Service on KLM Europe

[DanielP]

Hi,
I will be flying with KLM Cityhopper and KLM from Cardiff to Bergen via AMS at the beginning of April.
I'm trying to find out what food (if any) is likely to be available on these flights. The KLM website seems worryingly vague. It's quite important as I will be travelling with a permenantly ravenous two year old!
We are travelling economy btw.
Thanks to anyone who can help.
Daniel
PS....This will be my first International flight from CWL- I live in Rhoose! I have been looking for an excuse to do something like this for ages, but either the routes were pulled (Red Dragon) or they didn't go where I wanted! Not the cheapest option I know, but it should be low on hassle, as long as the little Fokker behaves (and the plane doesn't go tech :} )

[13Alpha]

In my recent KLM experience (from EDI, LHR and LCY to AMS) you get a sandwich and a hot or cold drink (non-alcoholic).

The cheese sandwiches are just that. Cheese, bread. That's it.

And it's usually "creamer" with the hot drink :yuk:

So I'd pack some snacks if I were you... ;)

Oh and on the one recent occasion I transited through AMS, my luggage arrived the following day, and I gather that's not unusual, so you may want to pack accordingly... :rolleyes:

Good luck :ok:

13Alpha

[DanielP]

Great tips 13Alpha! Particularly the AMS transit information! Will pack emergency rations.

Thanks

Daniel

[Avman]

But keep in mind hand baggage size/weight and liquid restrictions. Have a good trip.

[pacer142]

In my recent KLM experience (from EDI, LHR and LCY to AMS) you get a sandwich and a hot or cold drink (non-alcoholic).

The cheese sandwiches are just that. Cheese, bread. That's it.

And it's usually "creamer" with the hot drink :yuk:


<fx: de-lurk...>

Have KLM stopped serving alcohol again? As of last year (I haven't used them since mid-December, but will be tomorrow) they did offer beer and wine as well as water, tea and coffee. The Cityhopper routes also offer fruit juices, and IMX (from LCY-AMS and BHX-AMS) will put fresh milk in your coffee if you ask them to! (Mainline flights don't appear to carry fresh milk so won't.)

The cheese sandwiches are OK if a bit boring, but that is all you'll get. There's usually the option of beef, which they occasionally erroneously refer to as ham (which it isn't - but I think it's language confusion as I believe the phrase "beef ham" is the term used in Dutch for thin sliced beef).

While I've flown into AMS about 30 times last year and not once have had my luggage lost, I have heard the same thing about it often missing connections, so I'd echo the suggestions to beware of that possibility and to keep enough things in your hand luggage to mitigate it if it happens. AMS luggage handling is certainly slow - over 30 minutes from plane to belt is common when KLM handle your flight. Menzies (who do Easyjet and VLM among others) are much, much quicker.

As for the "little Fokkers", the F70 and F100 are good little planes. The F50 turboprop is also not bad, but can, when it's windy, ride *very* roughly on the approach to AMS, so be ready for it...

Neil

[DanielP]

Thanks for the extra information...

Actually I was more bothered about my little fokker, rather than KLM's! However, he seems to laugh the more bumps there are and the more Gs that are pulled! An F50 would be interestering prospect though, as I have already been on a BMI F100.

I don't think our AMS transfer is very long at all, so fingers crossed re; the lugage. I presume that they will cover costs for collecting delayed lugage and any basic items that you needed to buy?

Daniel

PS Pacer142- would your username have anything to do with the illegitamate offspring of a Leyland National bus and a goods wagon that pass for passenger trains in the UK?

[pacer142]

I don't think our AMS transfer is very long at all, so fingers crossed re; the lugage. I presume that they will cover costs for collecting delayed lugage and any basic items that you needed to buy?


I'll have to let others answer that, as it's (touch wood) never happened to me in quite a lot of flights (usually not involving connections, though).

PS Pacer142- would your username have anything to do with the illegitamate offspring of a Leyland National bus and a goods wagon that pass for passenger trains in the UK?

You're the first person to notice that I can think of! Yep, that's where it comes from, though why is a rather long story. I'm more often found posting in uk.railway on USENET, but with the amount of flying I'm doing of late I decided to pop in here...

Neil

[DanielP]

Hi,
Just to post back- I managed my return trip to Bergen without loosing luggage! We also got a good dose of snow :-)
Good points:
KLM Cityhopper F100 seats + legroom were very good!
AM + PM sandwiches were also rather nice.
Got the option of wine on the way home, both for KLM mainline and Cityhopper :cool:
KLM mainline staff were absolutely superb
Tea creamer nearly tasted like milk
AMS is a superb relaxing airport if you have time to enjoy it.
Bad points:
No purely veggie sandwiches- each pack had one meat / one veggie- no good for solitary veggies!!
Staff at CWL seemed rather disinterested (no announcement for gate delay until boarding (they didn't realise the toilets would need changing!!), so had to wrestle excited 2yr old at 6:00am for longer than I would have liked). No useful guidance re: quick transfer at AMS.
Cityhopper staff seemed rather disinterested (e.g. confused non-English speaking lady + kids sat in our seats by mistake and didn't understand that they had to move, backing up and delaying the whole loading process- cabin staff was actually resting eyes at the time!!- I suppose we could have jumped in their premium seats!)
We had a quick transfer at AMS (1hr) on the way out and did not know about the additional security checks for transfer passengers because the Cityhopper staff did not warn of this (the mainline staff did on the way back when we had a 3hr transfer!). Where we were hurrying, we didn't notice the quick transfer queue (which was poorly signed), so we were still stuck at 9:30 when our flight to Bergen was due out at 9:40. There seemed to be no way of getting a msg to KLM that we were stuck. However, we did the 15min walk to the gate as a 5min sprint (complete with luggage and 2yr old) after begging security to fast track us and JUST made it- that was really not funny and could have been avoided (e.g. not make such a tight booking possible- I assumed an impossible / risky transfer would not be possible to book).
Mainline 734 seating / cabin / legroom didn't seem as good as the hopper F100.
We were served chipboard and polyfiller sandwiches on the PM flight between AMS and CWL- I pity the person that has to clear up the crumbs!
Hope this helps anyone else who is not familiar with using AMS as a hub- I will be doing this again for sure, but will be wary of the transfers in future.
Daniel

[pacer142]

Mainline 734 seating / cabin / legroom didn't seem as good as the hopper F100.
We were served chipboard and polyfiller sandwiches on the PM flight between AMS and CWL- I pity the person that has to clear up the crumbs!


If you thought the 734 legroom was bad, try the 733s. Those things are inhuman; both easyJet and Ryanair are far more generous. The Fokker fleets are very nice, though, and it's good to enjoy the improved service you get from having fewer people on board.

The "chipboard and polyfiller" "sandwiches" are unfortunately a new thing. The catering has been changed so outside meal times you get a vending-machine-type snack which is either a cereal bar or some UHT cream cheese in two pieces of what might be described as cardboard. I got a sheepish grin of agreement from the member of cabin crew handing over said "sandwiches" when I pointed out that that meant the low-costs were now better on catering than the full-service airlines...

But yes, KLM cabin crew are *always* superbly professional and friendly as well. I don't think I've ever experienced any that weren't.

AMS security is a bit weird - you'll have come into the non-Schengen side which has gate security (as Schiphol's layout doesn't lend itself to separating arrivals and departures) and gone out of the Schengen side which (like the H-gates, M-gates[1] and the D5 commuter area bus gates) has one secure area. I guess you got caught up in this, and while it normally doesn't queue that badly, an arriving 747 with lots of European connections doesn't help - so maybe just bad luck...

[1] The other side of the H-gates, and quite new. Basically just Schengenland low-costs, and has just about no facilities bar a small sandwich type shop.

[c2lass]

We have flown KLM a few times and each time it has always been the legendary cheese sandwich.

Also, why is it every time we have flown KLM there always seems to be a problem and their staff are very rude and unhelpful. The last time was from Zurich to Aberdeen via Amsterdam. Checked in at ZRH at around 2pm for the flight to AMS and then the 20.40 to ABZ. Was shocked to be told at ZRH that there was only 1 seat left on the AMS - ABZ flight :mad:
Was told at ZRH there was nothing they could do and we would need to go to the transfer desk at AMS to resolve.Well we did that, was told the flight was full and to go to the gate to see if we could both get on. This flight has been booked 8 months in advance as well which made it worse. Was told the gate would be open at 7.30. Nobody arrived until 20.10 and we spent all that time completely stressed out not knowing if we had our flight home to ABZ (well hubby had his seat, I didn't) The staff were not interested at all, admitted they had overbooked and they regularly do this. With 10 minutes to boarding eventually got confirmation they had a seat for me, at the back of the plane while hubby was at the front. I was very very upset at the whole dealings.

[tezzer]

I use AMS bit, going in from HUY. Over the last few years, they have lst my luggage on loads of occasions, so when I wen through last week I was convinced my bags would't make it.

We left HUY 30 mins late, on an already tight connection (bags labelled up SHOCON). By the time we had landed on the new runway (almost in Denmark) and taxied in, it was way past my boarding time for my connection to KUL. So, we bussed in, as normal to Pier D and I ran (well walked swiftly) to Pier F. Already 40 minutes past boarding time I thought it would be closed, but no, I made it. And shock of shocks, when I arrived in KUL 13 hours later, so did my bags !

I made the mistake of going for an emergency exit seat, loads of leg room (NOT !) as the slide container was right where my legs should go ! Still, the middle seat was empty, until just before take off, when a lady came and sat next to me :* . She was a sufferer of OCD as she had two handbags, that she searched, repeatedly, for 13 hours, 1st one bag, then the 2nd, then back to the first. So, everytime I nodded off, she elbowed e, unzipping or rezippig one of her bloody handbags. I really thought it was a wind up or a Jeremy Beadle special. So, it was a sleepless night.:*

[c2lass]

tezzer, sorry but your story made me smile. Reminded me of this said flight from AMS to ABZ when I too was in one of these seats where they have only two seats and my seat was pitched as though it was a middle seat. Behind me in the window seat was a lady who decided to take off her shoes and I had the whole journey with her disgusting horrible smelly feet right at my left hand side. She kept wiggling them about and they smelled horrible. I turned round a few times to try and drop a hint but she wasn't taking any of it.

A perfect end to a perfect day!! :(

[pacer142]

Was told at ZRH there was nothing they could do and we would need to go to the transfer desk at AMS to resolve.Well we did that, was told the flight was full and to go to the gate to see if we could both get on.

With KLM, always, always check in online if you can, whether you have luggage or not. KLM overbook flights by a very significant margin (especially the Friday evening to LHR and BHX), and more than one of their staff has said to me that they never deny boarding to someone who has checked in on the Web and thus has a pre-allocated seat.

[c2lass]

Pacer, you know what the really annoying thing was?? We were on a package holiday in Switzerland through the wonderful (not) Thomsons. We were doing the Glacier Rail journey in Switzerland. When we got the tickets from our Travel Agency, the instructions read "You do not need to confirm your outgoing flights but you must confirm your return flights within 72 hours of departure"

We contacted the Thomson rep re this and she advised she had never heard of that before and that they were just "scaremongering" We asked her to check it out as the TA had specifically instructed this. She said she would check that afternoon with her Head Office and get back to us next day. Next day we say her and she mentioned nothing about this so I asked her if she had checked. "Oh yes she said you don't need to bother confirming the flights" I could tell she was lying and she had never bothered to check.

This was just one part of a complaint we had with Thomsons over their terrible "packaging and Customer Service" for this holiday!