Maximizing longhaul experience on KLM
 

My girlfriend will be flying from Amsterdam to Beijing in December.I'ts her first longhaul flight and I would like to make her the trip as pleasant as you can on an economy ticket.
I am an LH(star alliance) person so I have few question about klm :

I noticed an option to buy additional meal on the site , few menus to choose from.They say the offer is not available for all flights now but they working on it .Assuming that the offer will be available in december, my question is it really an additional meal to the one you get on the plane ?
(on OS when u order a la carte its instead of the standard meal , which is logical).. When do they serve you the ordered meal ?

Can you buy lounge access in Schipol? Is it worth it ?She has only the basic AF/KLM card and she has 8 hours layover there.I would suggest to go the city and warm up in a coffee shop or something :D

Any other tips are appreciated.

Thank you

Not additional but instead of the standard meal

[/QUOTE]Can you buy lounge access in Schipol? Is it worth it ?She has only the basic AF/KLM card and she has 8 hours layover there.I would suggest to go the city and warm up in a coffee shop or something :D

Any other tips are appreciated.

Thank you
[/QUOTE]

Not for the Crownlounge as a FB Ivory. Maybe Servisair lounge but I wouldn't buy it. To basic and only drinks and some snacks.

Hello Fanb

I assume she is travelling alone?

8 hours is a very long layover - I like Schiphol but I'd struggle to fill that time - is there any chance she can change her incoming flight to a later one to shorten the layover time?

If not.....

Is she an experienced/confident traveller (intra-Europe) - if she is I would suggest that she does indeed catch the train into Centraal. There are a lot more ways to waste some time in the city. But will she be comfortable doing this? If she's not confident perhaps it would be better to stay closer to the airport...?

I wasn't aware of the paid lounges at Schiphol so I looked them up - they look OK and its nice to get away from the crowds in the terminal - but you can only use them 3.5 hours before your flight. This may be an option for some of the time but you would need to ask her if she's happy sitting in a lounge for a few hours before committing her to that.

Perhaps you could book a day room at the airside hotel (I think its the Mercure? :confused:- someone here will hopefully correct me if that's wrong) She could have a shower, a rest, read a book, listen to music....?

As for food - I can't help with the food in LH economy as I have no experience of it but there are plenty of places in Schiphol to buy snacks for the flight. I'm sure she could find some Dutch delights to take with her....

You could also order her a surprise gift to be delivered on the fight - they would make it special ;) They're listed on the KLM website.

Other than that, to make the flight more comfortable, I would recommend that she has in her carry on bag:

Neck pillow
Lip salve/moisturisers
Tissues
Anti-bac hand wipes
Mints
A loaded iPad or iPod for entertainment
A really good book (or books on a Kindle)

Hopefully the hours will pass quickly and she'll enjoy the whole experience.

Oh, and why not get her to write a trip report for us! :D

Wow, thanks a lot for the post! :)
The ticket is issued by AF and the student fare allows 1 free rebooking but she will need it for the rebooking of her returning flight.
Personally I find long layover better than a tight connection but I can access usualy 2 lounges.. with my FFP card and with my credit card.. :D

No, she has no problems with intra European travel, or visiting the city alone. I think the main factor will be the weather that day.
You didn't mention blankets.. Does KLM provide blankets for its eco passengers?
Of course i'll ask for a detailed report :)

- earplugs - the gel type rather than the rubber in-the-ear type
- a really good eye mask that leaves space for your eyelashes - see online
- mild sleeping pills

a nice meal before departure might be better than a special in-flight meal.

Eye mask - good idea MANman

Not sure about blankets Fanb - I would tell her to take a good quality pashmina just in case they don't.

FB

KLM's long haul flights normaly have a banket together with a pillow on the seat when you board. If you need an extra blanket or pillow (for the people who have a bony but, like me), ask for one immediantly as soon as you are seated. The extra pollows run out fast.

On a long haul flight make sure you secure the best seat - it can make a big difference.
The best Economy KLM 747 seat I had was in the tail of just where it narrows down. I was by the window and there was a gap between me and the wall - perfect for storing your hand bag. The worst was a non aisle seat in the centre section and in the last row where they don't fully recline.

Another tip when flying to China (and many other places in Asia) is to take an evening departure from AMS.

Depart on an evening flight from AMS and you will arrive in China mid-day or afternoon, check in to your hotel, take a shower, a little sightseeing, a couple of drinks and then you will be ready for an early to bed.
A mild sleeping pill or some alcohol will help you sleep the night and you'll wake up the next morning feeling fresh. Perfect.

or...
Depart on a morning flight out of AMS and you arrive in China very early in the morning e.g. 6AM, with your body clock screaming bed-time, but the whole day in front of you. And often they don't have a room ready in your hotel until lunchtime. Torture.
If you have to do this flight, then be sure and request an early check-in at your hotel.

Thank you for the tips!
As a seat I think that aisle bulkhead seat would be good ? No people reclining in front , quick de-boarding..

The downside of a bulkhead seat is limited legroom as you have no seat in front to tuck your feet under. They give you a extra space to compensate, but you will usually end up with less for your feet.
Also passengers with babies are placed there as the cot clips to the wall, so you might end up with a crying child next to you all night.

www.seatguru.com will make it all clear.

It is indeed the Mercure (the Yotel will be closed at that point). The Mercure is great for an overnight, but I'm not sure I'd want to spend the day there (unless it was to sleep) - the rooms (or at least, the ones I've been in) don't have windows, and there isn't much to do, except wander around the terminal (which you can do without paying for a hotel room!)

With an 8hr daytime layover, I would also recommend going into Amsterdam (or the Hague). There are frequent trains, and it is easy to do. The weather may not be great in December, but there are several museums, etc in Amsterdam. She should just be sure to get back to the airport in plenty of time for her flight.

Does anybody know how flexible is N (longhaul) and L (shorthaul) class ? Flight is booked on KLM , operated by AF.
It should be a student fare and allow free rebooking.
When doing the rebooking (on the phone probably because I dont see the option online) will the ticket be rebooked to this specific class again?
If it was a regular ticket I wouldn't ask, but on KLM website I got this information that the fare code is special.And I couldn't view the class there or on checkmytrip.com but luckily AF shows the specific booking codes too.
Is there any chance to rebook it to an economy class that could get more miles , better flexibility etc..?
I'm sure that there is a thread about it somewhere but I don't have a lot of time so I would be grateful for any links/help.
Thank you