I read the comments on this site for a good sneer, just like the rest of us. But, gentle persons, are we not losing sight of the objective?

Forget about the minutiae of seat widths & fare classes. Let me give you a dispassionate perspective from a frequent short-haul and infrequent long-haul flyer on KLM vs NWA - - KLM sucks.

I just travelled cattle class GLA-AMS-ATL with KL and ATL-DTW-AMS-GLA with NW. The difference in attitude was striking:

- Cabin Service – KL: grudging, NW: attentive
- Ticket change (lowest fare), NW: no problem they actually told me to phone back the next day and save $100
- Check-in, KL (Servisair): ‘Platinum what?’ NW: personally escorted to the desk, automatic upgrade on domestic leg
- IFE, KL: couldn’t hear, couldn’t see the shared screen, NW: a wee TV in the seat back, magic!

Hope this helps