chalf

IIRC, KLM also has an economy comfort product, for a reasonable buy-in from Y. I have never tried it, but have done the equivalent on UA and DL.

South London Bon Viveur

I have not flown KLM long haul in Y in a few years but from memory Economy Comfort (flew JNB to AMS) was a bit like AA Main Cabin Extra- same seats and same service, just a bit more legroom.

I cannot comment at all on LH but from past experience KL and BA long haul Y really is much of a muchness. If the difference is £100-£200 then I would go with BA simply on the basis that any cost saving is not worth the hassle of the increased risk of losing baggage, missing connections etc.

However if the saving is greater, especially if taking wags/children, then it might be worth doing, particularly as AMS would normally be an easy transit- though I should add that with current refurb work it might be different.

pattas

If it has to be Y, I would let price and schedule decide which one I would go for. All three airlines mentioned by OP are a decent product. The economy comfort on KLM as mentioned above makes the KLM experience a lot better. Increased legroom, better recline, slightly wider seat. Cost per leg without status is somewhere around €100, so you want to factor that into your overall price. Please note that this is in no way comparable to WT+, food and drinks etc are all standard economy fare.

Greenpen

I once survived a Y six hour flight on LH so although BKK is further you should just about make it. I can't remember much about the flight either because I have successfully repressed the trauma or there was nothing particular about it. But I only did it the once!

flibbly

Never flown LH on LH in Y, but did MAN-AMS-SFO//SFO-AMS-MAN on KLM last month.

I paid the extra hundred and odd quid each way for "economy comfort", and having looked back down the plane when I went to the toilet I'm glad I did. Seat was perfectly acceptable (for Y), but IFE was nothing special. Food was edible, but the drinks selection was appalling - it seems they don't use miniatures for spirits but just free-pour from a larger bottle, however on the way there they had Whiskey or ... well that's it, and on the way back they had managed to add brandy to the offering.

They did cough up my 600 Euros for EC261 in super quick time though!

Richmond_Surrey

I took KLM economy from AMS to YUL in June and it was quite good, new A330-300. Not sure what plane is flying to BKK. However there was small delay at departure and huge chaos at boarding. Food was worse than BA economy, but that's my personal opinion.

I would look into Middle East Carriers.

orbitmic

Generally agree. There is little in between the three. As someone with free access to Economy Comfort on KL, I would choose them in priority but if I did not have the access that would be harder to tell. While in Y, I personally prefer flying on A330/A340 (or upper deck A380) type aircrafts rather than B777/747 because the 2-4-2 layout is more pleasant (I have never had problem getting a seat in one of the pairs even with LH's annoying new rule that even *A G cannot pre-assign for free any more) so if LH fly that to BKK (I do not believe that KL do) I would probably go for it. If KL, the economy comfort section on the 744/74M is particularly pleasant.

TPJ

On older aircraft TG has a very generous seat pitch: 34 inches (comparing with 31 on BA). Unfortunately it is 32 in on newer aircraft. But service and meals are significantly better than on BA.

Edit: just realized OP inquiry was about BA/KL/LH - but IMHO it is still worth checking TG, too... Sorry for OT'ing

StuckinITH

Six hours is about the maximum I can do in Y. After that, the pain increases exponentially for every hour flown.

sebanto2001

I flew LH this winter FRA-PEK (more than 10 hours) and even if the new IFE is really great, the new seats are really hard and it was horrible for a 10 hours flight. The way back was really better since I was upgraded to their new Y+ product which is indeed great (and definitely better than BA Y+).

I flew KL two years ago back from HKG. The flight was pleasant since the cabin was half occupied and nearly every passengers had 2 seats for themselves.

But for Y, I really prefer flying BA (not on the 787) or EK (back of the 777 or front of the A380). EK give you the opportunity to choose your seats for free at the time of booking and have a really great service onboard.

12939

BA, KL and LH are my three most frequented airlines. For a long-haul in Y, my choice would be KL, BA then LH.

As others have posted, the KL Economy Comfort product is a fairly low cost additional cost on top of the Economy fare and you can choose to do this at any time, irrespective of status. If you have status you get a nice discount, or potentially free if you have FB Platinum. If I was not prepared to buy up to Economy Comfort on KLM, then I would probably go with BA on the basis of my status benefits.

For me BA, hold on to 2nd place because I'm always hopeful of an upgrade (ha!) and for whatever reason, I feel I'm already home as soon as I board the aircraft on the way home. I don't get that feeling with KLM.

I'm not the biggest fan of LH, though to be fair, they are quite good and you know exactly what you're going to get. Their pricing is usually very keen - my company travel policy forces me to take the cheapest route within certain parameters. I have had more IRROPS with them than any other airline, including my only ever invol downgrade (from Business to 53B on a 747). They were very proactive in paying me the quite substantial compensation though.

This doesn't affect the OP, but for the benefit of other FT'ers, I would be very wary of a route via FRA or MUC between December and February in case of weather-realted IRROPS - despite popular belief, German airports also grind to a halt when the snow comes.

fiona

It's an interesting thread and lots of information which will help others as well.
We are off to Barbados next week in wt+. As it's the old type I can imagine I will end up deciding that I need to avoid wt at all costs. But, we will see.

smokie36

KLM has a kinda premium economy you can upgrade to on their website which gives 6 inches more leg room for about £100 each way....however if you get the front seats on each side its much more than that.

All else is economy....the time I flew it seemed a good deal.

Economy seats looked horrific by comparison.

sl1ppy

Agreed, makes the ME3 bearable in Y to the likes of BKK, chance to stretch your legs midway.
Personally I'd hold off for a while and see what J offers come up.

adfg

QR have a sale until tomorrow midnight with BKK for £370 from EDI, not sure about LHR prices.

Haven't tried Y on QR yet but will be giving it a shot at the end of the month to BKK.