adamspotter From Netherlands, joined Feb 2011, 774 posts, RR: 2 Posted (7 months 3 weeks 3 days 19 hours ago) and read 5879 times:
Introduction
Let me take you back in time for a second. Back before my great summer vacation, as I then started booking flights for this weekend trip. KLM were having some nice offers to different European destinations to which I decided to book a round trip.
Of course I wanted to chose an airport that I haven’t been to before so after scrolling through the different destinations I chose Helsinki Vantaa Airport and booked the flights immediately. Departing AMS on Saturday (September 8th) mid-day and arriving back Sunday (September 9th) in the evening.
Of course I didn’t want to keep it at these 2 flights, so I decided to book some more (ex- HEL) once I got back from my vacation.
So an absolutely fantastic vacation in the USA/Canada ( for trip reports on my vacation see the bottom of this TR) followed and once I was home again I immediately started looking for some interesting flights ex HEL. After about an hour of searching different websites, I found an attractive fare on Air Baltic from HEL to ARN via RIX. Leaving HEL on Saturday night and departing from RIX early on Sunday morning, both flights with a Dash 8. With BT being a new airline and RIX a new airport I booked the flights right away.
All I needed now is book a flight from ARN to HEL to catch my evening KLM flight back to AMS. As many of you know there are a lot of different airlines that fly this route. As I have been wanting to fly Norwegian for a while now I decided to look at their fares first. I immediately found an acceptable fare and booked it (leaving ARN mid-day).
Spending the night in Riga meant I had to book an hotel. As I will be arriving in RIX at night and departing RIX bright and early the next morning my preference went out to an hotel close to the airport. The closest (and cheapest) hotel was the Sky High Hotel located just a 5 min walk from RIX, so I made a reservation there.
Hello everyone and welcome to my 17th trip report featuring part 1 of this weekend trip I made. Due to the large amount of pictures made, this series will be split into 2 parts. Part 1 will contain my first 2 flights (AMS-HEL-RIX), while part 2 will contain my last 3 flights (RIX-ARN-HEL-AMS).
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 weekend trip, also thanks to the Great Circle Mapper:
Getting To AMS
It is Saturday morning the 8th of September, after being “on the ground” for 3 weeks it was finally time to fly again! With my first flight of the weekend not leaving AMS until 13:55 I took advantage of the opportunity to sleep in, so at 09:00 my alarm clock went off and I did my usual morning rituals.
Getting to AMS was a bit different than my usual 5 minute train ride to the airport. The reason for this was construction work being done on the rails during the whole weekend between Amsterdam Sloterdijk station and Schiphol (with my stop being the only one between those two).
Instead of the train I decided to take the metro 2 stops and then take the bus no. 310 to the airport.
I intended on catching the 11:09 metro, so at 10:50 I grabbed my belongings and headed towards Amsterdam Lelylaan station.
I arrived at the station around 11:05 and 4 minutes later my metro came:
2 stops and a 7 minute ride later I already arrived at my stop: Amstelveenseweg. From here I walked downstairs to wait for the no. 310 bus. After waiting for 10 minutes at the bus stop, the bus arrived and 15 minutes later (at11:45) I arrived at the airport and headed straight upstairs to the KLM check-in area.
Check-In
As always I had checked in online the night before so all I needed to do now was print my BP. While using the SSK to print it out, I decided to take the offer for an upgrade to Business class. After doing the payment the machine spit out my new BP and I headed towards security.
Security + Lounge
I used the priority lane at security and was through within 5 minutes (after the security guard wanted to check out my binoculars). My next stop was the KLM Crown lounge. After taking the escalator up 1 floor I entered the lounge, handed over my BP, and was granted access.
The KLM Crown Lounge has been covered here many times so I won’t bore you too much with details about it.
During my stay I made use of the free WIFI while regularly getting something to eat/drink and catching up on some trip reports:
While in the lounge I also got an e-mail and text message from KLM stating that I had a gate change, although it was the same gate that was already on my BP:
Boarding
BP for this flight:
At 13:15, 10 minutes before boarding time, I bid the agents farewell and headed towards my assigned gate: C17. Gate C17 is situated at the very end of the C pier so a 10 minute walk followed. While on the way I realized I had forgotten a personal item in the lounge, so I quickly headed back to grab it and started my journey to the gate once again.
Once arriving at the gate, at 13:35, there was quite a long line for boarding. Being in Business class I got to use the priority lane which was empty. I approached the gate agent and got my BP scanned. The door to the jetway was still closed as the aircraft was still getting prepared by the crew. After a 5-10 minute wait the “all ready” sign was giving and we were let into the jetway.
While entering the aircraft I was greeted by 2 female FAs with a big smile and took the first left to my seat: 1F. While the aircraft was filling up I took a quick look outside where a Corsair747 came taxiing by. Always nice to see such a bird at AMS, I’m guessing it was here for maintenance as it headed straight towards the hangars:
Our next door neighbor, which started pushback:
Once everyone seemed to be onboard we waited for a while with the door remaining open. After about 5 mins the captain came on the PA, introducing himself as Jeroen van de Berg, and welcoming us onboard with the usual announcements. He also stated that there was a passenger missing and her baggage was being offloaded at the moment which caused the further delay. He hoped the baggage will be offloaded soon so we can start our journey towards HEL.
While the cabin was getting very warm the captain came onto the PA once again apologizing that he hadn’t given the reason for the slight delay in the first place. Apparently the planes stabilizer broke while it was standing in Bergen so it had to get fixed. That took some time and now it still wasn’t fixed all the way (but safe enough to fly with).
This was also the reason that the cabin was getting so hot as the air conditioning wasn’t working. He sincerely apologized once again and hoped to be able to start the engines soon to get some cold air into the cabin.
While waiting for the passengers baggage to be offloaded I took the opportunity to do some spotting from my window. Like this DHL A300 taxiing to the cargo ramp:
A little preview of the next airline I will be flying:
5 minutes later the captain came on the PA once again with good news. The baggage had been offloaded and we were ready to go.
In the meanwhile the front door was closed and the FA came around in the Business cabin offering newspapers, I opted for De Telegraaf.
Flight crew on this flight consisted of 3 female FAs and 1 female Purser. The female Purser will be serving the 2 of us in the Business cabin. She was very nice, calling me by my last name the whole time and did her job with a smile. Flight load in Y was close to 100%.
The doors closed at 14:10 and the Purser came onto the PA with the usual announcements and apologizing for the slight delay once again. With an announced flying time of 2 hours, the drop down screens were showing the safety demonstration:
Pushback + Taxi
At 14:20, 25 minutes behind schedule, we started pushback and made a short taxi to runway 24 also known as the Kaagbaan:
Take-off + Climb
5 minutes after pushback, at 14:25, we rolled onto runway 24 and started take-off roll immediately:
And lift off!:
Seatback Contents
Legroom shot:
Bulkhead:
Holland Herald Magazine September 2012:
Safety card:
The drop down screen was showing the airshow throughout the whole flight which I thought was very nice:
Once the seatbelt sign got switched off the Purser came around offering a smoking hot towel:
Snack Service
After collecting my hot towel the Purser asked what I would like to drink. After answering with a Sprite, she went in the galley for 2 minutes and arrived with my drink and a bag of nuts:
adamspotter From Netherlands, joined Feb 2011, 774 posts, RR: 2 Reply 1, posted (7 months 3 weeks 3 days 19 hours ago) and read 5873 times:
Meal Service
The menu:
After collecting my trash the Purser approached me and explained that there was only one option, being the Indian chicken curry pie and apologized sincerely. I told her that it was no problem as I’m not a mushroom fan anyway.
After being in the galley for 5 minutes the Purser came back and handed me this tray:
The main dish might look a bit bare but was very delicious:
The always nice cutlery:
Mixed salad with Old Amsterdam cheese shavings and organic lemon olive oil which also tasted nice:
White chocolate mousse with raspberries and pistachios which was the perfect end to a nice meal:
After collecting my tray the Purser asked if I would like a cup of coffee to which I accepted:
By now we were just passing Denmark with 1h22mins to go:
The remainder of the flight I sat, relaxed, watched a movie on my laptop and enjoyed the flight:
The mini Business class cabin:
Lavatory
Just over an hour to go above southern Sweden by now:
Descent + Approach
Once starting our descent towards HEL the Purser asked if I would like to fill out a survey to which I acknowledged:
Through the clouds:
Final Approach + Landing
Taking a very sharp left turn for final approach to runway 22L:
And touchdown at 17:30, 5 minutes behind schedule:
Not sure what this old boy was doing there:
Taxi To The Gate
We exited 22L and taxied to our assigned gate: 27. Of course there are a lot of Finnair heavies here at HEL:
And of course you can see a 717 at HEL:
We will be parking to the left of this Tuifly 737:
In our final parking position at 17:30, 10 mins behind schedule:
Soon enough the seatbelt sign “dinged” off so I grabbed my belongings. The front door was opened quickly, so I thanked the crew for the great flight and was one of the first ones off the plane. Once entering terminal 2 I headed straight towards the baggage claim area.
As I didn’t have any baggage checked in I headed straight towards the arrivals hall as I was of no interest to customs.
Check-in
As Air Baltic doesn’t offer online check-in I needed to head over to the Air Baltic check-in desks before heading back through security.
As I was at terminal 2 and BT operates from terminal 1 a 5 minute walk followed before arriving at the terminal 1 check-in area at 17:45:
The Air Baltic check-in desk was still closed:
One of the check-in agents for the LOT Polish flight next door approached me and explained that the desk should be open about 2 hours before the flight. So I decided to wait on a bench close by and play some games on my laptop.
About 25 mins later, at 18:15, the check-in desk was opened so I joined the small queue. After about 5 mins it was my turn and I was helped by a friendly check-in agent. Before printing my BPs I asked if I had a window seat on both flights to which she acknowledged, 3D for tonight and 8D for the flight early the next morning.
After receiving both BPs I thanked her and headed to the escalator.
Security
I took the escalator up 1 floor and headed towards security. No line at security so I was through in 5 mins without a problem.
Terminal 1 airside was pretty deserted with only a couple of flights leaving from here tonight. Like this Blue1 717 in its *A scheme:
Spotting @ HEL
After walking around for a bit I found a place to sit in the corner, close to gate 11. From here I could charge my laptop, read some more trip reports and do some spotting. There wasn’t much traffic passing by except for a bunch of turboprops and an LH A320 heading for MUC:
A big Star Alliance banner:
Boarding
BP for this flight:
Around boarding time, at 19:40, I decided to head over to the gate which was just a minute walk away. Once arriving at the gate I could see that this was going to be a light load and found a place to sit. 10 minutes later, at 19:50, boarding was called for flight BT326 with destination to Riga. I grabbed my belongings and joined the small queue.
When the agent scanned my BP I heard a beep and was told I got assigned a new seat. So I received my new BP and headed down the stairs where there was a bus waiting. In no time the bus doors were shut and we made our way towards the plane.
While driving I counted the passengers, there will be a total of 20 passengers on this flight including me. After a 5 minute bus ride we arrived at our plane:
Once exiting the bus and before entering the plane I took a quick picture of this prop. YL-BAX will be doing the honors on this leg, an almost 2 year old Dash delivered fresh to Air Baltic:
adamspotter From Netherlands, joined Feb 2011, 774 posts, RR: 2 Reply 2, posted (7 months 3 weeks 3 days 19 hours ago) and read 5867 times:
First I put my carry-on on the baggage cart and entered the plane where I was greeted by a male FA who didn’t really like to smile. I headed to the back of the plane to my seat 17D. While getting settled in I took a look outside, not the best view from my new seat:
Flight crew consisted of 1 male and 1 female FA. The male FA was very reserved and didn’t smile at all while the female FA was much better and did her job with a smile. Flight load as mentioned before was 20 passengers with the seat next to me empty. At 20:05 the doors were closed and the male FA came on the PA with the usual announcements and an announced flying time of 50 mins. No announcements from the flight deck, only during flight welcoming us on board and with some flight information.
Pushback + Taxi
At 20:10, bang on time, we taxied to runway 22L, the same runway I landed on 3 hours ago:
Take-off + Climb
2 minutes later, at 20:12, we rolled onto 22L and started take-off roll immediately. We were up like a rocket in no time:
And lift off with a view of runway 22R:
Seatback Contents
The OK legroom:
Seatback:
Safety card:
Baltic Outlook:
Air Baltic Café & Shop:
The sun was starting to set:
BOB Service
Despite it being a very bumpy ride the crew came around offering the BOB service. I opted for a can of coke for 2.50EUR, which is an ok price IMHO:
The cabin:
Approach + Landing
In no time we started our approach towards Riga:
Without any turns we were in for final approach to runway 18:
Gear down:
And touchdown at 20:58, 12 minutes ahead of schedule!:
We taxied to our remote stand which only took 4 mins.
In our final parking position at 21:02, 8 minutes ahead of schedule!:
The seatbelt sign got switched off and the door was opened quickly. Due to the light load I was out of the plane within a minute thanking the male FA on my way out. While waiting for my carry-on I took one last shot of my plane:
I walked straight to the terminal building and walked up the stairs. The terminal was pretty deserted with only a couple of flights leaving. From the terminal I headed straight towards the baggage claim and exit which were both also deserted.
Sky High Hotel
I was in the arrivals hall just over 5 mins after exiting the plane. I headed outside and took the 5 minute walk to my hotel, the Sky High hotel. I found it without a problem and 10 mins later I was checked in and had the key to my room:
Bathroom:
The hotel also offers an internet cable that you can use to connect on the web. While watching CNN in the background I caught up on some more trip reports and tried to get some sleep as my alarm clock will be going off bright and early at 05:15 the next morning.
Conclusion
First of all. the KLM crown lounge: A nice place to relax and wait for your flight.
Then the flight: Had a nice and relaxing flight with KLM. The FA was nice and the food was delicious. A slight delay, but at least the reason was given with many apologies.
Helsinki airport: can’t say much about it, will cover it more in the next report.
Air Baltic: Well after reading and hearing different things about them (most of the things being negative) I boarded the airplane with no expectations at all. Well, we left bang on time and arrived early. The plane was in good condition, the crew was OK and the BOB wasn’t too expensive. So in the end they were much better than I expected.
Sky High Hotel: Nice and close to the airport, room was in good condition and there was free internet connection. A nice place for the price I paid, definitely recommend it!
So this will end part 1 of this weekend trip. 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!
Will I have another nice flight with Air Baltic? Will there be an equipment change I was hoping for? How did I find Norwegian for the first time? How was my KLM flight back home in economy? And with which 2 a.netters did I had a mini meet with?
Stay tuned for part 2 and all those questions will be answered.
win1290 From Thailand, joined Jan 2012, 249 posts, RR: 2 Reply 3, posted (7 months 3 weeks 3 days 19 hours ago) and read 5783 times:
Hi Brendan,
Nice report as usual. KLM European Business Class looks good and consistent with your previous report, the leg room on the first row looks generous. Nice to see your Air Baltic flight too, the Dash 8 is a type I am yet to go on. I will be flying to Helsinki in two weeks, so it will be interesting to read your next part for more coverage.
jwhite9185 From United Kingdom, joined May 2007, 717 posts, RR: 0 Reply 4, posted (7 months 3 weeks 3 days 18 hours ago) and read 5709 times:
Another interesting read as usual Brendan. Good to see what AMS looks like in sunlight too!
The Dash8 is a nice little plane - although as you found out the views can be a bit restricted unless you're right at the front.
That hotel looks a bit retro with he CRT tv!
Quoting adamspotter (Reply 1): After collecting my trash the Purser approached me and explained that there was only one option, being the Indian chicken curry pie
Interesting - I've heard of a chicken curry and a pie, but never heard of the two being combined!
FLIEGER67 From Georgia, joined Sep 2003, 4387 posts, RR: 57 Reply 5, posted (7 months 3 weeks 3 days 17 hours ago) and read 5565 times:
Hoi, B.,
good pictures and really good to follow up story. Well done.
Quoting adamspotter (Thread starter): During my stay I made use of the free WIFI while regularly getting something to eat/drink and catching up on some trip reports:
Well, good choice!.
Quoting adamspotter (Thread starter):
Will I have another nice flight with Air Baltic? Will there be an equipment change I was hoping for? How did I find Norwegian for the first time? How was my KLM flight back home in economy? And with which 2 a.netters did I had a mini meet with?
Stay tuned for part 2 and all those questions will be answered.
You keep the level of interest high, perfect and looking forward to the next story.
OA260 From Ireland, joined Nov 2006, 24889 posts, RR: 60 Reply 6, posted (7 months 3 weeks 3 days 16 hours ago) and read 5525 times:
Hey Brendan .
Nice report . Recently the KLM J class reports have got me interested in trying some myself. Certainly on the list now . I love the cutlery very unique .
Looking forward to the mysteries being revealed in Part 2
Regards
Philip
OLYMPIC AIR - ΟΛΥΜΠΙΑΚΗ "Η ΕΛΛΑΔΑ ΨΗΛΑ" "GREECE FLYING HIGH"
LFutia From Netherlands, joined Dec 2002, 3195 posts, RR: 31 Reply 7, posted (7 months 3 weeks 3 days 14 hours ago) and read 5381 times:
Goedenavond Brendan!
Quoting adamspotter (Thread starter): In the meanwhile the front door was closed and the FA came around in the Business cabin offering newspapers, I opted for De Telegraaf.
Personally I would of asked for the AD instead but De Telegraaf suffices I guess.
I'm glad to see that you made up some of the flight time to HEL and that KLM apologised profusely. I see it as good customer service when things are explained in detail.
Is 2,50 duur for a can of coke?
Nice hotel and good to see you had a decent flight with BT!
Met vriendelijk groetjes uit Chicago,
Leo
Leo/ORD -- Groetjes uit de VS! -- Heeft u laatst nog met KLM gevlogen?
Good to hear it tasted better than it looked. What I find a bit cheap are these plastic bowls on the tray. Numerous airlines have nice ones in Y Class.
Knightsofmalta From Malta, joined Nov 2005, 1409 posts, RR: 17 Reply 9, posted (7 months 3 weeks 2 days 22 hours ago) and read 4906 times:
Hi Brendan
Interesting report with many good pictures as usual.
Quoting adamspotter (Thread starter): It is Saturday morning the 8th of September, after being “on the ground” for 3 weeks it was finally time to fly again!
Oh, so you get withdrawal symptoms too?
Quoting adamspotter (Thread starter): With my first flight of the weekend not leaving AMS until 13:55
Ha! I should have been on that flight two week ago but my connection didn't work. So thanks for the report. Now I know what I missed!
Quoting adamspotter (Thread starter): While the cabin was getting very warm the captain came onto the PA once again apologizing that he hadn’t given the reason for the slight delay in the first place. Apparently the planes stabilizer broke while it was standing in Bergen so it had to get fixed.
Sounds like they were really trying to make the passengers feel comfortable about being on board...
Quoting adamspotter (Thread starter): After collecting my trash the Purser approached me and explained that there was only one option, being the Indian chicken curry pie and apologized sincerely. I told her that it was no problem as I’m not a mushroom fan anyway.
After being in the galley for 5 minutes the Purser came back and handed me this tray:
It looks tasty, was it deep-fried or is it wrapped in pastry?
Oh good, the guy on 1A finally went to the loo so you could take a picture!
Quoting adamspotter (Thread starter): Once exiting the bus and before entering the plane I took a quick picture of this prop. YL-BAX will be doing the honors on this leg, an almost 2 year old Dash delivered fresh to Air Baltic:
It looks rather dashing (sorry - couldn't help it...)
Thanks for posting Brendan. I'll be looking out for the next installment.
Quoting adamspotter (Thread starter): As Air Baltic doesn’t offer online check-in I needed to head over to the Air Baltic check-in desks before heading back through security.
They do offer OLCI but not from all destinations I think.
Quoting adamspotter (Thread starter): Air Baltic: Well after reading and hearing different things about them (most of the things being negative) I boarded the airplane with no expectations at all. Well, we left bang on time and arrived early. The plane was in good condition, the crew was OK and the BOB wasn’t too expensive. So in the end they were much better than I expected.
Pretty much how I see BT as well. Cheap tickets, they do their job but without the ULCC feel of Ryanair etc.
MSS658 From Belgium, joined Oct 2010, 2203 posts, RR: 14 Reply 11, posted (7 months 3 weeks 2 days 6 hours ago) and read 4589 times:
Hello Brendan
Great report, thanks for sharing.
Nice to see KLMs J-class to be a bit better than the rest, especially the cultery and the meal choice!
Great to see you had a caring crew as well on the AMS-HEL leg
Good to know that BT was better than you first expected.
sultanils From Belgium, joined Mar 2010, 1173 posts, RR: 29 Reply 12, posted (7 months 3 weeks 2 days ago) and read 4456 times:
Hello Brendan,
Nice story once again. Quite a relaxed flight in KLM business, only 2 pax and plenty of room to stretch out. The food and service looked decent as well. I'm quite surprised that you hadn't flown BT already, it is (or used to be) a very popular and much featured airline here, especially for our Nordic a.netters. Always a good deal to be had with that airline!
Quoting adamspotter (Thread starter): the Purser asked if I would like to fill out a survey to which I acknowledged
All positive I assume?
Quoting adamspotter (Thread starter): As Air Baltic doesn’t offer online check-in I needed to head over to the Air Baltic check-in desks before heading back through security.
Sure BT offers OLCI!
Quoting adamspotter (Thread starter): The hotel also offers an internet cable that you can use to connect on the web.
The777Man From United States of America, joined Jul 1999, 6080 posts, RR: 56 Reply 13, posted (7 months 3 weeks 1 day 18 hours ago) and read 4329 times:
Hi Brendan!
Nice report with very nice pictures !
Good to see that you are trying new airlines and airports! Flight on KL seems nice and very good to have the moving map on for most of the flight.
Meal looks nice and great spotting both at AMS and HEL.
Looking forward to part 2.
The777Man
Need a Boeing 777 Firing Order....Further to fly....GA, T5, CI and LX 777s
Quoting win1290 (Reply 3): KLM European Business Class looks good and consistent with your previous report, the leg room on the first row looks generous.
Yes KLM J class is pretty nice, the legroom was perfect
Quoting win1290 (Reply 3): Nice to see your Air Baltic flight too, the Dash 8 is a type I am yet to go on. I will be flying to Helsinki in two weeks, so it will be interesting to read your next part for more coverage.
Hope I can get it out within 2 weeks for you hehe, Im off again for 3 days this afternoon.. I also say the Thai 744 you will be taking at ARN
Quoting jwhite9185 (Reply 4): Another interesting read as usual Brendan. Good to see what AMS looks like in sunlight too!
Thanks James
Quoting jwhite9185 (Reply 4): The Dash8 is a nice little plane - although as you found out the views can be a bit restricted unless you're right at the front.
Yeah, I originally had seat 3D, but unfortunately due to weight isssues I got moved back, bummer
Quoting jwhite9185 (Reply 4): That hotel looks a bit retro with he CRT tv!
Yeah well for 40EUR I'm not complaining
Quoting jwhite9185 (Reply 4): Interesting - I've heard of a chicken curry and a pie, but never heard of the two being combined!
Quoting OA260 (Reply 6): Recently the KLM J class reports have got me interested in trying some myself. Certainly on the list now . I love the cutlery very unique .
Quoting LFutia (Reply 7): I'm glad to see that you made up some of the flight time to HEL and that KLM apologised profusely. I see it as good customer service when things are explained in detail.
Exactly my opinion
Quoting LFutia (Reply 7): Is 2,50 duur for a can of coke?
Not that expensive for BOB IMHO
Quoting LFutia (Reply 7): Nice hotel and good to see you had a decent flight with BT!
Quoting PlaneHunter (Reply 8): another nice report, KLM's C Class product looks fine in general.
Thanks! Yes KLM C is pretty nice
Quoting PlaneHunter (Reply 8): Good to hear it tasted better than it looked. What I find a bit cheap are these plastic bowls on the tray. Numerous airlines have nice ones in Y Class.
Indeed! Yes the plastic bowls are a bit cheap IMO too
Quoting Knightsofmalta (Reply 9): Ha! I should have been on that flight two week ago but my connection didn't work. So thanks for the report. Now I know what I missed!
Thats too bad, what was the reason? OR do I have to wait for the report
Quoting Knightsofmalta (Reply 9): Sounds like they were really trying to make the passengers feel comfortable about being on board...
Yes, Our favorite airline did a good job
Quoting Knightsofmalta (Reply 9): It looks tasty, was it deep-fried or is it wrapped in pastry?
deep-fried, it was delicious!
Quoting Knightsofmalta (Reply 9): Oh good, the guy on 1A finally went to the loo so you could take a picture!
Yes I was waiting for him to do that
Quoting Knightsofmalta (Reply 9): It looks rather dashing (sorry - couldn't help it...)
Quoting sultanils (Reply 12): Quite a relaxed flight in KLM business, only 2 pax and plenty of room to stretch out.
Yes, a very relaxing flight. I wish it had lasted longer
Quoting sultanils (Reply 12): I'm quite surprised that you hadn't flown BT already, it is (or used to be) a very popular and much featured airline here, especially for our Nordic a.netters. Always a good deal to be had with that airline!
Yes I remember reading all those reports when I was a lurker here!
Quoting The777Man (Reply 13): Good to see that you are trying new airlines and airports! Flight on KL seems nice and very good to have the moving map on for most of the flight.
Yes I'm happy with that. KL flight was very nice and the moving map a big plus of course!
Quoting The777Man (Reply 13):
Meal looks nice and great spotting both at AMS and HEL.
roberts87 From Netherlands, joined Dec 2011, 660 posts, RR: 0 Reply 16, posted (7 months 3 weeks 17 hours ago) and read 4053 times:
Another nice report, thanks for posting!
Quoting adamspotter (Thread starter): As always I had checked in online the night before so all I needed to do now was print my BP. While using the SSK to print it out, I decided to take the offer for an upgrade to Business class.
Very good, I have been meaning to try one of those upgrades too. How much was it?
Quoting adamspotter (Thread starter): Always nice to see such a bird at AMS, I’m guessing it was here for maintenance as it headed straight towards the hangars
Saw her - or a sister - at the hangers last weekend when I was at AMS
Quoting adamspotter (Thread starter): The drop down screen was showing the airshow throughout the whole flight which I thought was very nice:
A very nice feature indeed. Too bad KL only has it on teh 73G's.
Quoting adamspotter (Thread starter): After being in the galley for 5 minutes the Purser came back and handed me this tray:
infodesk From Switzerland, joined May 2006, 1241 posts, RR: 34 Reply 18, posted (6 months 3 weeks 4 days 19 hours ago) and read 2538 times:
Hi Brendan,
Sorry it's taken me so long to get round to reading your report. It’s nice to treat yourself and fly business once in a while, isn’t it? KLM seem to offer a really good product.
The bowl of soup you had in the lounge at AMS looks delicious!
Lovely pictures of your approach into HEL, so beautiful with all those little islands, and also some great cloud formations on the HEL-RIX route.
Quoting adamspotter (Thread starter): This was also the reason that the cabin was getting so hot as the air conditioning wasn’t working. He sincerely apologized once again and hoped to be able to start the engines soon to get some cold air into the cabin.
I know that feeling all too well!!
Quoting adamspotter (Thread starter): Once the seatbelt sign got switched off the Purser came around offering a smoking hot towel:
A hot towel in C-Class on an intra-European flight? Great to see that, never been given one on LX. Ad such a nice touch to be handed a menu card too.
Quoting adamspotter (Thread starter): After being in the galley for 5 minutes the Purser came back and handed me this tray:
The tray of food looks pretty good, I especially like the gorgeous cutlery. Am I correct that the salad and dessert were in plastic bowls? Shame, that rather spoils the effect of the proper cutlery.
Happy flying
Infodesk
"Do nothing in haste, look well to each step and from the beginning think what may be the end" - Edward Whymper
Quoting infodesk (Reply 18): Sorry it's taken me so long to get round to reading your report
No problem, thanks for stopping by and commenting!
Quoting infodesk (Reply 18): It’s nice to treat yourself and fly business once in a while, isn’t it? KLM seem to offer a really good product.
It sure is nice every now and then.. Yes KLM offer a solid product
Quoting infodesk (Reply 18): The bowl of soup you had in the lounge at AMS looks delicious!
It sure was
Quoting infodesk (Reply 18): Lovely pictures of your approach into HEL, so beautiful with all those little islands, and also some great cloud formations on the HEL-RIX route.
Quoting infodesk (Reply 18): A hot towel in C-Class on an intra-European flight? Great to see that, never been given one on LX. Ad such a nice touch to be handed a menu card too.
Yes, the hot towel and menu was much appreciated!
Quoting infodesk (Reply 18): The tray of food looks pretty good, I especially like the gorgeous cutlery. Am I correct that the salad and dessert were in plastic bowls? Shame, that rather spoils the effect of the proper cutlery.
Yes, the salad and dessert are in plastic bowls. The only part that puts the meal to shame..
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