KLM 777-200
After we walked to our gate from the lounge, we waited a few minutes in the Priority line. Boarding for business class was called and we boarded on time through door 1L. KLM had a split boarding jetway so that only business class boarded through 1L and economy boarded through 2L. I mentioned to the flight attendant how disappointing it was that we had the aircraft change from a 787 to a 777-200 and she agreed, but said they would make it a pleasant flight. She was right!
We had originally been in window seats on the 787 and had been reassigned to windows and aisles on the right and left side of row 4. We decided we would keep these seats despite the climbing over each other as it was a day flight. I sat with my older daughter as we both planned to try and stay awake while the other two planned to sleep during the flight.
KLM 621
Scheduled 16:50-20:25
Actual 17:14-20:30
I found it interesting that we waited for some last-minute connecting passengers given that Qatar Airways wouldn’t hold the flight even five minutes for us the previous week. Granted this is KLM’s only daily flight to Atlanta and we had another option seven hours later, but I was sort of ticked off at Qatar Airways all over again.
No pre-departure beverages were distributed, but amenity kits were passed out by the flight attendants. The seats were basically the same as the ones on the prior flight so you can see a picture of the seat in that post. We pushed back at 5:14pm, about 25 minutes late.
After takeoff, the drink cart came around quickly, and I ordered a Jack Daniels on the rocks. It was served with a ramekin of nuts. I decided to watch Everything Everywhere All at Once on my daughter’s recommendation. I enjoyed it but it was a bit hard to follow after the whiskey.
Here’s the menu:
I ordered the salmon with a glass of chardonnay and it was actually quite good.
The appetizers were a bit weird but the hummus with zucchini and the feta were actually good. I’m not sure who thought a nut salad was a good idea though.
The salmon was quite tasty and not dry.
Dessert was just ok.
So much for staying awake. Between the whiskey, the wine and my lack of sleep, I crashed after the movie. Thankfully, it was a smooth ride across the Atlantic and I slept for about four hours. My daughter next to me slept as well.
I woke up to an announcement that we were expecting turbulence for the last couple of hours of the flight. I noticed on the moving map that we went up to 40,000 feet and took a more westerly routing across the US before turning south. I knew there was some bad weather in Atlanta as my mother-in-law texted that the house was under a tornado watch with severe storms.
About 90 minutes before landing, the second meal was served. I decided to try the empanada and it was actually good if a bit too spicy. The chocolate cake for dessert was heavy but tasty.
We ended up not having any major turbulence despite the warning and thankfully, landed in Atlanta after the bad weather had moved through the area. As only two of us have Global Entry, I decided to try the new Mobile Passport app (it’s been updated and replaced). It worked out well as we sailed right through immigration, only to wait 30 minutes for our checked bags to come out. I was about to go to the baggage service office when the last set of bags finally emerged. I guess the 10 hour layover caused our bags to be loaded first and offloaded last. At least they all made it.
Then we had an adventure with Uber. I ordered an Uber XL as there were four of us with bags. The driver seemed to be a newbie who couldn’t find the international terminal arrivals area - twice! In the end, I canceled, called him not to pick up the ride, and re-ordered. Lucky for us, the price came down almost $50 and we got a much better driver.
We got home around 11pm and collapsed into bed. It was a great trip and I was so happy we were able to make it happen after three years of planning!
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