Fabo.sk

The only way I can see trying for a Michelin-restaurant at Schiphol to have even a modicum of sense would be to have a single kitchen serve both landside and airside areas. But I don't know how that could work with security, besides, the location in the lounge precludes it anyway.

worldclubber

The terrace can no longer be accessed by regular lounge guests? I was there in October and loved it.

If that’s true, KLM just lost me.

Oakshadow

My question is are the free food options better or worse in the non-Schengen lounge? Are there items that are free in the Schengen lounge that are not in the non-Schengen?

fifty_two

depends of the time you visit the non-schengen , but i would say its almost same offer in both lounges

bennos

I just passed through the lounge for the first time since the latest expansion yesterday and was surprised to find the bar now part of the restaurant. (Clearly I haven't been following this thread.) I share the conclusion that this is a gigantic waste of space and effort, and hope the experiment fails quickly.

During the morning peak, the main lounge floor was as crowded as always, and very, very difficult to navigate. There are a number of places where seating gets in the way of passenger flow. As usual, it was difficult to find open seats, which were mostly in the black "individual cubicle" seats along the back walls or at shared tables. Meanwhile, the upstairs bar and restaurant were almost completely empty. A good compromise for now would be to simply revert the bar to lounge space until midday. The bar itself could still be paid, but the seating (and the outdoor space) should become generally available. On top of that, the F&B layout is at best confusing.

I really want to like this lounge more, but instead I was so annoyed by the experience that I left early for my gate. As a STE+ passenger I guess I would consider this barely acceptable. As a paid J passenger I would be pretty annoyed at the experience.

As previously mentioned, the premium bar options at the DL SkyClubs (not available at all clubs) do not make the complimentary options harder to obtain, and do not take away from the available space for everyone else. And as you mention, you can redeem miles for the premium options, making them effectively free. KLM could easily replicate this model.

Additionally, the DL JFK SkyClub hosted an experiment in paid premium food options several years ago. This experiment failed completely (in various incarnations), and instead the club now has a significantly improved buffet available to everyone. KLM could also easily replicate this model.

Goldorak

Bolding is mine. It has certainly improved, but it is still miserable IMHO.

Fabo.sk

The terrace is still accessible, it's just that you won't have any service anywhere nearby.


I would say that the selection in NS lounge is a bit better - most notably there is a bit of a wider choice. Not a grand difference though.

worldclubber

What a relief.

HalconBCN

Yes, I think it's practically identical - very poor offer in both lounges.
Another point I thought to myself last time I was at the NS lounge, can those awful meatballs not be made with 100% beef instead of mixing beef with pork? The balls have a horrible taste in general, and are also culturally insensitive as they will not appeal to religious Jews, Muslims or Hindus. Not many food items exclude three religions simultaneously.
I'm also not a fan of the staff serving me food in the Schengen lounge - it feels like you are lining up at the school canteen. I would rather serve myself and choose the right portion size.

FlyerTalker324193

Is that the current status quo?

The last time I visited the two lounges was last month, so shortly before the opening of the new NS areas. At the time, the offer in the NS lounge was a bit wider. (E.g., on that date, they had pizza and a bar with four different flavors of hummus and some mezze in the NS lounge. The Schengen lounge didn't have either.)

Interesting point. I had that discussion recently with a family member.

However, may be a topic for another thread. It is really open for debate whether offerings should be halal, kosher, ahimsa, or such. Some Christian denominations may not condone serving alcohol on a Sunday morning etc. So no booze in the lounge Sunday mornings? Again, I think that's a topic for another thread.

HalconBCN

I saw square pizza slices in the Schengen lounge, and going clockwise around the buffet you can find soup, salad, donuts, etc. Not sure if the NS has anything different than that?

About the meatballs: leaving aside the topic of introducing religion-specific food (not needed in my view), it would certainly cost nothing to remove the pork from the meatballs so that more guests could "enjoy" them. It's common knowledge that even many secular Jews and Muslims avoid pork!

worldclubber

Well, it depends on what you replace the pork with. There is hardly any cheaper meat than pork.

FlyerTalker324193

It's also hard to be politically correct these days.

If you want to be environmentally progressive, you should offer little beef. Pork is much more environmentally friendly than beef. (Poultry is even better in terms of ecobalance but with poultry, animal welfare is often an issue. Both poultry and pork are cheaper than beef.)

OTOH, pork is iffy because it's haram or the like for some religions.

So there are conflicts of interest.

But again, I believe this debate over what food is proper to serve in the lounge contains no elements which are specific to the KL lounges in AMS.

caliform

Yeah, let's veer from that before someone starts complaining that a particular curry is cultural appropriation and insensitive to serve given the Dutch colonial past, etc....

HalconBCN

I pointed out a specific example of a pork-beef meatball in the KL that a.) Tastes horrible in its current form and b.) Could be easily modified to appeal to a much wider range of guests.
It's not about being "politically correct". It's about common sense: realizing that you're a global airline and your guests come from all walks of life, so if you can make some easy changes to your food ingredients so that the menu appeals to more guests then why would you not do that?
Or maybe KLM is afraid of upsetting the anti-PC squad who can indeed be quite sensitive. I'll leave it at that.