Trip Reports - An American in World Business Class

SFO-AMS-LYS (KLM WBC) MD11/F70 12/18/04-12/19/04

SFO (Northwest World Club)

After arriving at the international terminal a few hours before our flight, I surprised my partner with his first trip in World Business Class. This was to celebrate Christmas and our 4 year anniversary. Thanks again to all of you who helped me by providing some excellent information. I decided to buy the WBC tickets because the cost of upgradeable Y tickets and discount C tickets was almost nothing. Instead I’ll earn 150% miles and be that much closer to a free trip and maybe get Elite status in 2005. (If only our return was December 31st and not January 2nd, we would have both made Elite status).

I love the international terminal at SFO because it is spacious and easy to navigate. We were second in the WBC check in line and we were greeted by a very friendly agent. I originally wanted to print the boarding passes at home, but was not able to (perhaps because of the intra European connecting flight). There was no line at security and we were in departure terminal A in no time at all. In the last four years I’ve never had to wait in a long line at SFO even though I’ve waited for over an hour at other airports like Miami for example. After seeing the other non Star Alliance planes in terminal A (Virgin 747, British Airways 747 and Air France 777) and after doing some shopping (a new pair of sunglasses and some chocolates for the grand parents), we headed to the Northwest Airlines World Club (left, just after security).

Although I’ve taken one business class trip on British Airways and one first class trip on Lufthansa, I had never visited an airline lounge. The Northwest lounge was clean and quite with a fireplace and lots of snacks. I had a latte and some Milano cookies and my partner had a hot chocolate and some cheese and crackers. Except for the woman who came in and started yelling into her walky-talky cell phones (ok, I’m exaggerating a little), things were very relaxing. I wish there had been a better view, but it was still a lovely place to chill out before our flight which was one hour late due to the late arrival of the incoming aircraft.

After the announcement in the lounge, we headed to gate A9 and embarked quickly thanks to priority boarding.

KL606 MD11 15:30 (16:30) 12/18/04

After we took our seats (1E and 1F) and the flight attendant hung up our jackets, we settled in with champagne and orange juice. I thought the middle seats might be a problem, but not a single person crossed in front of us during the flight. I also found the front cabin spacious, although I would have liked a convenient place to stick things (book, amenity kit, etc…). We discovered the new amenity kits in the little blue bags: comb, pen, toothpaste, toothbrush, ear plugs, eye mask and noise reducing headphones.

Apparently, two people on the plane had not done the internet check in correctly and their luggage had to be located and taken off the plane so that added to our delay, but soon enough our beautiful blue Maria Montessori (MD11) was circling over San Francisco and on her way to Amsterdam.

I didn’t like most of the movie selections so I settled on Cat Woman as I drank my gin and tonic. Soon dinner started and my partner and I were impressed with the table cloth, the little salt and pepper shakers and the real china. He had the smoked duck and shrimp with a glass of Saint Vérand. I, on the other hand, always order the vegetarian meal when I’m in economy because I prefer to eat light and before everyone else. BIG MISTAKE! I had a small side salad with a plate of raw veggies with my wine. Then my partner had a lovely steak with potatoes and I was given more vegetables with rice (no sauce… nothing). Not to mention I had a stomach ache for the rest of the trip. I guess veggies don’t agree with me and all the alcohol didn’t help the problem. I was disappointed but what can I expect if I order a special meal? I have since erased the vegetarian meal request from the preferences section on the NWA website. Luckily, the dessert cart came and I enjoyed a fruit salad. I was surprised to see how demanding some passengers were. One man changed his meal preference while they were serving. Another one asked if the pilot could fly faster because he had an important connection or meeting. I guess some people believe that if you are in business class, you are more important than everyone else. I was just happy with all the wonderful luxuries I discovered (not having to wait in line for the toilette alone was worth the price). After we filled out our breakfast requests, we fell asleep. This was the first time I ever slept on an airplane (I didn’t even realize that the foot rest expanded in the recline position).

For breakfast I had French toast, corn flakes, a croissant and cheese with coffee and a wonderful orange juice. In general this was a great flight with efficient (not overly friendly) staff. One thing that was different with this flight was the southern route we took. In the past I’d always flown over the Hudson Bay and Iceland, sometimes even over Vancouver and Greenland. This time we flew just north of Fargo and came in over Ireland. I’ve never taken such a southern route on a San Francisco to Europe flight.

AMS (KLM and Air France Lounge)

We landed in Terminal E and wondered through the concourse to terminal B. I’ve never departed from terminal B before; but since Air France took over KLM, it makes sense that they put their France flights together; I do wish the stewardesses would speak French on those flights, but maybe that will come next given the merger. I’m a big believer in speaking the language of the departure and arrival country, not just English. We settled down in the small Air France/KLM lounge where there were more employees (one might have spoken French) than guests. The lounge was nothing to write home about, but considering what I hear about the over crowded KLM lounges, I was happy to be in this tranquil space. I will discover what the big KLM lounges are like on the return.

KL1253 City Hopper F70 (2:10) 12/19/04

We boarded a bus at B24 and met our F70 on the tarmac. There was no priority boarding for Europe select; but then again, it was a small plane. The guy in front of me took up half of the luggage space over the Europe select seats and then continued to his seat (16). Doesn’t seem very fair, but then again there was plenty of room. They had changed our seats from row 5 to row 3 (D and E), probably because there were only four Europe Select passengers: one in the first row, nobody in the second row and three of us in the third row. I feel bad for the people in the forth row with the curtain dividing the two sections in their faces. There wasn’t much of a difference between the two classes except our sandwich was bigger, we had a small dessert and the stewardess served our drinks from a tray and not the cart. I guess newspapers were offered and I could have had alcohol at this point, but I was tired and more in the mood for coffee. I would never pay for Europe Select, but it was nice having it on the continuation of a WBC flight.

LYS

We landed on time with no problems at Lyon and collected our bags. Our bags were not the first, but they did come out rather quickly.

In all, I was very happy with my first business class trip and as my nick-name suggests, I am a fan of KLM. Now that NWA and KLM joined Sky Team, I’m considering taking an Air France trip (PTVs in Coach), but my boyfriend resists the idea. He’s scared they will go on strike when we need to catch a flight. However, I would enjoy a flight were French was spoken. I also can’t sleep on flights no matter how much I drink so I would like to pick my own movies, but when I had the choice of movies in business class, I slept… what irony!

In two weeks I’ll add the return trip to this thread.

As this is my first trip report, what information would be useful that I didn’t include? I’ll try to add it when I write about the return trip.

Happy Holidays!

excellent report..but i did want to hear more about the upgrade sirprise !

KLM boy,

Thanks for taking the time to post this great report. I really enjoyed it and the only suggestion that I might have is to add a transcript of the menu since there are a few of us who love the catering details. I'm sorry that you did not enjoyed your experience completely but hopefully you will get a chance to do so on your return trip. I've learned never to order special meals when flying up front as there are usually enough choices to satisfy anyone.


Another one asked if the pilot could fly faster because he had an important connection or meeting. I guess some people believe that if you are in business class, you are more important than everyone else.

I hate classless people like that! Perhaps this is this jerk's first time in J. Sadly there are a lot of "nouveau riche" individuals full of insecurities out there. If I were the pilot, I would purposely delay this flight and blame it on airport congestion. This reminds me of an incident at an airport where a "big shot" asks a gate agent "do you know who I am?" the agent get on the microphone and says "does anyone know who this gentleman is?, apparently he is having a memory problem and doesn't know who he is".

Happy Holidays to you too!

^ Nice report!

Excellent report!!! Look forward to hearing about your return trip. I hope your return is as enjoyable as your flight out. ^

WASJETBOY

Nice report!

Would you mind talking about what there is to to in Lyon. I was thinking about going there in January from Aix-en-Provence, and was curious what there is to do. Are you French, just curious... My girl friend is French and I'm American.

Cheers

Timo

Enjoyed your story. Hope to hear more.
On the fight to AMS, the plane may have been able to catch a tail wind, thus increasing speed and reducing time, esp. since you left about 1 hour late and there were connections to be made. I've flown SFO-AMS below Hudson Bay a few times; i.e., knocked off 1 hr 10 min with a 75 mph tail wind, and it was a bumpy ride.
Make sure you get those KLM houses on your return. Have a camera ready as well, 'cause you'll probably return above the Arctic Circle over Canada. I sit in 2J window and always welcome folken to share my view to take photos. Nice way to make friends for a few hours.

Great report! Thanks for posting. ^

great report - takes me back to my first time in WBC. look forward to the return.

Deleted

I actually flew into SFO on 605 that day! We had an equipment swap in AMS, which is why we were late coming in. The jetstream was fierce -- we took the very northernmost routing -- from AMS up the Norwegian coast, then north of Iceland and across northern Greenland, north of Baffin Island in Canada, and finally headed south between Calgary and Vancouver.

Steve

I actually flew into SFO on 605 that day! We had an equipment swap in AMS, which is why we were late coming in. The jetstream was fierce -- we took the very northernmost routing -- from AMS up the Norwegian coast, then north of Iceland and across northern Greenland, north of Baffin Island in Canada, and finally headed south between Calgary and Vancouver.

Steve
Oh, O.K. I daily monitor the 605-606 route and noticed some flights were late getting out from AMS.
I returned a couple weeks back to SFO, running late, and we took that very northerly route. 2J window. PA announced it would not accurately display on our MD-11 flight tracker we were so far north.. I mentioned this on another thread:
On the return, it is a day flight in the Arctic Circle, and the Northwest Territories is great for taking photos. On our Dec return, we left quite late (1:00 pm) and took a very northerly route; the sun often dipped below the cloudy horizon 'til we turned hard left. Saw some spectacular ice flows.
Sounds like your route. Yeah, some turbulence there. PA said winds churning up. Coming off mountains. Did the weather permit a view ? Yes, you were above Baffin Island. Take a look on a map, or globe. One pax said he could see bridges along the Norweigian coast, but it might have been the bubbles in his drink. I shot a roll of film from my window seat. Personally, a highlight of my flying life.

Nice report!

Would you mind talking about what there is to to in Lyon. I was thinking about going there in January from Aix-en-Provence, and was curious what there is to do. Are you French, just curious... My girl friend is French and I'm American.

Cheers

Timo

I'm American and my boyfriend is French so we travel back once a year. I'm a high school French teacher, so I like to keep up with the language as much as possible.

I love Lyon, and enjoy it more than Paris. You have the big city feel without the swarms of tourists. We actually stay in Vorion (outside of Grenoble) and the ski ressort Chamrousse (home of th 1968 Olympics). I've taken a few day trips to Lyon. I would visit the catherdale and the Roman theatre ruins on the hill side (there is a connection from the metro line to the funiculaire or you can walk through the gardens). There is also great views from there if the smog isn't horrific. You can visit the vieille ville just below the hill. If you take the metro to Bellecour and walk along Rue de la République to the Opéra, there are great retaurants and shops. If you have a chance, one of the metro lines is automatic, so you can actually stand where the driver would be and watch as you go speeding along. It is a unique experience. There is an equivelant to Central Park or Golden Gate Park in Lyon and they have a small zoo. My parents have been to the silk museum, but I haven't. I've been to some nice bars and clubs, but nothing that I remember the name of.

If you take the train up to Lyon, there si also a big shopping complex across from the train station, Part Dieu.

Have fun!

PS I forgot to mention that we got houses #41 and #42.

<<I love Lyon, and enjoy it more than Paris. You have the big city feel without the swarms of tourists. We actually stay in Vorion (outside of Grenoble) and the ski ressort Chamrousse (home of th 1968 Olympics). >>

Interesting. I lived in Lyon for 2 years as a kid and I never met anyone who "loved" Lyon. The food yes. I hope you don't mind my remark.

LYS-AMS-SFO (KLM WBC) F100/MD11 01/02/05

KL1246 City Hopper F100 (6:25) 01/02/05

I sure wish we didn’t have to wake up at 3:30am. Our trip home always begins with one of Lyon’s first flights at 6:25am. This year, I noticed the changes since Air France acquired KLM: Air France tickets, Air France check-in agents, Air France luggage tags and the Air France terminal (21E) instead of where KLM used to be next to Lufthansa. This acquisition also cost me my Europe Select seat. I had reserved seats 5A and 5C in Europe Select (a product I would never pay for, but do appreciate when it is the continuation of a WBC trip) but the ticket agent gave me 14A and 14C. I was told that my fare was a student tariff (that is not true) and that I wasn’t eligible to travel in Europe Select. This is strange because on the trip to Lyon I was in Europe Select’s 3rd row (all four segments were Z fare). After talking to a second agent, I decided not to worry about it (it is only an hour flight). The business class line was nice because there were a lot of people waiting and you know how that French are with lines.

I was told that there was no business class lounge (What about the Mount Blanc Lounge?) and there was no pre-boarding for Europe Select which was the same as our earlier trip. We had a half hour delay due to weather conditions in Amsterdam and left about 30 minutes late. In this plane there were 3 Europe Select rows without a curtain, but with rose colored seat covers. Our crew was British as we seem to get every year on this flight. We were offered Cheese or Chicken sandwiches and I enjoyed the cheese sandwich which had cumin, but I wonder why they serve lunch snacks at 6:30am, what about croissants?

The flight was uneventful; however the landing had the worst turbulence I have ever experienced due to the wind in Amsterdam. It felt like we were going to go into a spiral downfall to our deaths. I also noticed that 3 French teens were video taping almost the entire flight. Is that legal? They also laughed as they video taped the flight attendant’s butt as she walked by. Really mature!

AMS (KLM Lounge)

We arrived in Amsterdam to find the closest lounge (41) already full at 8:30am and continued to lounge 52 which was crowded. The lounge attendant said that the problem I had in Lyon was due to KLM’s ticket classes not corresponding with Air France’s. She suggested a letter asking to be compensated because I did not receive the service I paid for.

The view was nicer from this lounge than SFO’s Northwest World Club, with NWA DC-10s and KLM 747s. The staff was friendly and the lounge was relaxing and calm even though it was crowded. I enjoyed some cappuccinos, pastries and my partner had some orange juice and cheese. They had soup and nachos available but maybe they should consider more breakfast selections at 8:30am. By 10am there were no seats free and we left to catch our flight home.

KL605 MD11 (11:30) 01/02/05

We arrived at gate E04 just in time for the second security screening and then boarded our MD11, Maria Montessori (the same plane we arrived on). We took our same seats, 1E and 1F and enjoyed the champagne. Our flight left 30 minutes after our 11:30 scheduled departure time due to the wind and we had a bumpy take off.

After my gin and tonic, we started dinner. The vegetarian meal was much better this time, a curry vegetable dish. I finished my wine ad enjoyed a Bailey’s on ice before I relaxed to watch the movies: Cellular, Bad Santa, Shark tail and Without a Paddle. I slept about two hours which is two hours more than most of my return flights and I noticed our very northern route: Norway, Greenland, Well above the Baffin Islands and down over Vancouver.

Some differences I noticed in the return flight: the purser personally greeted us and the pilot came to talk to some passengers (Elites I assume). Also people crossed in front of our seats a few times during the flight which didn’t happen on the earlier trip. I had a veggie sandwich snack with ice cream and watched the same episode of Everybody Loves Raymond about 4 times as I waited for my next movies to begin.

About two hours before landing (we had caught up with our normal time); the woman next to us complained that the meal wasn’t yet served. This is the same woman that had to tell her life story to the poor stewardess and complained when her coat wasn’t returned to her first before other passengers were served. Every time the woman talked, the stewardess and I exchanged looks of understanding, very amusing. The meal was a delicious apple-ginger tart and my partner had the vegetable quiche.

We were given houses #85 and #57 (My collection is off to a great start with my four houses). We were number 10 in line to land and ended up landing 30 minutes late due to the weather (so much for catching up from our late take off).

I enjoyed WBC and hope to do it again if I can afford it, but it is hard to justify paying 2,500 per ticket when I’m paying off college loans and trying to get by. Although this was one of the best flights ever, it will make economy class that much harder next year now that I know what is happening on the other side of the curtain.

LYS-AMS-SFO (KLM WBC) F100/MD11 01/02/05

KL1246 City Hopper F100 (6:25) 01/02/05

I sure wish we didn’t have to wake up at 3:30am. Our trip home always begins with one of Lyon’s first flights at 6:25am. This year, I noticed the changes since Air France acquired KLM: Air France tickets, Air France check-in agents, Air France luggage tags and the Air France terminal (21E) instead of where KLM used to be next to Lufthansa. This acquisition also cost me my Europe Select seat. I had reserved seats 5A and 5C in Europe Select (a product I would never pay for, but do appreciate when it is the continuation of a WBC trip) but the ticket agent gave me 14A and 14C. I was told that my fare was a student tariff (that is not true) and that I wasn’t eligible to travel in Europe Select. This is strange because on the trip to Lyon I was in Europe Select’s 3rd row (all four segments were Z fare). After talking to a second agent, I decided not to worry about it (it is only an hour flight). The business class line was nice because there were a lot of people waiting and you know how that French are with lines.

I was told that there was no business class lounge (What about the Mount Blanc Lounge?) and there was no pre-boarding for Europe Select which was the same as our earlier trip. We had a half hour delay due to weather conditions in Amsterdam and left about 30 minutes late. In this plane there were 3 Europe Select rows without a curtain, but with rose colored seat covers. Our crew was British as we seem to get every year on this flight. We were offered Cheese or Chicken sandwiches and I enjoyed the cheese sandwich which had cumin, but I wonder why they serve lunch snacks at 6:30am, what about croissants?

The flight was uneventful; however the landing had the worst turbulence I have ever experienced due to the wind in Amsterdam. It felt like we were going to go into a spiral downfall to our deaths. I also noticed that 3 French teens were video taping almost the entire flight. Is that legal? They also laughed as they video taped the flight attendant’s butt as she walked by. Really mature!

AMS (KLM Lounge)

We arrived in Amsterdam to find the closest lounge (41) already full at 8:30am and continued to lounge 52 which was crowded. The lounge attendant said that the problem I had in Lyon was due to KLM’s ticket classes not corresponding with Air France’s. She suggested a letter asking to be compensated because I did not receive the service I paid for.

The view was nicer from this lounge than SFO’s Northwest World Club, with NWA DC-10s and KLM 747s. The staff was friendly and the lounge was relaxing and calm even though it was crowded. I enjoyed some cappuccinos, pastries and my partner had some orange juice and cheese. They had soup and nachos available but maybe they should consider more breakfast selections at 8:30am. By 10am there were no seats free and we left to catch our flight home.

KL605 MD11 (11:30) 01/02/05

We arrived at gate E04 just in time for the second security screening and then boarded our MD11, Maria Montessori (the same plane we arrived on). We took our same seats, 1E and 1F and enjoyed the champagne. Our flight left 30 minutes after our 11:30 scheduled departure time due to the wind and we had a bumpy take off.

After my gin and tonic, we started dinner. The vegetarian meal was much better this time, a curry vegetable dish. I finished my wine ad enjoyed a Bailey’s on ice before I relaxed to watch the movies: Cellular, Bad Santa, Shark tail and Without a Paddle. I slept about two hours which is two hours more than most of my return flights and I noticed our very northern route: Norway, Greenland, Well above the Baffin Islands and down over Vancouver.

Some differences I noticed in the return flight: the purser personally greeted us and the pilot came to talk to some passengers (Elites I assume). Also people crossed in front of our seats a few times during the flight which didn’t happen on the earlier trip. I had a veggie sandwich snack with ice cream and watched the same episode of Everybody Loves Raymond about 4 times as I waited for my next movies to begin.

About two hours before landing (we had caught up with our normal time); the woman next to us complained that the meal wasn’t yet served. This is the same woman that had to tell her life story to the poor stewardess and complained when her coat wasn’t returned to her first before other passengers were served. Every time the woman talked, the stewardess and I exchanged looks of understanding, very amusing. The meal was a delicious apple-ginger tart and my partner had the vegetable quiche.

We were given houses #85 and #57 (My collection is off to a great start with my four houses). We were number 10 in line to land and ended up landing 30 minutes late due to the weather (so much for catching up from our late take off).

I enjoyed WBC and hope to do it again if I can afford it, but it is hard to justify paying 2,500 per ticket when I’m paying off college loans and trying to get by. Although this was one of the best flights ever, it will make economy class that much harder next year now that I know what is happening on the other side of the curtain.

Thanks for the report and glad you enjoyed yourself. Don't resign yourself to cattle class, and don't resign yourself to paying $2500 for WBC either. Every year NW (and many other US airlines) have $1000-$1500 business class sales ex-SFO to Europe. Just wait until November and the sales always pop up.

To follow up on the down grade from Europe Select to Economy on the LYS-AMS segment:

I sent an email to Northwest Airlines on their website and received a personal response with an apology within 6 days and was told my case was being forwarded to the refund department for compensation and that I should receive something in the mail within two weeks.

Two and a half weeks later I emailed the refund department and asked for at least the 50% Class Bonus that I would have gotten in Europe Select (The Z class fares I purchased) if I was not going to receive any partial refund or compensation. I got a reply that the letter had been mailed a week earlier.

Today I received the letter and it states:

"We have received your request for a possible adjustment for the down grade on the subject tickets. We regret that the tickets could not be used as originally intended. We have determined that you purchased a special business fare and the re-priced value of the used portions of the tickets exceeds the fare paid. Therefore, we regret to inform you that no adjustment is due."

I wasn't expecting a $300 voucher, but a few miles or drink coupons would have been nice...something...anything... So KLM can downgrade me from Europe Select to Economy and Northwest Airlines will do nothing but "regret" it happened?

I go out of my way to fly Northwest even though San Francisco is a United hub. I enjoy KLM and the choice of Delta, Alaska and Air France flights within Sky Team and I was well on my way to elite status this year, but after this, I may have to give Star Alliance a try, starting by canceling my WorldPerks visa and applying for a Mileage Plus visa for 20,000 bonus miles. Looks like my flight to Vancouver on Alaskan might be the last WorldPerks miles I earn for the time being and I'll have to start taking advantage the 120,000 miles in my account.to the complaint department at Northwest Airlines

To follow up on the down grade from Europe Select to Economy on the LYS-AMS segment:



Two and a half weeks later I emailed the refund department and asked for at least the 50% Class Bonus that I would have gotten in Europe Select (The Z class fares I purchased) if I was not going to receive any partial refund or compensation. I got a reply that the letter had been mailed a week earlier.

Today I received the letter and it states:

"We have received your request for a possible adjustment for the down grade on the subject tickets. We regret that the tickets could not be used as originally intended. We have determined that you purchased a special business fare and the re-priced value of the used portions of the tickets exceeds the fare paid. Therefore, we regret to inform you that no adjustment is due."

I wasn't expecting a $300 voucher, but a few miles or drink coupons would have been nice...something...anything... So KLM can downgrade me from Europe Select to Economy and Northwest Airlines will do nothing but "regret" it happened?

I go out of my way to fly Northwest even though San Francisco is a United hub. I enjoy KLM and the choice of Delta, Alaska and Air France flights within Sky Team and I was well on my way to elite status this year, but after this, I may have to give Star Alliance a try, starting by canceling my WorldPerks visa and applying for a Mileage Plus visa for 20,000 bonus miles. Looks like my flight to Vancouver on Alaskan might be the last WorldPerks miles I earn for the time being and I'll have to start taking advantage the 120,000 miles in my account.to the complaint department at Northwest Airlines

Sorry to hear the end of the tale. Use those miles to buy an MH F award before the mileage price goes up March 1!

Nice report... but I don't understand how you can be so angry at NWA for something that they never did? Don't you think taking your business away from NWA for this tiny matter is a bit drastic? You're balming NWA for something that AF and KLM messed up with? Perhaps they were just enforcing your rules. It does seem odd to me however, that you bought tickets in a certain class and got downgraded, but it doesn't sound like it's NWAs fault.


AZJ

Nice report... but I don't understand how you can be so angry at NWA for something that they never did? Don't you think taking your business away from NWA for this tiny matter is a bit drastic? You're balming NWA for something that AF and KLM messed up with? Perhaps they were just enforcing your rules. It does seem odd to me however, that you bought tickets in a certain class and got downgraded, but it doesn't sound like it's NWAs fault.
AZJ
I agree, this was a NW partner, not NW's decision. Your complaint *should* signal NW to do something about it in the future, and you should have gotten some bonus miles from the complaint department.
I would also be unhappy with not getting something I paid for. But please be honest with yourself--this "Europe Select" is total crap: On a Z fare to MUC, I sat in 3x3 on a 737, in a middle seat, 2B, between 2 huge Germans (OK, I liked THAT part a lot!!), but it was crowded and the only difference between Y and C was that I got some cold cut plate for a meal in C, and Y got a sandwich.
No difference in seat pitch, service, anything.
I do agree with you that NW should have offered at least some bonus miles to say that someone (either them or their partner), since NW sold you the fare, no less--messed up. But I'm not sure I'd leave NW because of it--then again, you've got lots of choice in SFO, while here I am in MSP--if it happened to me, what could I do about it anyway? Fly via ORD/EWR/DFW/DEN/CVG?? Ick.

You are both right,

I was angry when I got the letter, but after sleeping on it, I feel less upset. The reason I wrote to NW and not KLM, is because they seem to like having their American customers deal with NWA and the European customers with KLM, regarless of the metal flown. It was a great trip, and one little flight after the great service in WBC across the atlantic, is really nothing compared to the big picture. I will continue flying Northwest. With three Legacy carriers in their alliance and KLM-AirFrance, it is the most logical company for me to fly with. Jeez, after reading threads in the AA and United forum, I realize that these things happen across the board.

We were given houses #85 and #57 (My collection is off to a great start with my four houses). We were number 10 in line to land and ended up landing 30 minutes late due to the weather (so much for catching up from our late take off).


Nice report...sounds like it was a pretty good experience. But I have to ask, what are, "houses #85 and #57"?? Sorry if I'm naive! :D

and the only difference between Y and C was that I got some cold cut plate for a meal in C, and Y got a sandwich. No difference in seat pitch, service, anything.

If you wanted it, you'd have got free alcohol too. Aren't you supposed to get a newspaper as well?

I agree Europe Select sucks when it's busy. It's especially irritating to get sat on a 737-800 (which has a few rows of proper business class seating), but to get sat behind them in economy seats.

But I have to ask, what are, "houses #85 and #57"?? Sorry if I'm naive! :D

On KLM WBC flights, everyone receives a small blue and white Delft house with gin inside. Each house is modeled after a Dutch house. Some people collect them and so #85 and #57 were the numbers of the houses we got on the return flight. If you go to the KLM website, you can find a page on the Dutch miniatures. There are many on Ebay as well.

It is a nice gift to remember your flight.

On KLM WBC flights, everyone receives a small blue and white Delft house with gin inside. Each house is modeled after a Dutch house. Some people collect them and so #85 and #57 were the numbers of the houses we got on the return flight. If you go to the KLM website, you can find a page on the Dutch miniatures. There are many on Ebay as well.

It is a nice gift to remember your flight.

Very cool! Thanks for the clarification. And I agree, what a nice touch to remember the flight by...especially if you don't fly WBC too often. ^