Why do we fly KL?
Mar 1, 2004 | 4:13 am
#16
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Delhi/Maastricht/London
Programs: FB plat
Posts: 154
i fly kl intercontinental because:
- maastricht
- delft houses
- 125% PE bonus
- NW domestic upgrade
for intra-european, except when i'm chasing miles which is not much of an issue any more (i got enough to qualify for PE twice last year) i often fly SN, virgin or even ryanair from brussels because:
- no long connection at ams
- better food
- far lower prices
don't understand why i (anyone) would pay euro 800+ to fly KL on Y for a short business trip and get a microsandwich on cramped seats, when you can fly for under euro 200 on virgin in the same seats with better food, or SN on much nicer (2+3, leather) seats with better and free food, or even cheaper on ryanair on better seats (and guaranteed exit row due to free seating and no other pax realising that exit rows have extra room!).
i'm waiting for the KL-AF thing to sort out, after which i hope to fly via CDG more often, especially when i do a C-class intercontinental.
best,
rishab
- maastricht
- delft houses
- 125% PE bonus
- NW domestic upgrade
for intra-european, except when i'm chasing miles which is not much of an issue any more (i got enough to qualify for PE twice last year) i often fly SN, virgin or even ryanair from brussels because:
- no long connection at ams
- better food
- far lower prices
don't understand why i (anyone) would pay euro 800+ to fly KL on Y for a short business trip and get a microsandwich on cramped seats, when you can fly for under euro 200 on virgin in the same seats with better food, or SN on much nicer (2+3, leather) seats with better and free food, or even cheaper on ryanair on better seats (and guaranteed exit row due to free seating and no other pax realising that exit rows have extra room!).
i'm waiting for the KL-AF thing to sort out, after which i hope to fly via CDG more often, especially when i do a C-class intercontinental.
best,
rishab
Mar 1, 2004 | 10:49 am
#17
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Norwich, UK
Posts: 127
Very litle choice from NCL - BA is hugely expensive (and it means going through the hell-hole that is LHR); AF don't seem interested in providing decent through fares.
But there are positives: Schiphol must be one of the best designed airports there is, the benefits from FD are good (as previous respondents have noted), and KL dominate the market from here for good value fares both in Europe & to N America.
It wouldn't take very much for KLM to become very good indeed as a mid-range carrier - attention to their 'customer interface' in all its forms - website, callcentres, FD etc - would be a very good investment for them. They offer a product that is essentially good and competitively-priced; it's surprising that their own market analysis hasn't pointed them in this direction.
But there are positives: Schiphol must be one of the best designed airports there is, the benefits from FD are good (as previous respondents have noted), and KL dominate the market from here for good value fares both in Europe & to N America.
It wouldn't take very much for KLM to become very good indeed as a mid-range carrier - attention to their 'customer interface' in all its forms - website, callcentres, FD etc - would be a very good investment for them. They offer a product that is essentially good and competitively-priced; it's surprising that their own market analysis hasn't pointed them in this direction.
Mar 1, 2004 | 10:59 pm
#19
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Heraklion, Greece
Posts: 7,962
Well, Transavia used to fly non-stop to HER, connecting to AMS. Now Transavia gave up scheduled flights to Crete, and even if it did fly, there would be no miles. Should I "give up" my PE status and start all over again with a different airline? Is there one, which is really worth it? I'll decide about the future after the AF takeover.