I plan a girls trip every spring, and for our fourth year, we were heading to Sofia, Bulgaria, and Bucharest, Romania. Both destinations required a connection from my home in Houston, and I found the best flight times with KLM outbound through Amsterdam and Air France for the return through Paris.
I’d never flown KLM in economy, so this was an opportunity for a new flight experience. I’ll review all of the details, from how I booked to how delicious the stroopwafel cheesecake was during dinner service. Let’s get to it!
Booking KLM Economy Class
I booked my round-trip flight on KLM’s website from Houston (IAH) to Amsterdam (AMS) on KLM, onward to Sofia (SOF) on Bulgaria Air, with a return from Bucharest (OTP) to Paris (CDG) to Houston (IAH), all on Air France. I paid $666.93 using my Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card, which earns 3x Chase Ultimate Rewards points on the first $150,000 in combined purchases per year in certain categories, including travel.
I booked a Light ticket in economy class, which meant no checked luggage. I was only allowed to bring a handbag and a smaller accessory, which in my case meant a traditional rolling carry-on bag and a backpack. The maximum combined weight allowed was 12 kilograms (26.5 pounds). In my experience, international airlines tend to be stricter about baggage weight, though my bags were not weighed at the airport this time because I bypassed the check-in desks.
Flying Blue awards miles for basic economy flights (unlike Delta SkyMiles), so I credited the miles to that account and earned 34 XP and 1,715 miles (4 miles per €1 spent based on my basic Explorer membership level).
Departing Bush Intercontinental Airport
The Priority Pass lounges in Terminal D, the Air France Lounge and KLM Crown Lounge, do not allow for Priority Pass access in the hours before this flight to Amsterdam and the Air France flight to Paris that departs from the gate next door a few minutes later. Unless you have access to another one of the Houston airport lounges, plan to walk to concessions in a nearby terminal if you’re hungry.
Once boarding began, I was impressed by how orderly the process was. Passengers queued in their designated lanes by zone without crowding, and it only took about 8 minutes from the time preboarding was announced until I boarded with zone 5.
On Board KLM’s Boeing 787-10
The navy, fabric seats were set with blankets and pillows, and flight attendants later passed out earbuds to those who requested them. The contrasting lighter-blue, leather-like headrest was height-adjustable, and its wings could be folded inward to make sleeping more comfortable. The seat pitch was 31 inches, allowing for reasonable legroom.
The inflight entertainment screen could angle toward you should the seat recline, and it had inputs for headphones and USB-A plugs (no USB-C, unfortunately). The screen also powered the overhead light and crew call buttons. There was no way to connect Bluetooth headphones, as far as I could tell. I also found that the USB input at my seat and the empty seat next to me were inconsistently powered and did not work.
Below the screen was a literature pocket that held the Holland Herald inflight magazine. The tray table had several modes, including extending only the cup ring, fully opening the table, or opening it at half size.
I have a 15.6-inch laptop, and it was too big for the fully extended tray table. However, I had an empty middle seat next to me and in the row in front of me, so I anchored my laptop on the middle tray table. This gave me protection against someone reclining onto the screen and also room to use a mouse and a mousepad.
Note that there are no AC charging outlets in KLM economy class on the 787-10. I had researched this ahead of time and worked on my laptop until it died, then moved to an iPad with a wireless keyboard.
Unlike Air France, which has rolled out free Starlink Wi-Fi across most of its fleet, KLM does not offer free Wi-Fi on its long-haul flights. Flying Blue members can access a free Message Pass, and my full-flight Wi-Fi pass cost €31 (about $34). Even though it was pricey, I had download speeds of 45Mbps and upload speeds of 4Mbps, with no connectivity drops.
There were no other amenities to speak of other than the lavatory, which was standard. There were motion sensors for flushing and for the sink.
Food and Beverages
Less than 20 minutes after takeoff, flight attendants distributed large bottles of water and towelettes.
The dinner service began at the rear of the plane about an hour after takeoff, with a choice of beef meatballs or cheese tortelli. I had the meatballs, all 3 of them, and enjoyed the hearty portion of green beans with mashed potatoes. A vibrant Greek salad accompanied the hot entrée, with tomatoes, olives, feta cheese, and raw onion — the smell of which permeated the cabin after service. A warm wheat roll, a portion of cheese, and a stroopwafel cheesecake rounded out the meal. I usually do my best to resist dessert temptation, but the cheesecake was absolutely worth the bites I took.
After dinner was cleared, the staff came through the cabin with oatmeal cookies and coffee and tea service. They also made a pass through the cabin with water a few hours later. Between meals, passengers could also visit the rear galley for snacks or drinks.
Breakfast was served about 6 hours after dinner and featured an omelet with tomato relish, potatoes, and a nondescript creamy sauce. It was accompanied by fruit salad, a yogurt, and another wheat roll.
Service
I really admired the flight attendant who was assigned to my side of the plane. He was at ease making small talk with passengers, asking where they were from, what their final destination was, and switching languages as needed.
I also appreciated the speed of service, from the pacing of the meals to the clearing of trays. The crew was efficient in transitioning the cabin from meal to rest time.
Arrival at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol
When I was planning these flights, I had the option to reach Sofia via Paris or Amsterdam, and I asked my Upgraded Points colleagues for advice. Nearly everyone told me to avoid the shorter 1-hour, 45-minute connection in Paris, so I took the 2-hour, 45-minute connection in Amsterdam.
When I got off the plane at Schiphol around 7:20 a.m., one would have expected immigration to be at full morning-traffic alert, but there were only a few windows open to process visitors. I only had to wait about 15 minutes, and I noticed and appreciated that staff members in the queue prioritized passengers with short connections. I ended up with enough time to stop at a lounge, but I felt good about my chances if I had needed to race through immigration.
Final Thoughts
I’d book KLM economy class again without hesitation. The seat was comfortable, and the dinner was surprisingly tasty, especially the stroopwafel cheesecake. My biggest disappointment was the lack of AC power, which prevented me from working on my laptop for much of the flight, but planning ahead with my iPad as a backup paid off. I would hope to see KLM take the next step with its technology updates, as many airlines now offer free Wi-Fi and USB-C charging.