Service ICN - AMS on KL856
 

Hi all, I am flying ICN - AMS on KL856, departing 00:55 on Thursday 18th January (arrives AMS 04:30, then connecting on to LHR on KL1001). Given the unpleasant timings of this flight, does anyone know what onboard service would be provided in terms of meals? Luckily I am travelling back in business, but even then a meal at 2am sounds odd. I have only flown KLM once before, and that was within short haul EU, so it will be a new experience all round.

Flew KUL-AMS a while ago, same sort of timing. Got a complete hot meal, bit lighter than at normal times, but filling enough. It was done very quickly. Many passengers skipped the service, which in the case of the shorter ICN-AMS leg could be advisable.

There is of course also a 2nd service about 90-120 minutes before landing

I've flown that in J, they do a regular meal service pretty much asap after take-off.

Have you checked flightguide dot klm dot com?
Not sure, but I think that 3 or 4 days before the flight the data gets more specific and you should be able to find what you are looking for.

It is.

I don't have dinner in the dead of night, and I'm always amazed at the number pax that do. Even on JNB - AMS, where few, if any, pax are likely to be connecting from distant time zones and therefore have their body clocks out of kilter, roughly half the J cabin tucks in at 1h30 a.m.

AMS-JNB-AMS, by the way, has the new flexible meal service, although it is more limited on the return night flight. If I ever get around to it, I shall post a full report with menus.

Johan

Thanks all for your information. I will only have been in Seoul for 2 days when I get back on the plane, so maybe 2am local time will still feel like 6pm UK time! Incidentally, it looks like I will be on the last Skyteam flight out of ICN Terminal 1, as the 18th is the day that skyteam move to the new Terminal 2.

I take this very flight about 4 times a year in WBC (and whatever they call Europe BC). As it happens, I love the schedule. Arriving in LHR at the start of the day having had a decent night's sleep is perfect.

They call it Europe Business.

Class has no doubt been left out of the name for good reason, as class is the one thing the product singularly lacks!

Johan

That is something you made up yourself, as KL does call EBC "Europe Business Class". Both on its website and in the actual planes (like on the divider telling us plebs not to use the EBC loos).

Of course, before EBC it was called "Europe Select" which did indeed drop the "class" nomenclature.

Ah . . . I figure I should blame KL for putting that divider behind me, so I can't read the text.

Whatever they call it, it still lacks class. Same goes for WBC, and economy class of course.

Johan

Regardless of schedules, I can't think of a single J service with KLM that doesn't start with 'dinner' service (sometimes called lunch, but same meals and order and amenities) right after takeoff. Second service right before arrival. Sometimes the second service is breakfast-ier than other times, but the first service is always the same.

Except for the new "Anytime for You" routes (JNB, BKK and soon NRT) which offer semi-flexible dining (one of the services is fixed depending on the route/direction). And some shorter medium-haul flights departing at a very late hour (Middle East, US East coast) have an adapted quicker all-in-one style service after departure.

Indeed, but as Caliform says, the first service is still the same.

Johan

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...0865235bf1.jpg
Actually it is not. Due to the late departure time (and after all that is what the OP was about) JNB AMS begins with the Anytime For You concept. Breakfast is served in the traditional way (although plated in the galley)

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...a82c63db1.jpeg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...6744dad6f.jpeg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...fc1dbcc80.jpeg