Flying My 30th Airline With KLM (Part 2: DPS-SIN)

Welcome to my return flight on KLM's Boeing 777-300ER ride!

* Airliners.net photos are credited to the respective photographers. 

Flight route: DPS-SIN

Miles: 1037

This time I will be flying on business class to experience the regulars who travel on this aircraft on long haul routes. The airline may not offer the best business class in the market, but experiencing it for myself, I would be able to share my experience with others.

I was hoping for PH-BVD (The Skyteam livery aircraft), but was short of one letter! At least, it was a new registration for me.

Flight details
Carrier: KLM
Flight number: 836
Date: 14th Sept 2011
Routing: DPS-SIN
Seat number: 2A (World Business)
Aircraft type: Boeing 777-306ER
First time on this aircraft, PH-BVC
My 6th ride on the Boeing 777-300ER, the 4th airline of this aircraft type.
Engines: GE90-115B
Date delivered: 28th May 2005
Configuration: C35 Y393
Line number: 787
Registration: PH-BVC (Nationaal Park Sian Ka'an)
Flight Duration: 2 hrs 10 mins
Scheduled departure time: 2040
Actual departure time: 2036
Scheduled arrival time: 2300
Actual arrival time: 2250
FL: 350
Load factor for C class: 30%
Departure gate: 7
Arrival gate: C1 (Terminal 1)
Departure runway used: 09
Arrival runway used: 20R


For my part 1, click here

                                                            
Before the flight


Checking out the lounge in DPS, nothing much to shout about. Some decent local food for my stomach and off to the gate I went. Free WiFi was available and at that time you had to ask for the password. 

Lounge

The service in the lounge was pretty bad. Unfriendly and stuck-up staff were watching you, no smile and didn't bother to clear my plates. I had stacks of empty plates on my table and had to move to another table. Even so, they didn't bother to clear them. 

The food was alright. I like mini sandwiches, as they were quite tasty. The hot fried rice wasn't too bad. 

My ride: PH-BVC

                                                       

After leaving the lounge, I made my way down to the gate. Apparently, the departure gate 7 which I was heading was along with side gate 6, SQ 947 was boarding over there, hence the crowds of both my flight and SQ were huge! Both flights were heading to Singapore. I had a few funny stares from SQ passengers, wondering why was I not flying with SQ to Singapore, seeing that I was holding a Singapore passport! For the kind of prices SQ was offering, I rather pay a bit more to fly on KL's business. Boarding for our flight was called first and I was the first to board it. 

Entering the cabin, I met the same crew that served me on my previous flight and they were surprised I was in J class this time.

                                                 J class cabin

              

Some photos of Business Class taken during the flight

This was my seat 2A. I wanted seat 1A but the check-in staff requested me to move to another seat to allow an elderly passenger take that seat. I obliged to that without issue.

Enjoying a glass of champagne and a warm bowl of nuts. 

It was nice to be in a different class. 

Once onboard, I got into my seat, and the first thing I did was to snap away since there was no one else apart from the nice Dutch cabin crew lady. Anyway, once I was done, went back to my seat and started exploring the features of the business class seat. The seat cushion was not very comfortable, but it's still good for a short 2 hr flight, the legroom space is great when it is not reclined. When I tried the sleeping position mode, there was not enough space for my legs to stretch out and this was a flaw. The positive thing about the seat was that I didn't take long to figure out its features. Overall, it was a great experience, especially with the load of only 30% in the cabin, it is better to be able to explore the seats without anyone else looking at you! This was my 2nd C class experience, the first was on Qatar Airways to Jakarta. If you ask me whether would I fly on KLM Business class again, I say I would, may not be the best product, but it does the job for me for this 2 hours plus of flying! It is a pity that the flight ended too soon for me!

What was served on board? 

Champaign and water with a bowl of nuts

Orange Juice

Amenity kit, headset and menu 

In-flight meal 

What I like about flying on this airline's Business Class is that every passenger gets a Dutch House. 

This is mine

Conclusion

For the price I paid for this whole package, $460 for Economy comfort and Business class, it is worth every cent. The service may not be at the same level as the Asian Airlines, but at least they were professional, However, I don't like the 3-4-3 configuration on this KLM 777-300ER, if I am flying long haul to AMS, I will choose the 772ER with the 3-3-3 seating configuration! Overall, I enjoy this experience with KLM and will have no hesitation in flying with them again.

My rating:

On ground service: 7/10
DPS Airport experience: 6/10
In-flight service: 6/10
In-flight meal: 8/10
IFE system: 6/10
Aircraft condition: 10/10
Cleanliness: 10/10
Punctuality: 10/10
Seat comfort: 8/10
Overall rating: 71/100

Click here for part 1 (Economy Class)

Thank you for reading my trip report.

Cheers,
Charles