ehe123

My daughter (a Delta Gold Medallion) was upgraded to "Business" on the KLM 747 flying from PVG-AMS due to an oversold situation in coach. She was in the front cabin, which had business-class seats. She was amazed to find that the service appeared to be the same as coach, with the same food in plastic trays! Did they use the front cabin for upgraded coach passengers, with real business class service on the top deck?

Gajan

Yes, that is a quite common situation.

Gajan

KL895

As this question pops up quite often, I wonder if/why KLM doesn't make the situation any clearer to the lucky ones that do get this upgrade. Without any explanation it must leave a few people with a bad impression of KL's "Business Class"?

ehe123

I think that is why Delta never does anything like this, because it is downgrading their business class product. Why would someone want to pay a great deal for business class in the future if they have now found that the service is the same as in economy, only the seats are much better.

KLflyerRalph

Huh? The service IS different. (although only slightly for an Elite+)

ehe123

How was the service different from that in coach? And what difference does it make if one is an Elite+? The service that you receive is based upon the cabin in which you are sitting.

irishguy28

Your sister didn't receive an upgrade, and therefore did not receive business class service (which is different from economy class, of course).

She was lucky enough to be seated in the business class cabin due to overbooking in Y (which happens fairly often on KLM - there are loads of threads about it on here), but she received economy class service. This should have been explained to her when she received her (new) boarding pass.

ehe123

My daughter was never told that, and apparently this is common (from what someone else posted). In oversold situations on Delta she (and I) have been UPGRADED to business many times.

KLflyerRalph

An Elite+ already gets Business class check-in, extra luggage allowance, priority luggage and lounge access. If she was seated in business but got economy class service, the only difference between paid business class would be the meal and the miles.

ehe123

You forgot the Delft houses, the amenity kit, the drinks, etc.

Hagbard Viking

Coach service in Business?

No, Business seat in Coach!

irishguy28

Oops - daughter, not sister.

But indeed, she should have been properly informed.

In future, and in a nod to the hundreds of terms listed on the Urban Dictionary starting with "Dutch", I think we should call this a "Dutch Upgrade"

ehe123

I agree, as in "Dutch treat".

NB00

Yes, and KLM does the same, except when there is a small number of business class pax that they fit in the front section or, in case of 747, at the upper level. If you pay for coach, it is nice to get a business class seat, why complain that you do not get the C-class service as well?

The two times this happened to me, I was informed it was still economy class service. Also the new boarding pass said economy (Y). They should have informed your daugther, but either way she had a much more comfortable flight!

johan rebel

The one time it happened to me, years ago, I think I was the only pax who knew what was going on. At one point I stood up to stretch my legs, whereupon the two little old ladies in the next row started scolding me for blocking their view of the movie they were watching on the overhead screen (that's how long ago it was!), which was showing the Y program. I took the trouble of explaining to them that they had individual screens in their armrests, and could actually choose from a range of films (not that we had been given a program), but they would have nothing of it. The thought that they were sitting in a J cabin had never occurred to them, and indeed seemed to be beyond their comprehension. I still wonder if they noticed the difference on their flight back.

Johan