ONBOARD WI-FI

9. GIFT: KLM DELFT BLUE HOUSE

Shortly before landing, KLM’s longhaul Business Class passengers always get a wonderful gift: a Delft Blue miniature traditional Dutch house, filled with Dutch gin, also known as “jenever.” Each miniature depicts a real Dutch house. KLM has been presenting Business Class passenger with this gift since 1952. Every year on October 7th, the airline celebrates the anniversary of its founding in 1919 by presenting a new house. Over the years, these miniature houses have become desirable collectors’ items, even generating a lively trade among passengers. KLM has a site where you can keep track of all of the houses, as each one is unique and has a special story to tell.

9. OTHER INFLIGHT EXPERIENCES

# CREW: KLM’s cabin crew ranks among my favorite airline crew in the world (together with their colleagues from Singapore Airlines and Emirates). The flight attendants are always super friendly, efficient and seem to genuinely care about the passengers, and it was not different on this flight, with impeccable and courteous service. I also like the oh-so-recognizable KLM cabin attendant uniforms, which are designed by famous Dutch couturier Mart Visser.

# LAVATORY: there are two lavatories onboard KLM’s B777 aircraft for Business Class passengers, both of them located behind the cockpit. The lavatories feature wallpaper with white and blue delft houses, and are stocked with high-end toiletries from Rituals (with scents of Dutch tulips and Japanese yuzu).

10. MY VERDICT

• Seat comfort (upright): 8/10
• Seat comfort (bed position): 8/10
• Privacy: 3/10
• Food (quality): 8/10
• Food (quantity): 8/10
• Inflight entertainment : 9/10
• WiFi: 9/10
• Service: 10/10
• Cabin design: 8/10
• Overall experience: very good 8/10

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