Germany's Black Forest and Exploring Switzerland
Sep 20, 2023, 8:48 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Austin, TX
Programs: BAEC Gold, HHonors Diamond, Marriott Titanium, UA Gold (*G), DL Silver, Makers Mark Ambassador
Posts: 4,643
Germany's Black Forest and Exploring Switzerland
Greetings from Zurich!
Mrs. WS93 and I are at the tail end of a ten day trip across Germany and Switzerland. The catalyst for this trip was the wedding of some of our DEN based friends in Germany and, since we were already overseas, we decided to tack on a week in Switzerland!
Booking Flights
This was one of the most straightforward flight booking processes I've ever had when going to Europe. KLM offers 4x weekly service between Austin and Amsterdam on their 787 Dreamliner and, with easy connections throughout Europe, I started poking around on Flying Blue for our travel dates. I managed to book AUS-AMS-FRA for our outbound and ZRH-AMS-AUS for the return for 80,000 Flying Blue points per person each way. While you can typically find business class flights to Europe with Flying Blue in the 55-60k range, Mrs. WS93 wanted convenience and therefore we decided to spend the extra points.
To get around Europe, we utilized the expansive rail networks of Deutsche Bahn and Swiss Federal Railways.
Booking Hotels
The hotels for this trip were pretty simple as well. Our first stop was in Badenweiler, Germany for the wedding and the wedding website recommended the fabulous Park Hotel & Spa KATHARINA. All of the standard rooms were reserved when we called, so we had to get a suite (tough life right?).
In Montreux we found a very reasonable cash rate at the Grand Hotel Suisse Majestic, a Marriott Autograph Collection hotel, right in the heart of the city.
Mrs. WS93 wanted to handle our booking in Zermatt and found a wonderful hotel up on the mountain with a tunnel to the town. The hotel wasn't affiliated with any of the major hotel groups but we had a great stay at the Chalet Hotel Schönegg.
Finally, to round out the trip, we had three nights in Zurich. Hotel prices in Zurich are crazy so we decided to use points. We found the Neues Schloss Privat Hotel Zurich, also an Autograph Collection property near the old town and across the street from the Park Hyatt Zurich. Cash rates were over $600 but we booked our room for 200,000 Marriott Bonvoy points.
Thanks for coming along on this exciting trip to Southern Germany and Switzerland!
In This Trip Report
Mrs. WS93 and I are at the tail end of a ten day trip across Germany and Switzerland. The catalyst for this trip was the wedding of some of our DEN based friends in Germany and, since we were already overseas, we decided to tack on a week in Switzerland!
Booking Flights
This was one of the most straightforward flight booking processes I've ever had when going to Europe. KLM offers 4x weekly service between Austin and Amsterdam on their 787 Dreamliner and, with easy connections throughout Europe, I started poking around on Flying Blue for our travel dates. I managed to book AUS-AMS-FRA for our outbound and ZRH-AMS-AUS for the return for 80,000 Flying Blue points per person each way. While you can typically find business class flights to Europe with Flying Blue in the 55-60k range, Mrs. WS93 wanted convenience and therefore we decided to spend the extra points.
To get around Europe, we utilized the expansive rail networks of Deutsche Bahn and Swiss Federal Railways.
Booking Hotels
The hotels for this trip were pretty simple as well. Our first stop was in Badenweiler, Germany for the wedding and the wedding website recommended the fabulous Park Hotel & Spa KATHARINA. All of the standard rooms were reserved when we called, so we had to get a suite (tough life right?).
In Montreux we found a very reasonable cash rate at the Grand Hotel Suisse Majestic, a Marriott Autograph Collection hotel, right in the heart of the city.
Mrs. WS93 wanted to handle our booking in Zermatt and found a wonderful hotel up on the mountain with a tunnel to the town. The hotel wasn't affiliated with any of the major hotel groups but we had a great stay at the Chalet Hotel Schönegg.
Finally, to round out the trip, we had three nights in Zurich. Hotel prices in Zurich are crazy so we decided to use points. We found the Neues Schloss Privat Hotel Zurich, also an Autograph Collection property near the old town and across the street from the Park Hyatt Zurich. Cash rates were over $600 but we booked our room for 200,000 Marriott Bonvoy points.
Thanks for coming along on this exciting trip to Southern Germany and Switzerland!
In This Trip Report
- KLM B787-9 World Business Class (AUS-AMS)
- KLM Crown Lounge 25 Amsterdam (AMS)
- KLM Cityhopper E190 EuroBusiness (AMS-FRA)
- Frankfurt to Badenweiler via Deutsche Bahn
- Park Hotel and Spa KATHARINA Badenweiler
- Exploring Badenweiler
- Badenweiler to Montreux via Swiss Federal Railways
- Grand Hotel Suisse Majestic, Autograph Collection Montreux
- Exploring Montreux
- Montreux to Zermatt via Swiss Federal Railways
- Chalet Hotel Schönegg Zermatt
- Exploring Zermatt
- Zermatt to Zurich via Swiss Federal Railways
- Neues Schloss Privat Hotel Zurich, Autograph Collection
- Exploring Zurich
- A Day Trip to Liechtenstein
- Marhaba Lounge Zurich (ZRH)
- KLM B737-800 EuroBusiness (ZRH-AMS)
- KLM Crown Lounge 52 Amsterdam (AMS)
- KLM B787-9 World Business Class (AMS-AUS)
Last edited by wakesetter93; Jan 30, 2024 at 11:36 am
Sep 20, 2023, 12:14 pm
#2
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: Central Florida
Programs: UA, IHG
Posts: 464
I got confused between Mrs WS93 and Mrs ATX Jetsetter LOL!!
It is like when I update my blog, sometimes DW and DD and DS creep in there, though I have different and unique names for all three of them over there...
Following for the Swiss photos. I have still not gotten over the c*appy weather we got when we visited Switzerland in 2015 :-(
It is like when I update my blog, sometimes DW and DD and DS creep in there, though I have different and unique names for all three of them over there...
Following for the Swiss photos. I have still not gotten over the c*appy weather we got when we visited Switzerland in 2015 :-(
Sep 20, 2023, 12:31 pm
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Austin, TX
Programs: BAEC Gold, HHonors Diamond, Marriott Titanium, UA Gold (*G), DL Silver, Makers Mark Ambassador
Posts: 4,643
I got confused between Mrs WS93 and Mrs ATX Jetsetter LOL!!
It is like when I update my blog, sometimes DW and DD and DS creep in there, though I have different and unique names for all three of them over there...
Following for the Swiss photos. I have still not gotten over the c*appy weather we got when we visited Switzerland in 2015 :-(
It is like when I update my blog, sometimes DW and DD and DS creep in there, though I have different and unique names for all three of them over there...
Following for the Swiss photos. I have still not gotten over the c*appy weather we got when we visited Switzerland in 2015 :-(
The weather on our trip wasn't bad, but it was HOT!
Sep 20, 2023, 2:04 pm
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Austin, TX
Programs: BAEC Gold, HHonors Diamond, Marriott Titanium, UA Gold (*G), DL Silver, Makers Mark Ambassador
Posts: 4,643
Sep 20, 2023, 2:31 pm
#6
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Austin, TX
Programs: BAEC Gold, HHonors Diamond, Marriott Titanium, UA Gold (*G), DL Silver, Makers Mark Ambassador
Posts: 4,643
KLM 787-9 World Business Class (AUS-AMS)
To kick off our trip to we were flying KLM's World Business Class from Austin to Amsterdam on the Boeing 787-9. KLM currently serves Austin 4x weekly and we were looking forward to flying our first, direct international route out of Austin.
Booking
I booked our flights almost 9 months in advance. With transatlantic demand for the summer at an all time high, I paid a slight premium to depart out of Austin on this flight. We booked our AUS-AMS-FRA routing through Flying Blue for 80k points per person. These flights can sometimes be priced as low as 60k points in business class each way but Mrs. WS93 wanted to minimize connections on this trip.
Lufthansa also operates the AUS-FRA direct using their new 787-9 though I didn't see any open availability through Aeroplan. I looked up until the day of departure but no availability ever opened up.
Pre-Flight
We arrived at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport around 3:30p for our 6:00p flight to Amsterdam. While I wouldn't normally get to the airport that early, especially in Austin, Mrs. WS93 had a call from 4:00-4:30p and I wanted to make sure we could get to the lounge in time for her meeting. Initially I instinctively headed to the east side of the terminal towards KLM's SkyTeam partner Delta and the international gates and was surprised not to see the KLM counter there. KLM is actually set up in the West ticketing hall between WestJet and Spirit, close to the American and United counters.
There were only a couple of people in the SkyPriority lane and after a few minutes we had our bags tagged through to Frankfurt and boarding passes in hand. From there, it was a short walk to security. CLEAR has had continued crowding issues at AUS so we went through the standard TSA PreCheck line and found ourselves airside a couple of minutes later.
We followed the signs towards the East side of the concourse and the Delta Sky Club, passing by one of my favorite art installations at the airport, the Interimaginary Departures Gate showing "flights" to faraway worlds.
Lounge
KLM utilizes the Delta Sky Club in Austin for their premium cabin and elite passengers. The Sky Club is located up one level from the main concourse, above the Parkside restaurant. Stairs and an elevator are located behind the restaurant, near Gates 1 and 3, and we were quickly welcomed into one of my favorite Sky Clubs in the system. When the lounge first opened it was part of Delta's Austin focus city and massive given the carrier's presence in Austin. While Delta has curtailed its plans for Austin in recent years, the club can still get fairly crowded.
The Delta Sky Club in Austin also has some great views of the ramp and the surrounding airfield. I caught our 787-9 taxiing to the gate after arriving from Amsterdam.
Boarding
Boarding was scheduled to begin at 5:25p and we headed down to the gate area a few minutes ahead of schedule. The gate area was pretty full as there was a British Airways A350-1000 boarding at the adjacent gate.
Boarding started right on time with a large number of pre-board passengers. People were crowding the gate area and it took some maneuvering for wheelchair passengers to reach the podium.
After preboarding was completed, we were invited to board with Group 1 and made our way down the jet bridge to our waiting 787 that would be taking us to Amsterdam. KLM names all of their aircraft and the 787's are named after flowers. Our ride to Amsterdam this evening was PH-BHF (Hibiscus).
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
KL 668
AUS-AMS (Austin-Bergstrom International – Amsterdam Schiphol)
Seat: 7D (Business)
B787-9 (PH-BHF)
Scheduled: 6:00p-10:35a (+1)
Actual: 6:05p-10:11a (+1)
We boarded through door 2L and were greeted by the crew who pointed us to the left and our home for the next 10 hours. KLM uses a blue motif throughout their cabins which I appreciated as it was better than some of the sterile white/gray cabins I've seen on other airlines.
Seat
I assigned us seats 7D and 7G, the center pair in the second to last row of the cabin. Business class takes up the entirety of the space between the first and second set of doors. The seats are in the standard reverse-herringbone layout and are very similar to what you'll find on partner Air France's business class, albeit with a little more color. Though there isn't a door, the seats still felt very private.
Waiting at our seats were a packaged pillow and a substantial blanket. I shoved these into the footwell during boarding before moving them to the overhead bin once business class had boarded.
The seats were spacious and provided plenty of legroom for my 6'2" frame when in the upright position.
To the right of the seat was a flat platform area that also housed the seat controls. Nothing fancy here but very intuitive.
Above this was a storage area that also had a mirror. The amenity kit, headphones, and a bottle of water were waiting here when we arrived.
The amenity kit was fairly basic and came in a canvas bag. It featured a face moisturizer and lip balm from Rituals, lotion from Maria-Stella-Marie, socks, eye mask, toothbrush, toothpaste, pen, and earplugs.
To the right of the storage area was the IFE controller as well as a small reading light. The IFE controller could pop out for easy use.
The headphones plugged into the slot underneath the IFE controls. While they were good quality, they weren't fantastic.
The IFE screen swung out at a 45 degree angle and was crisp and responsive to the touch. I mainly used the touchscreen and only used the IFE controller to display the moving map.
The tray table slid out from under the storage shelf with a push of a button and could be folded over in half to save space. It could also be adjusted forwards and backwards as needed. Though it didn't want to lock in place and constantly slid down towards me.
Down below the tray table was a literature pocket as well as a power outlet which kept my devices charged throughout the flight.
Finally, something that will be appreciated by many as the cabin can get quite warm, KLM installed individual air vents at each seat.
Menu
During boarding, the menu and wine list for the flight was distributed. The full menu and wine list read as follows.
Departure
As boarding was wrapping up, the cabin crew came through with pre-departure beverages featuring a selection of water, orange juice, champagne, and Heineken beer. Both Mrs. WS93 and I went with the champagne.
We pushed off our gate 5 minutes behind schedule and taxied out to Runway 36R. At this point the safety demonstration was screened and featured delft tiles.
After a long takeoff roll we were airborne and headed for Amsterdam. As we crossed through 10,000 feet, I pulled out my laptop and connected to the in-flight Wi-Fi. Pricing was reasonable at 8 Euro for an hour or 18 Euro for the entire flight.
Once the seatbelt sign was switched off, I headed to the forward lav. It wasn't spacious but did feature KLM's signature Delft motif with the wallpaper having little Dutch houses printed on it.
Rituals toiletries including hair gel, hand and body lotion, and body mist were available in the Business Class lavatory. There was also a fabric tulip in a holder next to the mirror contributing to the Dutch motif.
Back at my seat, the flight attendants had turned on the 787 mood lighting and I fired up one of the Fast & Furious movies as we chugged towards Amsterdam.
Dinner
Meal service began roughly 40 minutes after departure with hot towels being distributed.
Next was a beverage service accompanied by a bowl of mixed nuts. The flight attendants also took meal orders at this time.
For starters, I had the chunky corn chowder accompanied by a glass of the Italian red. Mrs. WS93 had the crab salad with salmon caviar and shrimp, both of which were tasty.
For our mains, I had the slow grilled chicken accompanied by a glass of champagne which was good. The chicken was extremely tender and juicy while the carrots and potatoes were cooked perfectly. The green bean on the other hand weren't great.
Mrs. WS93 ordered the arancini balls with mozzarella but was told by the flight attendant that they were out. She ordered the chicken as a backup but thankfully the flight attendant working her aisle found an extra dish. She accompanied this with a glass of the Spanish Rioja.
Once our main courses were cleared, we were flying over Ohio and had a brief period of slight turbulence. I'm not a big fan of sweets so, for dessert, I went with the cheese plate accompanied by a glass of Jack Daniels and a coffee, which was served with a small chocolate. The cheese selection wasn't great and I left it mostly untouched.
The meal service was completed roughly 3.5 hours into the flight as we crossed into Canadian airspace near Toronto.
Sleep
Once the meal service concluded, I headed to the lavatory to change. KLM doesn't offer pajamas to Business Class passengers so I brought a pair of shorts and a T-Shirt to use during the flight. Back at my seat, the cabin lights had been dimmed and I put my seat into bed mode.
While I had plenty of legroom when the seat was in bed mode, I did find it to be tight in the shoulder area. I've flown this style seat before on the Air France 777 and had no issues, so I can only assume the seat was slightly narrower due to the smaller fuselage. I nodded off as we overflew Montreal and managed to sleep for about 4.5 hours, though we had some turbulence that woke me up a couple of times.
Breakfast
I awoke as we were approaching the Western coast of Ireland with about 1.5 hours remaining to Amsterdam. Upon noticing I was awake, the flight attendant working my aisle came by to ask if I wanted breakfast and also offered me a hot towel. I ordered the warm Denver sandwich with ham and omelet and headed to the lavatory to change.
Soon after I returned to my seat, breakfast was served. My sandwich was served in a paper wrapper and was accompanied by a croissant, chia coconut oatmeal. ham and cheese, and a small juice. I also ordered a coffee and a mimosa to go along with it.
Once unwrapped, the sandwich looked and tasted pretty good for having been catered in Austin over 8 hours ago.
Mrs. WS93 was also awake at this point and ordered the French toast with apple cinnamon compote for breakfast which she enjoyed.
Arrival
Breakfast was finished 30 minutes prior to landing and at this point the flight attendants came through the aisles with KM's signature Delft houses filled with Bols Genever Gin. This tradition dates back to the 1950's and, to date, 103 different houses have been produced. There's even an app to track your progress in collecting them and each house has a unique backstory. I selected house 78, 'House in Amsterdam' which is modeled after a home standing at Leidsegracht 51 in Amsterdam. Mrs. ATX selected house 86 'Teylers Museum' located at Spaarne 16, Haarlem.
We landed on the far out Polderbaan runway and had a 20 minute taxi over to our arrival gate, D53. From there, we followed the signs towards the Transfer desk and Lounges 25-29.
Summary
KLM's World Business Class on the B787-9 is far from cutting edge however, it is still a comfortable way to cross the Atlantic, especially for us being based in Austin. Accompany that with good food and a friendly flight crew, we will definitely look at flying KLM again for our European travels.
For more photos and additional trip reports, visit ATXJetsetter.com or follow along on Instagram and Twitter!
Booking
I booked our flights almost 9 months in advance. With transatlantic demand for the summer at an all time high, I paid a slight premium to depart out of Austin on this flight. We booked our AUS-AMS-FRA routing through Flying Blue for 80k points per person. These flights can sometimes be priced as low as 60k points in business class each way but Mrs. WS93 wanted to minimize connections on this trip.
Lufthansa also operates the AUS-FRA direct using their new 787-9 though I didn't see any open availability through Aeroplan. I looked up until the day of departure but no availability ever opened up.
Pre-Flight
We arrived at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport around 3:30p for our 6:00p flight to Amsterdam. While I wouldn't normally get to the airport that early, especially in Austin, Mrs. WS93 had a call from 4:00-4:30p and I wanted to make sure we could get to the lounge in time for her meeting. Initially I instinctively headed to the east side of the terminal towards KLM's SkyTeam partner Delta and the international gates and was surprised not to see the KLM counter there. KLM is actually set up in the West ticketing hall between WestJet and Spirit, close to the American and United counters.
There were only a couple of people in the SkyPriority lane and after a few minutes we had our bags tagged through to Frankfurt and boarding passes in hand. From there, it was a short walk to security. CLEAR has had continued crowding issues at AUS so we went through the standard TSA PreCheck line and found ourselves airside a couple of minutes later.
We followed the signs towards the East side of the concourse and the Delta Sky Club, passing by one of my favorite art installations at the airport, the Interimaginary Departures Gate showing "flights" to faraway worlds.
Lounge
KLM utilizes the Delta Sky Club in Austin for their premium cabin and elite passengers. The Sky Club is located up one level from the main concourse, above the Parkside restaurant. Stairs and an elevator are located behind the restaurant, near Gates 1 and 3, and we were quickly welcomed into one of my favorite Sky Clubs in the system. When the lounge first opened it was part of Delta's Austin focus city and massive given the carrier's presence in Austin. While Delta has curtailed its plans for Austin in recent years, the club can still get fairly crowded.
The Delta Sky Club in Austin also has some great views of the ramp and the surrounding airfield. I caught our 787-9 taxiing to the gate after arriving from Amsterdam.
Boarding
Boarding was scheduled to begin at 5:25p and we headed down to the gate area a few minutes ahead of schedule. The gate area was pretty full as there was a British Airways A350-1000 boarding at the adjacent gate.
Boarding started right on time with a large number of pre-board passengers. People were crowding the gate area and it took some maneuvering for wheelchair passengers to reach the podium.
After preboarding was completed, we were invited to board with Group 1 and made our way down the jet bridge to our waiting 787 that would be taking us to Amsterdam. KLM names all of their aircraft and the 787's are named after flowers. Our ride to Amsterdam this evening was PH-BHF (Hibiscus).
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
KL 668
AUS-AMS (Austin-Bergstrom International – Amsterdam Schiphol)
Seat: 7D (Business)
B787-9 (PH-BHF)
Scheduled: 6:00p-10:35a (+1)
Actual: 6:05p-10:11a (+1)
We boarded through door 2L and were greeted by the crew who pointed us to the left and our home for the next 10 hours. KLM uses a blue motif throughout their cabins which I appreciated as it was better than some of the sterile white/gray cabins I've seen on other airlines.
Seat
I assigned us seats 7D and 7G, the center pair in the second to last row of the cabin. Business class takes up the entirety of the space between the first and second set of doors. The seats are in the standard reverse-herringbone layout and are very similar to what you'll find on partner Air France's business class, albeit with a little more color. Though there isn't a door, the seats still felt very private.
Waiting at our seats were a packaged pillow and a substantial blanket. I shoved these into the footwell during boarding before moving them to the overhead bin once business class had boarded.
The seats were spacious and provided plenty of legroom for my 6'2" frame when in the upright position.
To the right of the seat was a flat platform area that also housed the seat controls. Nothing fancy here but very intuitive.
Above this was a storage area that also had a mirror. The amenity kit, headphones, and a bottle of water were waiting here when we arrived.
The amenity kit was fairly basic and came in a canvas bag. It featured a face moisturizer and lip balm from Rituals, lotion from Maria-Stella-Marie, socks, eye mask, toothbrush, toothpaste, pen, and earplugs.
To the right of the storage area was the IFE controller as well as a small reading light. The IFE controller could pop out for easy use.
The headphones plugged into the slot underneath the IFE controls. While they were good quality, they weren't fantastic.
The IFE screen swung out at a 45 degree angle and was crisp and responsive to the touch. I mainly used the touchscreen and only used the IFE controller to display the moving map.
The tray table slid out from under the storage shelf with a push of a button and could be folded over in half to save space. It could also be adjusted forwards and backwards as needed. Though it didn't want to lock in place and constantly slid down towards me.
Down below the tray table was a literature pocket as well as a power outlet which kept my devices charged throughout the flight.
Finally, something that will be appreciated by many as the cabin can get quite warm, KLM installed individual air vents at each seat.
Menu
During boarding, the menu and wine list for the flight was distributed. The full menu and wine list read as follows.
Departure
As boarding was wrapping up, the cabin crew came through with pre-departure beverages featuring a selection of water, orange juice, champagne, and Heineken beer. Both Mrs. WS93 and I went with the champagne.
We pushed off our gate 5 minutes behind schedule and taxied out to Runway 36R. At this point the safety demonstration was screened and featured delft tiles.
After a long takeoff roll we were airborne and headed for Amsterdam. As we crossed through 10,000 feet, I pulled out my laptop and connected to the in-flight Wi-Fi. Pricing was reasonable at 8 Euro for an hour or 18 Euro for the entire flight.
Once the seatbelt sign was switched off, I headed to the forward lav. It wasn't spacious but did feature KLM's signature Delft motif with the wallpaper having little Dutch houses printed on it.
Rituals toiletries including hair gel, hand and body lotion, and body mist were available in the Business Class lavatory. There was also a fabric tulip in a holder next to the mirror contributing to the Dutch motif.
Back at my seat, the flight attendants had turned on the 787 mood lighting and I fired up one of the Fast & Furious movies as we chugged towards Amsterdam.
Dinner
Meal service began roughly 40 minutes after departure with hot towels being distributed.
Next was a beverage service accompanied by a bowl of mixed nuts. The flight attendants also took meal orders at this time.
For starters, I had the chunky corn chowder accompanied by a glass of the Italian red. Mrs. WS93 had the crab salad with salmon caviar and shrimp, both of which were tasty.
For our mains, I had the slow grilled chicken accompanied by a glass of champagne which was good. The chicken was extremely tender and juicy while the carrots and potatoes were cooked perfectly. The green bean on the other hand weren't great.
Mrs. WS93 ordered the arancini balls with mozzarella but was told by the flight attendant that they were out. She ordered the chicken as a backup but thankfully the flight attendant working her aisle found an extra dish. She accompanied this with a glass of the Spanish Rioja.
Once our main courses were cleared, we were flying over Ohio and had a brief period of slight turbulence. I'm not a big fan of sweets so, for dessert, I went with the cheese plate accompanied by a glass of Jack Daniels and a coffee, which was served with a small chocolate. The cheese selection wasn't great and I left it mostly untouched.
The meal service was completed roughly 3.5 hours into the flight as we crossed into Canadian airspace near Toronto.
Sleep
Once the meal service concluded, I headed to the lavatory to change. KLM doesn't offer pajamas to Business Class passengers so I brought a pair of shorts and a T-Shirt to use during the flight. Back at my seat, the cabin lights had been dimmed and I put my seat into bed mode.
While I had plenty of legroom when the seat was in bed mode, I did find it to be tight in the shoulder area. I've flown this style seat before on the Air France 777 and had no issues, so I can only assume the seat was slightly narrower due to the smaller fuselage. I nodded off as we overflew Montreal and managed to sleep for about 4.5 hours, though we had some turbulence that woke me up a couple of times.
Breakfast
I awoke as we were approaching the Western coast of Ireland with about 1.5 hours remaining to Amsterdam. Upon noticing I was awake, the flight attendant working my aisle came by to ask if I wanted breakfast and also offered me a hot towel. I ordered the warm Denver sandwich with ham and omelet and headed to the lavatory to change.
Soon after I returned to my seat, breakfast was served. My sandwich was served in a paper wrapper and was accompanied by a croissant, chia coconut oatmeal. ham and cheese, and a small juice. I also ordered a coffee and a mimosa to go along with it.
Once unwrapped, the sandwich looked and tasted pretty good for having been catered in Austin over 8 hours ago.
Mrs. WS93 was also awake at this point and ordered the French toast with apple cinnamon compote for breakfast which she enjoyed.
Arrival
Breakfast was finished 30 minutes prior to landing and at this point the flight attendants came through the aisles with KM's signature Delft houses filled with Bols Genever Gin. This tradition dates back to the 1950's and, to date, 103 different houses have been produced. There's even an app to track your progress in collecting them and each house has a unique backstory. I selected house 78, 'House in Amsterdam' which is modeled after a home standing at Leidsegracht 51 in Amsterdam. Mrs. ATX selected house 86 'Teylers Museum' located at Spaarne 16, Haarlem.
We landed on the far out Polderbaan runway and had a 20 minute taxi over to our arrival gate, D53. From there, we followed the signs towards the Transfer desk and Lounges 25-29.
SummaryKLM's World Business Class on the B787-9 is far from cutting edge however, it is still a comfortable way to cross the Atlantic, especially for us being based in Austin. Accompany that with good food and a friendly flight crew, we will definitely look at flying KLM again for our European travels.
For more photos and additional trip reports, visit ATXJetsetter.com or follow along on Instagram and Twitter!
Sep 21, 2023, 2:43 am
#10
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: LAS, MPL
Programs: DL Platinum, 1 MM
Posts: 1,322
I got confused between Mrs WS93 and Mrs ATX Jetsetter LOL!!
It is like when I update my blog, sometimes DW and DD and DS creep in there, though I have different and unique names for all three of them over there...
Following for the Swiss photos. I have still not gotten over the c*appy weather we got when we visited Switzerland in 2015 :-(
It is like when I update my blog, sometimes DW and DD and DS creep in there, though I have different and unique names for all three of them over there...
Following for the Swiss photos. I have still not gotten over the c*appy weather we got when we visited Switzerland in 2015 :-(
Sep 21, 2023, 10:16 am
#11
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Austin, TX
Programs: BAEC Gold, HHonors Diamond, Marriott Titanium, UA Gold (*G), DL Silver, Makers Mark Ambassador
Posts: 4,643
Sep 22, 2023, 12:30 pm
#12
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: LAX
Programs: United Silver, Marriott Lifetime Titanium, Hilton Diamond, IHG Diamond
Posts: 988
I gotta add one of those houses to my travel collection! I was going to fly DPS-SIN which I think was the 5th freedom route that KLM had, but opted to just "pay" for one ticket and go SQ to KIX. One day I will get one to go with my SQ bears and LH ducks!
Sep 25, 2023, 2:31 pm
#13
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Austin, TX
Programs: BAEC Gold, HHonors Diamond, Marriott Titanium, UA Gold (*G), DL Silver, Makers Mark Ambassador
Posts: 4,643
Also, sorry for the delay. Been in Baton Rouge for the last 4 days for the LSU game and flew to NYC last night
Oct 3, 2023, 11:17 am
#14
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Austin, TX
Programs: BAEC Gold, HHonors Diamond, Marriott Titanium, UA Gold (*G), DL Silver, Makers Mark Ambassador
Posts: 4,643
KLM Crown Lounge 25 Amsterdam (AMS)
We arrived at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport after a fantastic flight from Austin and headed for passport control. After being stamped into Europe we headed for the KLM Crown Lounge 25, the lounge for Schengen departures, to relax during our layover.
Location
The KLM Crown Lounge Number 25 is located in the Schengen area of Schiphol Airport, for flights departing to other European Union countries. The lounge signage in Amsterdam is great and, regardless of your arrival gate, you can easily use the signage to make your way to the lounge.
Once you're in the main hall of the Schengen terminal, follow the signage up a flight of stairs towards Gates D59-87. At the top of the stairs, down a short way, you'll see the entrance to the lounge on your left. The Aspire Lounge and Star Alliance Lounge are also located nearby.
Hours of Operation
The KLM Crown Lounge Number 25 is currently open between 4:45a and 10:00p daily. This covers virtually all of the departures from the airport, as no take-offs are allowed at Schiphol between midnight and 6:00a.
Entry Requirements
The lounge can be accessed by those on KLM and SkyTeam partner airlines traveling in First/Business class as well as elite status members (Flying Blue Gold/Platinum and SkyTeam Elite Plus). They also provide access to partner airlines Georgian Airways, GOL, and Virgin Atlantic frequent flyers. For those that don't have access via the requirements listed above, access can be purchased for €50 on a space available basis.
Layout
The lounge is laid out as one large, rectangular fishbowl with the reception area in the middle. Yes, I said fishbowl, as the lounge is essentially surrounded by glass, giving those on the inside a full view of the terminal and those on the outside a full view of the lounge.
Upon entering, there was a large buffet area to the right, with a few different seating areas. Most of the seating on this side of the lounge consisted of armchairs arranged in pairs of 2, 4, or 6.
On the right, in the rear, there was a self service bar which separated the main portion of the lounge from some high top, communal tables.
While the right side of the lounge was dominated by the buffet and bar area, the left side featured a larger variety of seating. First, close to the check-in desk, was a large set of café style tables. There was also a set of booths running the length of the rear wall.
Further back, there was a 'Business Corner' that had a few semi-private cubicles. All of these were occupied during our visit.
Similar to the right side of the lounge, there was another large grouping of armchair seating though there were some high top counter seats available as well.
Finally, to round out the seating options, there were a few clusters of large, wingback chairs that provided a decent amount of privacy.
Food and Beverage
The lounge has a central buffet area, laid out in a large oval shape, with a separate beverage station on the right side of the lounge. There is a smaller buffet/beverage area on the left side of the lounge though it wasn't in use for the full duration of our visit.
Breakfast was being offered when we arrived and featured a selection of fruits, yogurts, bread, cheese, cold cuts, two kinds of vegetable soup, and some hot dishes. The hot dishes consisted of roasted potatoes, roasted mushrooms, and some sausages. There was also a couple of coffee machines available along with a selection of teas.
Later during our visit, service switched over to lunch. This consisted of a large salad bar, a selection of breads, meats, and cheeses and the two vegetable soups that were available during breakfast. There were also 4 hot dishes on offer which included a truffle pasta, beef stroganoff, vegan vegetable stew, and more sausages.
The bar was located on the right side of the lounge and was self service. It featured a selection of low to mid tier spirits, water and Coca-Cola machines, Heineken beer on draft, red wine, white wine, prosecco, and a juice machine. I had a glass of prosecco with breakfast which was downright awful and only became drinkable by adding orange juice. After that, I switched to Heineken.
Atmosphere
Though the lounge was packed, it was decently calm and quiet. We found a table over in the corner and everyone seemed to be speaking with one another quietly. During our visit we didn't see any screaming kids or adults having loud conversations on speakerphone. The only downside to this lounge is the aforementioned fishbowl nature of the space. With two sides of the lounge being floor to ceiling glass windows looking into the concourse, we almost felt like we were on display. This was especially true at our table near the window.
For more photos and additional trip reports, visit ATXJetsetter.com or follow along on Instagram and Twitter!
Location
The KLM Crown Lounge Number 25 is located in the Schengen area of Schiphol Airport, for flights departing to other European Union countries. The lounge signage in Amsterdam is great and, regardless of your arrival gate, you can easily use the signage to make your way to the lounge.
Once you're in the main hall of the Schengen terminal, follow the signage up a flight of stairs towards Gates D59-87. At the top of the stairs, down a short way, you'll see the entrance to the lounge on your left. The Aspire Lounge and Star Alliance Lounge are also located nearby.
Hours of Operation
The KLM Crown Lounge Number 25 is currently open between 4:45a and 10:00p daily. This covers virtually all of the departures from the airport, as no take-offs are allowed at Schiphol between midnight and 6:00a.
Entry Requirements
The lounge can be accessed by those on KLM and SkyTeam partner airlines traveling in First/Business class as well as elite status members (Flying Blue Gold/Platinum and SkyTeam Elite Plus). They also provide access to partner airlines Georgian Airways, GOL, and Virgin Atlantic frequent flyers. For those that don't have access via the requirements listed above, access can be purchased for €50 on a space available basis.
Layout
The lounge is laid out as one large, rectangular fishbowl with the reception area in the middle. Yes, I said fishbowl, as the lounge is essentially surrounded by glass, giving those on the inside a full view of the terminal and those on the outside a full view of the lounge.
Upon entering, there was a large buffet area to the right, with a few different seating areas. Most of the seating on this side of the lounge consisted of armchairs arranged in pairs of 2, 4, or 6.
On the right, in the rear, there was a self service bar which separated the main portion of the lounge from some high top, communal tables.
While the right side of the lounge was dominated by the buffet and bar area, the left side featured a larger variety of seating. First, close to the check-in desk, was a large set of café style tables. There was also a set of booths running the length of the rear wall.
Further back, there was a 'Business Corner' that had a few semi-private cubicles. All of these were occupied during our visit.
Similar to the right side of the lounge, there was another large grouping of armchair seating though there were some high top counter seats available as well.
Finally, to round out the seating options, there were a few clusters of large, wingback chairs that provided a decent amount of privacy.
Food and Beverage
The lounge has a central buffet area, laid out in a large oval shape, with a separate beverage station on the right side of the lounge. There is a smaller buffet/beverage area on the left side of the lounge though it wasn't in use for the full duration of our visit.
Breakfast was being offered when we arrived and featured a selection of fruits, yogurts, bread, cheese, cold cuts, two kinds of vegetable soup, and some hot dishes. The hot dishes consisted of roasted potatoes, roasted mushrooms, and some sausages. There was also a couple of coffee machines available along with a selection of teas.
Later during our visit, service switched over to lunch. This consisted of a large salad bar, a selection of breads, meats, and cheeses and the two vegetable soups that were available during breakfast. There were also 4 hot dishes on offer which included a truffle pasta, beef stroganoff, vegan vegetable stew, and more sausages.
The bar was located on the right side of the lounge and was self service. It featured a selection of low to mid tier spirits, water and Coca-Cola machines, Heineken beer on draft, red wine, white wine, prosecco, and a juice machine. I had a glass of prosecco with breakfast which was downright awful and only became drinkable by adding orange juice. After that, I switched to Heineken.
Atmosphere
Though the lounge was packed, it was decently calm and quiet. We found a table over in the corner and everyone seemed to be speaking with one another quietly. During our visit we didn't see any screaming kids or adults having loud conversations on speakerphone. The only downside to this lounge is the aforementioned fishbowl nature of the space. With two sides of the lounge being floor to ceiling glass windows looking into the concourse, we almost felt like we were on display. This was especially true at our table near the window.
For more photos and additional trip reports, visit ATXJetsetter.com or follow along on Instagram and Twitter!
Oct 13, 2023, 9:54 pm
#15
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Austin, TX
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Posts: 4,643
Review: KLM Cityhopper E190 Business Class (AMS-FRA)
After arriving from Austin in KLM's 787-9 World Business Class, it was time to finish the first leg of our trip by flying KLM Cityhopper's E190 Business Class from Amsterdam to Frankfurt.
Booking
This flight was the second leg of our AUS-AMS-FRA routing booked using Flying Blue miles. Since we were still in the peak summer travel demand period, we paid a slight premium for being able to depart directly from Austin. I was still able to book our entire routing for 80k Flying Blue points per person which isn't bad considering the cash prices on the route.
Lounge
Since our flight was departing from the Schengen gates, used for intra-EU flights, we had access to the KLM Crown Lounge 25. It was a decently comfortable lounge but doesn't compare to KLM's flagship Crown Lounge 52 for international, non-Schengen departures. The full writeup is in the post above.
Boarding
Our flight to Frankfurt was departing from the B Gates and we left the lounge roughly 10 minutes before boarding to head for our departure gate, B5. As we got closer to our gate I saw the sign for gates B1-8 pointing down a flight of stairs which meant we had a bus gate for today's flight.
When we arrived at the gate the monitors were showing conflicting information. One screen asked people to remain seated while the other stated 'Gate Open'. Our bus was waiting and after a short delay Groups 1 and 2 were invited to board.
KLM Cityhopper
KL 1767
AMS-FRA (Amsterdam Schiphol - Frankfurt)
Seat: 1A (Business)
E190 (PH-EZW)
Scheduled: 12:25p-1:35p
Actual: 1:03p-2:04p
We boarded the bus and started our tour of Schiphol airport out to a remote stand where our Embraer E190 was waiting. The ride to the plane took about 10 minutes and we were held on the bus for an additional 5 minutes as the cleaning crew was still on board.
Once the cleaning crew finished up, we headed up the airstairs to board PH-EZW, an 11 year old E190 that was delivered new to KLM Cityhopper.
Seat
There are really no good seats when it comes to Business Class in Europe, with a few exceptions. Since the Business Class Cabin just consists of an economy seat with a blocked middle, there's no extra legroom unless you're sitting in the bulkhead or Exit Row. On the KLM Cityhopper E190 (and other E-Series planes), since the aircraft is in a 2-2 configuration, Business Class doesn't have a blocked seat. Aside from the service, there is no difference in flying Business Class vs. Economy. While I would never pay extra for Business on a short flight within Europe, this was a continuation of our long-haul ticket from Austin.
At booking, I was able to grab seats 1A and 1C, the bulkhead row on the lefthand side of the aircraft. The seats are pretty standard and you'll find them on regional jets around the world. The only difference in the bulkhead row is that the tray table is in the armrest instead of on the seat in front.
The bulkhead row did give us a decent amount of legroom and some space to stretch out on this short flight.
Departure
Our scheduled departure time came and went and after about 10 minutes the Captain came on the PA system to give us an update. Due to weather they were shifting runway directions which were causing some delays for departing aircraft, we were also missing a pushback tug driver and he informed us that one was assigned to us in 20 minutes. Sure enough, the boarding door was closed and we pushed off the gate 38 minutes late.
We pushed back next to another Cityhopper E190 painted in the SkyTeam livery and taxied over to Runway 9 "Buitenveldertbaan" past some widebodies destined for parts unknown and a Cityhopper E175 also waiting to depart.
With no traffic in front of us, we turned onto the runway and immediately started our takeoff roll. Thanks to the small plane and short flight, we were quickly airborne and climbed out over a nearby golf course.
In Flight
While it was a gray and murky day in Amsterdam, we punched through the clouds and had slightly better skies on the other side as we made the turn towards Frankfurt.
As we climbed, the cabin crew started their in-flight service. They distributed the menu for today's short flight (less than 40 minutes in the air) and took drink orders. It always impresses me that European carriers will serve a full, albeit boxed, meal on short flights in Business Class while you can barely get a refill in the states. The menu read as follows.
Meals were served a short time later in a cardboard box that featured KLM's signature blue delft branding.
Inside the box, everything was packaged separately. I personally wasn't a big fan of the meal on offer but the parts I did try were tasty for refrigerated airplane food. I accompanied this with a Heineken.
After the meal, I headed to check out the forward lavatory. As is always the case on these regional jets, the lavatory is small. At 6'2" I could only stand with my head and neck contorted at an uncomfortable angle. The lavatory itself, while sparse, was clean.
Arrival
Soon after returning to my seat we began our descent into Frankfurt. The weather here was worse than in Amsterdam and it was raining on approach which caused some slight turbulence.
We landed on Runway 25L and taxied over to our arrival gate. It seemed that we hit the bus gate lottery twice today as we headed to another remote stand at the far end of Terminal 2.
Once the doors opened we headed down the airstairs towards our waiting bus. I was also able to get another great look at our KLM Cityhopper E190 (Bus Gates have some perks I guess).
A short bus ride later we were at Terminal 2 and, since we had checked bags in Austin, we headed for baggage claim. Likely due to the remote stand and the weather, there was a notice on the baggage carousel that stated bags would be delayed by 20-25 minutes. This, coupled with the delay leaving Amsterdam, meant we would have to move quickly to make our train to Southern Germany.
Thankfully our priority tagged bags were some of the first off the belt and we headed for the train to Terminal 1 and the high speed rail station.
Summary
KLM Cityhopper's E190's rank in the lower half of European Business Class in terms of comfort. With no seat blocking and small lavatories I'd try to avoid these planes for longer routes. Thankfully I was traveling with Mrs. ATX Jetsetter and the flight was short. The staff on the other hand did a great job communicating the delays and with service on this short flight. Given KLM's presence in Austin and their vast European network, I'll probably find myself on another KLM Cityhopper flight soon.
For more photos and additional trip reports, visit ATXJetsetter.com or follow along on Instagram and Twitter!
Booking
This flight was the second leg of our AUS-AMS-FRA routing booked using Flying Blue miles. Since we were still in the peak summer travel demand period, we paid a slight premium for being able to depart directly from Austin. I was still able to book our entire routing for 80k Flying Blue points per person which isn't bad considering the cash prices on the route.
Lounge
Since our flight was departing from the Schengen gates, used for intra-EU flights, we had access to the KLM Crown Lounge 25. It was a decently comfortable lounge but doesn't compare to KLM's flagship Crown Lounge 52 for international, non-Schengen departures. The full writeup is in the post above.
Boarding
Our flight to Frankfurt was departing from the B Gates and we left the lounge roughly 10 minutes before boarding to head for our departure gate, B5. As we got closer to our gate I saw the sign for gates B1-8 pointing down a flight of stairs which meant we had a bus gate for today's flight.
When we arrived at the gate the monitors were showing conflicting information. One screen asked people to remain seated while the other stated 'Gate Open'. Our bus was waiting and after a short delay Groups 1 and 2 were invited to board.
KLM Cityhopper
KL 1767
AMS-FRA (Amsterdam Schiphol - Frankfurt)
Seat: 1A (Business)
E190 (PH-EZW)
Scheduled: 12:25p-1:35p
Actual: 1:03p-2:04p
We boarded the bus and started our tour of Schiphol airport out to a remote stand where our Embraer E190 was waiting. The ride to the plane took about 10 minutes and we were held on the bus for an additional 5 minutes as the cleaning crew was still on board.
Once the cleaning crew finished up, we headed up the airstairs to board PH-EZW, an 11 year old E190 that was delivered new to KLM Cityhopper.
Seat
There are really no good seats when it comes to Business Class in Europe, with a few exceptions. Since the Business Class Cabin just consists of an economy seat with a blocked middle, there's no extra legroom unless you're sitting in the bulkhead or Exit Row. On the KLM Cityhopper E190 (and other E-Series planes), since the aircraft is in a 2-2 configuration, Business Class doesn't have a blocked seat. Aside from the service, there is no difference in flying Business Class vs. Economy. While I would never pay extra for Business on a short flight within Europe, this was a continuation of our long-haul ticket from Austin.
At booking, I was able to grab seats 1A and 1C, the bulkhead row on the lefthand side of the aircraft. The seats are pretty standard and you'll find them on regional jets around the world. The only difference in the bulkhead row is that the tray table is in the armrest instead of on the seat in front.
The bulkhead row did give us a decent amount of legroom and some space to stretch out on this short flight.
Departure
Our scheduled departure time came and went and after about 10 minutes the Captain came on the PA system to give us an update. Due to weather they were shifting runway directions which were causing some delays for departing aircraft, we were also missing a pushback tug driver and he informed us that one was assigned to us in 20 minutes. Sure enough, the boarding door was closed and we pushed off the gate 38 minutes late.
We pushed back next to another Cityhopper E190 painted in the SkyTeam livery and taxied over to Runway 9 "Buitenveldertbaan" past some widebodies destined for parts unknown and a Cityhopper E175 also waiting to depart.
With no traffic in front of us, we turned onto the runway and immediately started our takeoff roll. Thanks to the small plane and short flight, we were quickly airborne and climbed out over a nearby golf course.
In Flight
While it was a gray and murky day in Amsterdam, we punched through the clouds and had slightly better skies on the other side as we made the turn towards Frankfurt.
As we climbed, the cabin crew started their in-flight service. They distributed the menu for today's short flight (less than 40 minutes in the air) and took drink orders. It always impresses me that European carriers will serve a full, albeit boxed, meal on short flights in Business Class while you can barely get a refill in the states. The menu read as follows.
Meals were served a short time later in a cardboard box that featured KLM's signature blue delft branding.
Inside the box, everything was packaged separately. I personally wasn't a big fan of the meal on offer but the parts I did try were tasty for refrigerated airplane food. I accompanied this with a Heineken.
After the meal, I headed to check out the forward lavatory. As is always the case on these regional jets, the lavatory is small. At 6'2" I could only stand with my head and neck contorted at an uncomfortable angle. The lavatory itself, while sparse, was clean.
Arrival
Soon after returning to my seat we began our descent into Frankfurt. The weather here was worse than in Amsterdam and it was raining on approach which caused some slight turbulence.
We landed on Runway 25L and taxied over to our arrival gate. It seemed that we hit the bus gate lottery twice today as we headed to another remote stand at the far end of Terminal 2.
Once the doors opened we headed down the airstairs towards our waiting bus. I was also able to get another great look at our KLM Cityhopper E190 (Bus Gates have some perks I guess).
A short bus ride later we were at Terminal 2 and, since we had checked bags in Austin, we headed for baggage claim. Likely due to the remote stand and the weather, there was a notice on the baggage carousel that stated bags would be delayed by 20-25 minutes. This, coupled with the delay leaving Amsterdam, meant we would have to move quickly to make our train to Southern Germany.
Thankfully our priority tagged bags were some of the first off the belt and we headed for the train to Terminal 1 and the high speed rail station.
Summary
KLM Cityhopper's E190's rank in the lower half of European Business Class in terms of comfort. With no seat blocking and small lavatories I'd try to avoid these planes for longer routes. Thankfully I was traveling with Mrs. ATX Jetsetter and the flight was short. The staff on the other hand did a great job communicating the delays and with service on this short flight. Given KLM's presence in Austin and their vast European network, I'll probably find myself on another KLM Cityhopper flight soon.
For more photos and additional trip reports, visit ATXJetsetter.com or follow along on Instagram and Twitter!