I had a similar experience with kLM.

I did NUE to MAN via AMS in Y yesterday (lucky really because Y was the only class on the plane) and both flights had some service. I know some people couldn't care less if they get a sandwich or not but the morning had been hectic (not helped by having too many Tequila slammers with the customer the night before) so the Tuna sandwich was the first thing I'd eaten all day. For some reason, the cans of beer were bigger on the NUE-AMS flight, not that I was drinking beer (it was too early).

As often seems to be the case the connect time at AMS was short - had the inbound plane been 10-15 minutes late I may have struggled to get to the gate on time. I think this would be a barrier to using kLM when travelling for leisure for me (when travelling on business I try not to care). The AMS to MAN flight was overbooked and a few of the passengers had boarding passes with the same seats which wasn't particularly impressive.

I get the impression that the flag carriers are flapping about a bit over the budget threat at the moment (worse case scenario being LH who will not even sell you service on some flights). I'm certainly starting to appreciate the budget carriers who pretty much guarantee food (or drink) if you want to pay for it.