The KLM dichotomy theory makes sense to me. However, I cannot concur that KLM J is heads and tails above US carriers. I recently took the KL 777 SFO-AMS in J and returned on NW 330 CDG-DTW in J - and without question, the NW 330 J product was vastly better than KL's. In every area - food, entertainment, seat comfort, crew attentiveness. That is not to say the KL J product is not perfectly fine - it was. It's just that there are US carriers with an equivalent or better J product, at least in my experience.