KL 808 KUL-AMS
3 March 2003
World Business Class Seat 1 K
Boeing 747 400 PH-BFM Mexico City
Part II

Despite KL 808's late evening arrival at KUL, there were several shops and restaurants still open. A cursory glance at them made me decide to check out the Plaza Premium lounge instead. Located on the mezzanine floor with the other airline lounges, it was doing brisk business, with many of the seats taken. Apparently, there are many passengers without lounge access who are willing to pay for the service. A buffet with hot and cold dishes, including some Malaysian specialties, was located near the entrance but nothing looked appetizing enough for me to waste the calories on so I decided to check my email. After replying to several, I had a panic attack of sorts and began to wonder if the gate agent said to return in fifteen or fifty minutes. I got up and ran to the gate only to see that boarding was not going to commence soon since there were still many passengers making their way through the additional security check. After about twenty minutes, boarding was announced with business class passengers invited to board first.

Returning to my seat, 1k, it became apparent that this was going to be a full flight. A new steward assigned to the forward cabin collected jackets and assisted other passengers with their hand luggage. He obviously had a good attitude and shortly before pushback he came by with a selection of champagne, orange juice, and water. A new menu was also distributed with the ribboned bundle of socks, eyeshades, and pen as well as a separate tin toiletry kit that contained a toothbrush,toothpaste, a comb, a shoehorn, a washcloth, lotion, and lip balm. The cosmetics were made by Momo, a line by Molton Brown. The steward now addressed me by name and asked me to fill out the breakfast order form from the menu and hand it to him before retiring. The order form was very similar to the hotel doorknob breakfast menu cards- one merely checks the desired selections. The chief purser came by doing her rounds and told me to let her know if there is anything she could do for me- a very nice gesture.

Shortly after take off the generous KLM serving of mixed nuts was served again with cocktails. A supper service followed shortly, with passengers having the option of a quick, abridged meal or the longer, traditional selection. Among the main choices were Plaice or Venison. A bit unusual, I thought, and I was glad that they were able to cater for my vegetarian meal request for this sector; they were not able to from Manila due to the last-minute change with my flight. My supper consisted of a salad with bell peppers and mushrooms; a main of steamed broccoli, fried potato patties, and the same ratatouille as the previous meal, and for dessert, grape jelly garnished with slices of tinned peaches. Warm rolls were also offered a couple of times during the meal service.

With the service ware cleared, I decided it was time to slip into my CX pajamas and get some sleep. I opened the sealed blanket, reclined my seat to the maximum reclined position, and dozed off for around five hours. Although it is not as luxurious as the down duvets on CX First, KLM has one of the best blankets in the air - certainly one of the largest I've encountered. The seat itself is very comfortable. Again, not as luxurious as BA's or CX's, but good.

KLM's equivalent of BA's Raid The Larder is called Sky Break and it is nearly identical to BA's. This mid-flight galley service consists of pretzels, peanuts, cold sandwiches, Kit Kat bars, and juices. Nothing remarkable but nice to have.

By this time I was ready to surf the in-flight entertainment offerings and while I was able to keep myself preoccupied for a while, there was nothing special. I can't even remember what I watched. The system is not on demand.

About two hours before landing the cabin lights were abruptly switched on and the breakfast service commenced. With the tables set with linen, the customized breakfast trays were brought out. My tray was very nice- it had a good range of goodies- cereal, yogurt, cheeses, fresh fruit, and a generous serving of cheese blitzes served with marinated berries. Our steward came by with the selection of Delft houses and judging by the reaction of my fellow passengers, this is a well-appreciated aspect of KLM's service.

Shortly after breakfast was cleared the captain made the announcement that we would be arriving at Schiphol about half an hour early, at about 0630 local time. A short video on Holland and Schiphol was screened as were the connecting gates for some passengers. We landed in Schiphol while it was still dark and the outside temperature was at freezing point. Nonetheless, Schiphol is a good airport and I enjoyed wandering its halls. It may have been eclipsed by others in some aspects, but like KLM, it provides a solid, consistent, international-standard product.

The low-down: I like KLM. I will fly them again. They may not always be my first choice but I will consider them.