adamspotter From Netherlands, joined Feb 2011, 774 posts, RR: 2 Posted (8 months 3 days 20 hours ago) and read 11544 times:
Introduction
The U S of A, a great country IMHO. A country where everything is big, a country I have lived in for a year, a country I have visited many times (mostly in the summer) for vacation or other purposes. This year would be no exception. Visiting friends in Maine, Pennsylvania and Canada while enjoying my 4 week vacation from work.
Hello everyone and welcome to my 16th trip report, my final report on this series featuring my upper deck experience on KLM!
It wasn’t until the 27th of May when my dad and I started looking for tickets. Booking was done, the same day, on delta.com (as my dad is a SkyMiles member). 6 flights for about 1200EUR p.p, not a very bad deal for the time of year and the date that we booked IMO.
There were a lot of different options for that price, so we eventually chose:
July 21: AMS-BOS // 11:10-13:00 // DL231 // A330-300
August 1: BOS-JFK // 12:00-13:17 // DL901 // A319
August 1: JFK-PHL // 16:10-17:28 // DL3544 // CRJ900 Pinnacle Airlines/DL Connection
August 8: PHL-LGA // 14:10-15:10 // DL4050 // CRJ100 Pinnacle Airlines/DL Connection
August 8: LGA-YYZ // 16:45-18:25 // DL7145 // B736 operated by WestJet
August 16: YYZ-AMS // 23:05-12:10 // DL9399 // B744 operated by KLM
A nice itinerary with all different types, and for me it will be the first time flying Delta longhaul and WestJet. This would also be a chance to catch the fairly “rare” B737-600 type.
This series will be split into 5 parts (due to the many pictures made):
Part 1: AMS-BOS
Part 2: BOS-JFK
Part 3: JFK-PHL
Part 4: PHL-LGA-YYZ
Part 5: YYZ-AMS
Every part will not only contain a report of the flight(s), but it will also be accompanied by many pictures of places I visited/things I did during my stay.
So sit back, relax and I hope you enjoy this report!
Map
The map for this part, thanks to the Great Circle Mapper:
And the map of this whole trip, also thanks to the Great Circle Mapper:
In part 4 I left you guys deboarding my great WestJet flight at YYZ from LGA. Once entering the terminal building we headed straight towards immigration/customs. As the KLM flight had arrived just before us the immigration hall was filled with a lot of Dutch people.
After about a 15 minute wait we approached the immigration agent. After answering a couple of questions our passports were stamped and we were let through without a problem. Quite a difference to the last time I tried to enter Canada!
Once arriving at the baggage claim area our luggage was already on the belt. After collecting them we headed through customs and were in the arrivals hall without a problem.
Our final destination for today will be Exeter, Ontario where friends of ours live. Exeter is about a 2 hour drive away from YYZ. As transportation we chose to take the Robert Q Airbus company to London, Ontario where one of our friends will be picking us up for the 30 minute drive to Exeter. We booked our tickets online before our vacation at a cost of 54.52CAD per person.
As it was dark during the whole bus ride I wasn’t able to take any pictures. However here is their website which should give you an idea of how the bus that we took looked like: http://www.robertq.com/
After a nice and relaxed 1h45min drive we arrived at Robert Qs bus station in London. From there our friend picked us up and we drove towards Exeter. A 30 min drive later and we arrived in Exeter where we will be staying for our last week before heading back home..
Niagara Falls
During our stay we enjoyed the company of our friends, did some final shopping and swam quite a lot in their own pool and the great Lake Huron. One day we also decided to visit Niagara Falls. The last time I visited Niagara Falls I was a 1 year old kid, so don’t remember a thing about them.
Feeling quite enthusiastic we drove the 2 hour car ride down to Niagara Falls. Parked the car at one of the many parking lots and headed down to the falls.
The Skylon, or what I would call a fake CN tower:
Almost there:
The American side:
Rainbow Bridge:
After a nice visit to the falls we drove up to Niagara on the lake. On the way you see a lot of beautiful scenery and houses.
Niagara Floral Clock:
Getting to YYZ
It’s Thursday the 16th of August. Unfortunately, the end of my vacation. It’s time to head back home, time to get back to “real life” , time to start working again.
As many of you know KLM has 2 daily flights between AMS and YYZ in the summer time. One leaving YYZ at 17:35 with the A330 and one leaving late at 23:05. Equipment on the later flight is either the 777 or the 747 combi. When choosing which return flight we wanted, my dad and I opted for the later flight hoping to get some sleep.
So it wasn’t until after supper time, at 17:30, when we left Exeter for the airport. One of our friends was kind enough to drive us over to the airport. After about a 2 hour drive we arrived at Toronto Pearson’s Terminal 3. We bid our friend farewell and headed into the Terminal building.
Check-In
As always we had checked in online. We had pre-selected seats 24 J/K, but decided to upgrade to economy comfort during online check-in. Once arriving at the check-in area there came a very nice surprise. We got an upgrade to Business Class, very nice!
Feeling quite excited we headed over to KLMs service desk situated next to the check-in area. After about 10 minutes we got our new BPs and headed over to the Sky Priority lane to drop our baggage off. It was our turn right away and after 5 minutes our baggage was tagged with Sky Priority and checked to AMS.
Security + Lounge
It was now time to head through security and on to the KLM/AF lounge. But first a picture of the nice looking check-in hall:
KLM check-in area:
No priority lane at security (or at least I didn’t see it or it wasn’t open). But after 10 minutes I was through security without a problem. After looking around in the various shops we headed over to the KLM/AF lounge which is situated opposite gate C32 and close to our assigned gate C35:
FIDS:
We headed up the elevator where the different airline lounges are situated:
The KLM/AF lounge is an OK lounge, nothing special. It has a variety of drinks/booze/snacks and warm soup on offer. It is a nice place to relax before your flight, although I would say it is a bit too small as it was quite crowded. Therefore I didn’t take that many pictures. My dad and I decided to settle in at the computer area situated at the back of the lounge while frequently getting something to drink/eat:
Cheers PH!:
Boarding
BP for this flight:
At 21:50, 15 minutes before boarding time, we headed back downstairs to look around at some more shops before heading to the gate.
We arrived at our assigned gate C35 exactly at boarding time: 22:05. 5 minutes later, at 22:10, boarding was announced and the usual chaotic boarding scene was created. One of the gate agents handled this well and asked everybody to take a seat to which half the people complied.
First the families with small children and people needing special assistance were called for boarding, followed by the Business Class passengers.
So I zigzagged my way through the crowd and headed towards the Sky Priority lane. Got my BP scanned, passport checked and headed into the jetway.
adamspotter From Netherlands, joined Feb 2011, 774 posts, RR: 2 Reply 1, posted (8 months 3 days 20 hours ago) and read 11672 times:
PH-BFC will be doing the honors on this last flight of my vacation. It was delivered to KLM on 01/09/1989. Now almost 23 years later it is still flying strong.
Once entering the plane I was greeted by a male purser (in a friendly manner) and was guided to the stairs. After reaching the top of the stairs I was once again greeted by 2 female FAs and headed towards my seat 74K.
Seat 74K is 1 row ahead of the emergency exit row. On my seat there was a pillow and blanket:
More than enough space in the bins next to me:
As my carry-on didn’t fit in the overhead bin one of the female FAs came over to grab my carry-on and handed out the amenity kit and menu:
Amenity kit contents:
The menu:
While boarding was still underway, I took a quick look outside:
The flight crew that will be serving us in the upper deck consisted of 2 female FAs. They were “business friendly” as some people would call them, did their job with a smile and that’s it. While the purser was on the PA with the usual welcome announcements the 2 FAs came around with welcome drinks:
At 23:00 the doors were closed and the pilot came onto the PA with an extensive welcome announcement, he came on 2 other times later during flight. Announced flying time is 6h40mins.
Pushback + Taxi
At 23:05, bang on time, we started pushback and taxied to what I believe was runway 23:
Take-off + Climb
At 23:20 we rolled onto runway 23 and started take-off roll immediately. I must say we were up pretty quick:
The seatbelt sign was switched off quickly so I grabbed my PTV out of the armrest:
After pressing the green button to start a short demonstration was playing with some info about the IFE:
Meanwhile the crew walked around handing out bottles of water:
Seatback Contents
Now let’s take a quick look at the seatback contents.
Holland Herald Magazine:
Safety card:
The nicely branded headphones:
After the water, the crew now came around with a refreshing towel:
IFE System
While we were heading straight towards Ottawa I took a closer look at the IFE system:
The remote which worked just fine:
Main Menu, which consisted of 8 main categories:
First, the entertainment category which consisted of 6 sub categories:
Movies subcategory:
TV subcategory:
Music subcategory:
Games subcategory:
The last entertainment subcategory is a language course which you can follow while flying:
The second main category is the kids section:
The third main category is flight tracking, which explains itself. The fourth main category is information:
The fifth main category is “your opinion”:
The sixth main category is “In touch”:
The seventh main category is “Meals and more”:
The 8th main category is Screen off which also speaks for itself.
Snack Service
While I was exploring the IFE system the crew came around with a warm nuts and drinks run. I went for a Sprite while my dad opted for a Tonic. After handing our drink over, the crew also took our meal order. The 2 options were:
Seared beef tenderloin with celery, potato pave, broccoli and green onions.
Sautéed halibut with olive sauce, mashed potatoes and green beans.
We both ordered the beef tenderloin.
After exploring the IFE system I decided to watch an episode of Friends, probably my favorite show out there:
adamspotter From Netherlands, joined Feb 2011, 774 posts, RR: 2 Reply 2, posted (8 months 3 days 20 hours ago) and read 11618 times:
Dinner Service
A couple minutes after my table was set the female FA handed over my tray, together with the main course there was a mixed salad and a cheese selection of Cheddar and Danish Blue cheese:
The main course (which was missing the green onions), was absolutely delicious:
The cheese platter:
The mixed salad:
The crew also came around with a basket filled with hot buns:
Together with the meal I got a coke:
The nice looking silverware:
While enjoying the meal I went for an episode of Mr. Bean:
After finishing the delicious meal the crew took my tray. A couple minutes later they came back with dessert. Dessert consisted of Tiramisu, together with that I got a cup of coffee:
The tiramisu was well presented and absolutely delicious:
While enjoying my coffee the crew came around with a box of very nice Belgian chocolates:
After finishing everything the crew cleaned my table up and I stowed it away. Time to get some sleep now but first a quick check at the flight tracker to see where we are:
Just over 5 hours to go:
Lavatory
After stowing away my PTV I paid a quick visit to the lavatory before trying to get some sleep:
As many of you know KLMs Business Class seats are not particularly state of the art. They are not lie flat but angled flat. They were clearly not made for someone being 2 meters tall as my feet kept hanging off at the end. As it is angled flat I kept sliding down which was very uncomfortable. I eventually got about 1 hour of light sleep altogether before giving up on sleeping:
Once giving up on trying to sleep we had 1h50mins to go at FL390:
While looking through the TV shows I decided to watch an episode of Rules of Engagement, another great show:
While people were starting to wake up, the cabin lights were switched on and I took a quick look outside:
Meanwhile the crew came around with some drinks and a refreshing towel:
Another look outside:
Seat controls:
Breakfast Service
Soon enough the 2 female FAs came into the cabin with their carts. They seemed to be in quite a hurry. Once one of the female FAs reached our row, she set our table and asked what we would like for breakfast. The two options were:
Asparagus strata or a Cinnamon Danish pastry. Both served with a fresh fruit salad, a selection of cold cuts and assorted hot rolls.
We both opted for the Asparagus strata and got handed over our tray. Followed by a basket with hot rolls. I chose for a croissant, together with that I got a coffee:
The Asparagus strata which was delicious:
Fresh fruit salad:
Assorted cold cuts:
Meanwhile I watched an episode of Two and a half Men:
The crew came around with more hot rolls, this time I chose a bagel:
Another look at the flight tracker, we had just 40min to go:
Passing by just south of Manchester:
In the meantime the crew came around with the famous Delft House filled with BOLS, a great farewell gift IMHO:
Descent + Approach
Once getting close to the English coast we started our descent towards AMS:
While descending I played a game of Pac-Man:
The PTVs automatically showed the arrival information:
adamspotter From Netherlands, joined Feb 2011, 774 posts, RR: 2 Reply 3, posted (8 months 3 days 19 hours ago) and read 11583 times:
Seatback:
The (obviously) very nice legroom:
The cabin:
Getting closer and closer to the clouds:
Once through the clouds, the Dutch coastline was in sight:
Flying over the coastline close to the town of Ijmuiden:
Making a sharp right turn:
Final Approach + Landing
For final approach to runway 18C, also known as the Zwanenburgbaan:
There is runway 18R also known as the Polderbaan:
And touchdown at 12:00, 10 minutes ahead of schedule!:
Taxi To The Gate
We exited 18C and taxied to our assigned gate F3:
Passing by the remote stands, where a bunch of heavies were parked:
Over the A4 highway:
Arkefly // B767 // PH-AHQ:
Turkish Airlines // A321 // TC-JRC:
Air Astana // B767 // P4-KCB:
Hey what do we have here:
Looks like El-Al brought the big boy to AMS today:
And in our final parking position at 12:10, bang on time!:
The seatbelt sign got switched off so we grabbed our belongings and headed towards the stairs. The female FA already had my carry-on ready, so I thanked her and walked down the stairs. I bid the other crew farewell while exiting the aircraft. Before heading towards passport control I got one last picture of our aircraft:
We were through passport control within 5 mins and headed towards the baggage claim. Once there we had to wait another 15 mins before the baggage started coming on the belt. Sky Priority tags didn’t help this time as our baggage didn’t come until 5 mins later.
I was of no interest to customs this time and was landside 25 mins after exiting the aircraft.
From there we took the train for the 5 minute ride to Amsterdam Lelylaan Station. A 10 minute walk from the station and we were home again. Back home after a 4 week vacation, time to get used to life back in Amsterdam again..
Conclusion
Well first of all, Niagara Falls: A nice place to visit and definitely recommend it to the people who haven’t been there yet.
Then YYZ, a great airport to visit. Always looks good and in nice condition, hope to fly through there again soon.
The KLM/AF lounge is quite ok, a nice place to relax.
Then KLM itself, always nice to get an upgrade. The food may have been of small quantity but was absolutely delicious. The IFE system could really use a revamp, although a lot of TV shows and movies were of my liking. Then the outdated seat, so uncomfortable, kept sliding off and I just didn’t fit in it. It’s a nice seat for a day flight but totally not good for a night flight when you need a good night’s sleep. I understand that KLM will be upgrading their Business Class seats in 2013 and all I can say is I hope they do, it is well needed!
Then the crew, they were just fine. They did their job with a smile and that’s it.
Final Conclusion
So all in all I had an absolutely fantastic 4 week vacation to the USA/Canada. Don’t know what it is, but something about the USA attracts me very much and I always enjoy my time there. I have 3 more visits scheduled in the next half year and am really looking forward to those.
It was great to see friends that we haven’t seen in a long time. Really enjoyed their company and had a blast visiting lots of different places. The highlight? Either the day of sailing or Niagara Falls, such beautiful and amazing scenery!
Then the flights: I had quite a nice mixture of flights.
Delta LH was quite ok and will try them again soon, in fact I have another LH flight with them in January.
Delta Connection flights were ok, 2 big delays but I guess that is something you get used to when travelling around the east coast. JFK terminal 2 is a place I will definitely be avoiding as much as possible, although I will have to transfer through there twice again in January.
WestJet is such a great airline, great crew, clean aircraft, very nice legroom just perfect. Hope to fly them again soon!
The best flight: Westjet
The best crew: That has got to go to Brenda, the FA for my PHL-LGA flight. Such a great crew member won’t forget her anytime soon!
So this will end this series on my vacation to the USA/Canada. I hope you enjoyed every part of this series as I sure enjoyed making them.
If you’re still reading, thank you very much for taking the time to read this report, it is much appreciated.
Please feel free to leave a comment or ask a question, I would really appreciate that!
Next report featuring another KLM business class flight, this time to Helsinki, and a short hop on a Air Baltic Dash 8 should be up before next weekend.
airbuseric From Netherlands, joined Jan 2005, 4015 posts, RR: 52 Reply 4, posted (8 months 3 days 19 hours ago) and read 11411 times:
Hoi Brendan,
really cool to see this trip. Some great views on the Falls, lovely panorama shot also
Quoting adamspotter (Thread starter): Once entering the terminal building we headed straight towards immigration/customs. As the KLM flight had arrived just before us the immigration hall was filled with a lot of Dutch people.
So, what did you feel when you overheard all these Dutch I never turn in a happy face... lol
Overall, despite the seat, KLM does a nice service here, meals look good. The hurried service on breakfast, well, maybe because the crew let everybody sleet as long as possible until they realized that approach would start soon (and people need time to pack their belongings, do the neccesary lavatory visit, toothbrushing or whatever I love the Victor&Rolf kit. Hmm, I should get myself one. Have to ask some people
Quoting adamspotter (Reply 3): I understand that KLM will be upgading their Business Class seats in 2013 and all I can say is I hope they do, it is well needed!
Yeah, sure they will. They mention about it in their current (September 2012) issue of Holland Herald. They did not finalize the design afaik.
Regards
Eric
"The whole world steps aside for the man who knows where he is going"
The777Man From United States of America, joined Jul 1999, 6079 posts, RR: 56 Reply 5, posted (8 months 3 days 19 hours ago) and read 11344 times:
Hi Brendan!
Thanks for a great report with great pictures !
Nice to see you go to Niagara Falls; I was there in 1986 and planning to go back there in a few weeks.
Nice that you flew Business class but the angled lie-flat is not very good. I'm surprised that the seat is uncomfortable for someone who is so tall since a lot of Dutch people are very tall so you'd think KL would really try to make their own people fit into their seats.
Let me know if you come out west and perhaps we can meet up. Grand Canyon is much more scenic than Niagara Falls....
The777Man
Need a Boeing 777 Firing Order....Further to fly....GA, T5, CI and LX 777s
Avianca From Venezuela, joined Jan 2005, 5857 posts, RR: 41 Reply 7, posted (8 months 3 days 17 hours ago) and read 11087 times:
absolutelty great report!
Quoting adamspotter (Thread starter): One day we also decided to visit Niagara Falls. The last time I visited Niagara Falls I was a 1 year old kid, so don’t remember a thing about them.
the Niagara Falls are nice, but nothing comperable to falls like the one in Iguazu, also it is around 10 years ago I visited the last time the Niagara Falls, I think its time to visit them again.
Quoting adamspotter (Thread starter): While I was exploring the IFE system the crew came around with a warm nuts and drinks run. I went for a Sprite while my dad opted for a Tonic. After handing our drink over, the crew also took our meal order. The 2 options were:
Seared beef tenderloin with celery, potato pave, broccoli and green onions.
Sautéed halibut with olive sauce, mashed potatoes and green beans.
We both ordered the beef tenderloin.
so no booze today for the gentleman?
Ok I understand it was a verly late departure but I am missing a third option!
Quoting adamspotter (Thread starter): A couple minutes after my table was set the female FA handed over my tray, together with the main course there was a mixed salad and a cheese selection of Cheddar and Danish Blue cheese:
the food looks not bad, but somehow like the food was not served to long ago in ECO.
Quoting adamspotter (Thread starter): Asparagus strata or a Cinnamon Danish pastry. Both served with a fresh fruit salad, a selection of cold cuts and assorted hot rolls.
We both opted for the Asparagus strata and got handed over our tray. Followed by a basket with hot rolls. I chose for a croissant, together with that I got a coffee:
again not bad looking but nothing special.
I would really like to use once again KLM I used them so far only once in Eco on a LIM-AMS-LIM routing, would love to try them ex the ABC islands, or ex PTY in order to catch still the MD11. but I am very * loyal.
thanks and looking for future reports from you.
Cheers
Avianca
Quoting adamspotter (Thread starter): One leaving YYZ at 17:35 with the A330 and one leaving late at 23:05. Equipment on the later flight is either the 777 or the 747 combi.
Actually the 1735 departures used to be 744s for the longest time, while the A330 used to be the 2305 departures. Looking forward to the 744s going back to the 1735 departures, with arrivals at 1535 instead of 1135 from the onset of the winter schedules.
Quoting adamspotter (Thread starter): As always we had checked in online. We had pre-selected seats 24 J/K, but decided to upgrade to economy comfort during online check-in. Once arriving at the check-in area there came a very nice surprise. We got an upgrade to Business Class, very nice!
But such a nuisance about those bins not allowing one to get closer to the window. Seems even a tall guy like you could barely get both engines properly in your pics.
Quoting adamspotter (Thread starter): Meanwhile the crew walked around handing out bottles of water:
Just as was promised in the menu guide.
Quoting adamspotter (Reply 2): A couple minutes after my table was set the female FA handed over my tray, together with the main course there was a mixed salad and a cheese selection of Cheddar and Danish Blue cheese:
I think I see more on an economy class tray on perhaps EK. That again was very basic.
The pattern on the silverware seems to match the mat on your food tray
Quoting adamspotter (Reply 2): After finishing the delicious meal the crew took my tray. A couple minutes later they came back with dessert. Dessert consisted of Tiramisu, together with that I got a cup of coffee:
And the entire meal service over with under 2 hours after departing YYZ.
Quoting adamspotter (Reply 2): We both opted for the Asparagus strata and got handed over our tray. Followed by a basket with hot rolls. I chose for a croissant, together with that I got a coffee:
Now Breakfast looks a lot better.
Quoting adamspotter (Thread starter): In the meantime the crew came around with the famous Delft House filled with BOLS, a great farewell gift IMHO:
Quoting adamspotter (Thread starter): The female FA already had my carry-on ready, so I thanked her and walked down the stairs. I
Ah that is where you carry-on had disappeared to.
Quoting adamspotter (Thread starter): Well first of all, Niagara Falls: A nice place to visit and definitely recommend it to the people who haven’t been there yet.
There are also services from the city including the GO Trains to Niagara Falls in the summer, if anyone is interested to use them next year. I think the service ended last week.
Quoting adamspotter (Thread starter): Then the crew, they were just fine. They did their job with a smile and that’s it.
Usually KLM gets top reviews on here. Seems like you got a one off crew who were well just "business friendly"
Quoting adamspotter (Thread starter): WestJet is such a great airline, great crew, clean aircraft, very nice legroom just perfect. Hope to fly them again soon!
The best flight: Westjet
Glad to hear that about Westjet. They seem to be scoring high marks with most A.netters.
Carfield From United States of America, joined Dec 2003, 1726 posts, RR: 9 Reply 9, posted (8 months 3 days 12 hours ago) and read 10455 times:
Thanks for the wonderful series of reports!
Operational upgrades are perfect for the end of a long trip away from home.
KLM offers a very solid product - nothing too fancy but a reliable business class product.
The meals look good and thanks for sharing!
Carfield
PlaneHunter From Germany, joined Mar 2006, 6183 posts, RR: 79 Reply 10, posted (8 months 3 days 11 hours ago) and read 10390 times:
Hi Brendan,
very nice report about a very nice flight! I'm very impressed by the catering - the food looks better than in other KLM J Class reports. But they shouldn't serve fruit in a plastic bowl.
Quoting adamspotter (Thread starter): We had pre-selected seats 24 J/K, but decided to upgrade to economy comfort during online check-in. Once arriving at the check-in area there came a very nice surprise. We got an upgrade to Business Class, very nice!
MSS658 From Belgium, joined Oct 2010, 2202 posts, RR: 14 Reply 11, posted (8 months 3 days 9 hours ago) and read 10234 times:
Hallo Brendan
Great trip report, thanks for putting the time in the report to publish it.
Nice too see you got the upgrade into J. Always better than any Y seat.
Even with the outdated product KLM seems to preform well.
Personally I found the IFE to be a bit user-unfriendly ok KLM
lukeyboy95 From Papua New Guinea, joined Apr 2008, 951 posts, RR: 35 Reply 12, posted (8 months 3 days 6 hours ago) and read 9967 times:
Hi Brendan.
Well done on the completion of your trip and your series of very enjoyable reports. Excellent.
I was in London ON just this year actually. The town names are great around those areas and I even managed to sniff out Scotland ON. Niagara wasn't as beautiful as when you were there it would seem.
That is great you got upgraded. Any clue why this was? Overbooking or just pure kindness? The lounge looks very similar to the pay-in one. Actually - the pay-in one looked a little fresher but didn't have soup!
Quoting adamspotter (Reply 1): PH-BFC will be doing the honors on this last flight of my vacation. It was delivered to KLM on 01/09/1989. Now almost 23 years later it is still flying strong.
Old girl! I am only one year older than it... amazing to think it has been flying almost constantly all my life.
The meal looked good. I thought there wasn't alot extra in there. Maybe it just didn't have a wow factor but still looked really delicious. I thought the menu's looked really naff and Emirates seems to offer a better whisky selection in Y!
sultanils From Belgium, joined Mar 2010, 1173 posts, RR: 29 Reply 14, posted (8 months 3 days 3 hours ago) and read 9746 times:
Hello Brendan,
Very good conclusive part of your holiday series. There's no better way to come home than with a flight on the homecarrier, although this flight looked to be a little under the usual high KLM standard?
Quoting adamspotter (Reply 1): PH-BFC will be doing the honors on this last flight of my vacation. It was delivered to KLM on 01/09/1989. Now almost 23 years later it is still flying strong.
Wow, you flew one of the oldest KLM 747 ladies.
I have found these combi versions always a mixed bag and wonder what if the extra cargo hold is worth it.
win1290 From Thailand, joined Jan 2012, 249 posts, RR: 2 Reply 15, posted (8 months 2 days 22 hours ago) and read 9364 times:
Hi Brendan!
Very nice conclusion of your USA/Canada trip, absolutely enjoyed reading the series.
Amazing photos of the Niagara Falls you took, a place I would like to visit one day when I have the opportunity. As for the flight, Congrats on the upgrade! a great way to end the holiday . I quite like the meal service on your flight, that starter main course cheese were serviced in one tray. In my opinion, for a night flight, I would want the meal service to be quick and cabin light dimmed as quickly as possible.
Quoting airbuseric (Reply 4): really cool to see this trip. Some great views on the Falls, lovely panorama shot also
Thank you very much, Should use the panorama shots more often with my camera
Quoting airbuseric (Reply 4): So, what did you feel when you overheard all these Dutch I never turn in a happy face... lol
Haha same here, I hate that!
Quoting airbuseric (Reply 4): Overall, despite the seat, KLM does a nice service here, meals look good
Same opinion here!
Quoting airbuseric (Reply 4): The hurried service on breakfast, well, maybe because the crew let everybody sleet as long as possible until they realized that approach would start soon (and people need time to pack their belongings, do the neccesary lavatory visit, toothbrushing or whatever
I was thinking the exact same thing
Quoting airbuseric (Reply 4): I love the Victor&Rolf kit. Hmm, I should get myself one. Have to ask some people
A nice addition to my collection
Quoting airbuseric (Reply 4): Yeah, sure they will. They mention about it in their current (September 2012) issue of Holland Herald. They did not finalize the design afaik.
Quoting The777Man (Reply 5): Thanks for a great report with great pictures !
You're welcome, glad you enjoyed it!
Quoting The777Man (Reply 5): Nice to see you go to Niagara Falls; I was there in 1986 and planning to go back there in a few weeks.
Enjoy your trip to the falls!
Quoting The777Man (Reply 5): Nice that you flew Business class but the angled lie-flat is not very good. I'm surprised that the seat is uncomfortable for someone who is so tall since a lot of Dutch people are very tall so you'd think KL would really try to make their own people fit into their seats.
Exactly what I was thinking with all the tall people here
Quoting The777Man (Reply 5): Let me know if you come out west and perhaps we can meet up. Grand Canyon is much more scenic than Niagara Falls....
Yes, I am planning on getting to LA in January. Will be sure to message you on FB
Quoting Avianca (Reply 7): the Niagara Falls are nice, but nothing comperable to falls like the one in Iguazu, also it is around 10 years ago I visited the last time the Niagara Falls, I think its time to visit them again.
Still need to visit Iguazu, definetely on my to see list
Quoting Avianca (Reply 7): so no booze today for the gentleman?
Quoting Avianca (Reply 7): I would really like to use once again KLM I used them so far only once in Eco on a LIM-AMS-LIM routing, would love to try them ex the ABC islands, or ex PTY in order to catch still the MD11. but I am very * loyal.
Well I fly both * and SkyTeam, you should take the chance to catch the very rare MD-11
Quoting flightsimboy (Reply 8): So good to finally read this much awaited report on your YYZ-AMS sector, and with a nice surprise of an upgrade to Business Class...Nice!!
Thank you, the upgrade was a very nice surpise
Quoting flightsimboy (Reply 8): That name seems to fit it's description well lol
Quoting flightsimboy (Reply 8): Actually the 1735 departures used to be 744s for the longest time, while the A330 used to be the 2305 departures. Looking forward to the 744s going back to the 1735 departures, with arrivals at 1535 instead of 1135 from the onset of the winter schedules.
That is interesting to know, didn't know that
Quoting flightsimboy (Reply 8): Whatever happened to Cathay and EVA AIR on there?
No idea actually?
Quoting flightsimboy (Reply 8): But such a nuisance about those bins not allowing one to get closer to the window. Seems even a tall guy like you could barely get both engines properly in your pics.
Quoting sultanils (Reply 14): Very good conclusive part of your holiday series
Thank you, glad you liked it
Quoting sultanils (Reply 14): There's no better way to come home than with a flight on the homecarrier, although this flight looked to be a little under the usual high KLM standard?
IrishAyes From United States of America, joined Jan 2008, 1727 posts, RR: 6 Reply 17, posted (8 months 2 days 16 hours ago) and read 8862 times:
Excellent TR, Adam! I think KLM has one of the best products out there. It is one of my favorite airlines, and I wish they were in Star Alliance
I still have two DELFT houses from my childhood, which my grandmother gave to us as a gift. Excellent memoirs of value-added services that KLM has retained.
Flying on the upper deck of a 747 is truly a treat, and also a fast-disappearing one. Thank you so much for sharing
Knightsofmalta From Malta, joined Nov 2005, 1408 posts, RR: 17 Reply 18, posted (8 months 21 hours ago) and read 7975 times:
Hi Brendan
What an excellent conclusion to your series of trip reports on your American vacation. As ever, the food in KLM Business Class looks absolutely excellent, both in terms of quality and in quantity. i especially like the look of that Tiramisu...
I've yet to try Business Class on the KLM B747-400 but I'd just love to give it a go. If I remember correctly, the new Business Class cabin design KLM is currently working one will be first rolled out on the B747-400. Only thing I0m not sure about is when they'll be rolling out the new product.
I was rather surprised to see that KLM offer their own lounge in Toronto. And the offerings in the lounge look quite good as well.
In any case, thanks for posting. It's been an interesting series.
Brendan is the name actually, adam is short for amsterdam, its confusing I know haha
Quoting IrishAyes (Reply 17): I think KLM has one of the best products out there. It is one of my favorite airlines, and I wish they were in Star Alliance
KLM is a great airline indeed, What is wrong with SkyTeam then?
Quoting IrishAyes (Reply 17): I still have two DELFT houses from my childhood, which my grandmother gave to us as a gift. Excellent memoirs of value-added services that KLM has retained
Quoting IrishAyes (Reply 17): Flying on the upper deck of a 747 is truly a treat, and also a fast-disappearing one. Thank you so much for sharing
Quoting Knightsofmalta (Reply 18): What an excellent conclusion to your series of trip reports on your American vacation
Thank you very much!
Quoting Knightsofmalta (Reply 18): As ever, the food in KLM Business Class looks absolutely excellent, both in terms of quality and in quantity. i especially like the look of that Tiramisu...
indeed, the tiramisu was Delicious!
Quoting Knightsofmalta (Reply 18): e yet to try Business Class on the KLM B747-400 but I'd just love to give it a go
Then give it a go haha, after your nice MD-11 flightd
Quoting Knightsofmalta (Reply 18): If I remember correctly, the new Business Class cabin design KLM is currently working one will be first rolled out on the B747-400. Only thing I0m not sure about is when they'll be rolling out the new product.
In 2013 and yes I believe they will introduce it into their 747s first
Quoting Knightsofmalta (Reply 18): I was rather surprised to see that KLM offer their own lounge in Toronto. And the offerings in the lounge look quite good as well.
Same here, BA had their own Galleries lounge there too
Quoting Knightsofmalta (Reply 18): In any case, thanks for posting. It's been an interesting series
767747 From United States of America, joined Jan 2005, 1748 posts, RR: 26 Reply 20, posted (8 months 16 hours ago) and read 7816 times:
Hi, Adamspotter!
Great final report to your trip - looks like you had a really nice flight with KLM. Food looks pretty good; did they serve any appetizers or anything? I just see your main course and cheese plate; I like the cutlery and presentation though!
I'll have to try KLM sometime; seems like they've really improved their service in both classes over the last few years.
Quoting jwhite9185 (Reply 22): Nice conclusion to your trip there. Niagara Falls looks so different to when i was there - a lot more built up now!
Thank you very much
Quoting jwhite9185 (Reply 22):
That 747 looks quite old... The ones I've been on in the upper deck, the oldest being from 1994 look like they've had a bit
of a refresh.
It sure was old, am curious when they are going to start with phasing them out..
Quoting jwhite9185 (Reply 22): Had the exact same problem with VS' old Upper Class seat!
Quoting adamspotter (Thread starter): After answering a couple of questions our passports were stamped and we were let through without a problem. Quite a difference to the last time I tried to enter Canada!
Good to hear.
Quoting adamspotter (Thread starter): One day we also decided to visit Niagara Falls. The last time I visited Niagara Falls I was a 1 year old kid, so don’t remember a thing about them.
Now you have captured it from every possible angle. I must say, it’s breathtakingly beautiful!
Thank you for sharing this awesome report. Have a great evening! The weekend is near! Warme groet,
Suryo
Friends forever
25 adamspotter: Goedemorgen Suryo Thank you very much! Yes, I was truly blessed with the upgrade! I lived for a year in Iowa for personal reasons.. It sure is! Thank
26 roberts87: Another great report, thanks for posting. Nice start with the pictures of the Niagara Falls, I only saw them from the American side. Nice surprise wit
27 FLIEGER67: Hoi, Brendan, great stuff again and congrats to the upgrade on the combi. Never been upstairs on the classic Jumbo myself. Also nice destination pictu
28 syncmaster: Fantastic trip report! Makes me super excited for my upper deck ride in two weeks ORD-AMS! -Charlie
29 adamspotter: Thanks Robert, glad you liked it They say the falls are more beautiful from the Canadian side Yes, the perfect ending to a great holliday. No idea wh
30 akhmad: I see. Hence your passion for US. I could not yet speak Dutch at that time. Can you see me dancing if I end up in that section? Thanks. I slight hope
31 adamspotter: Yes that is one of the reasons.. hehe there we go I sure can! :P Which was B-HOS if I remember correctly? Thank you cheers, Brendan
33 gabrielchew: Nice report Brendan! Great that you both got upgraded...makes the flight so much more enjoyable! The catering looks very nice (the steak and potatoes.
34 adamspotter: Thanks Gabriel! Yes it sure did! A great surprise The food was indeed delicious! Yeah tried that too with little success, oh well Thanks for commenti
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