The Details

• Flight: KL612
• Aircraft: B787-10
• Class: World Business
• Seat: 7A and 8A
• Route: Chicago O’Hare (ORD)-Amsterdam Schipol (AMS)
• Distance: 4,244miles
• Duration: 7hrs 8min
• Departure: 4:21PM
• Arrival: 6:29AM (+1)

The Preflight

After getting off my positioning flight from Indianapolis, I spent some time at the United F Club waiting for my father to arrive from San Diego. Once his flight landed, I collected him and we both made our way to Terminal 5 where KLM and Air France depart from.

Check-in was quick and thanks to TSA PreCheck we skipped the massive TSA line. We spent just five minutes in line before getting airside.

KLM and many other airlines use the terrible Swissport Lounge in Terminal 5. There used to be an Air France/KLM lounge which was demolished during the Terminal 5 renovations. This particular lounge is one of the worst in the world.

The lounge consisted of a single L-shaped room with barren white walls, a few chairs, tables, and a small buffet. I found a total of two outlets in the wall but otherwise, there were no outlets or USB ports. All five of our devices (two laptops, two phones, and my tablet) could not connect to the WiFi. The lounge got crowded quickly so a few passengers resorted to sitting on the floor.

The food options were terrible and included chips, Nature Valley bars, cookies, oatmeal, muffins, and fruit. I appreciated the medium-shelf hard liquor. There was also a self-serve coffee machine and a variety of cold packaged sandwiches, salads, and other snacks.

We quickly left the depressing Swissport lounge and spent the remainder of our time before the flight in the nice and airy renovated T5 gate area. We had a slightly obstructed view of the KLM 100-year-livery B787-10, registration PH-BKA, behind tinted windows. She was delivered to KLM brand new in June 2019.

Boarding began at 3:25 PM.

The Flight

KLM offers a total of 38 business class seats onboard their B787-10s in a single cabin between the first and second set of doors. They are currently retrofitting their entire fleet of B787-10s to include 28 Premium Economy seats by removing 54 economy seats in the rear of the cabin.

KLM B787-10s feature the Jamco Venture business class reverse herringbone seat set across 10 rows in a 1-2-1 configuration.

While the seats lacked a door, there was a large head shield next to the seat which provided an adequate amount of privacy. I enjoyed the large amount of legroom and area for exiting/entering the seat.

Each seat had a large modern18.5″ HD touchscreen IFE system. Next to the IFE screen was a small coat hook.

The Panasonic eX3 IFE system was great and I appreciated the detail of the IFE map.

Below the IFE screen was a small shelf with a USB port that was perfect for storing personal devices. The leg well underneath was a good size.

Along the window was a small countertop space along.

The seat controls were built into the armrest. There was also a dedicated Do Not Disturb button.

Below the seat controls was a large bi-fold tray table, a small pouch, and a literature pocket.

One thing I found lacking in this seat was storage space. Besides the shelf under the IFE screen and the small pouch under the tray table, the only other space was a small exposed shelf next to the window. Space was limited if the water bottle and headphones were stored here.

Built into the wall were a reading light and the IFE remote holder.

Beneath this shelf was a headphone jack, 110V outlet, and USB port.

I found the seat padding to be comfortable. When fully flat, the four-way headrest was slightly elevated and gave my head additional support.

The armrest along the aisle could be raised or lowered.

At each seat were a pair of headphones, a water bottle, and wet wipes. A plush pillow and heavy blanket were also provided.

Twenty minutes after boarding, flight attendants came through the cabin with a tray of predeparture beverages. Options included water, orange juice, Heineken, or sparkling wine. I had a glass of bubbly.

Menus were distributed just prior to pushback.

The boarding doors were closed at 3:58 and three minutes later we pushed back.

Right next to us was a beautiful Air France A350-900.

The taxi to runway 9C took twenty minutes and soon we were off towards Europe.

Thirty minutes after takeoff, flight attendants came through the cabin and passed out amenity kits. I found the Rituals-designed bag very stylish. Contents included Rituals branded lip balm, face moisturizer, eye mask, socks, pen, toothbrush, toothpaste, and ear bugs.

Next up was a refreshing hot-scented towelette. Towelettes are back after COVID!

A full hour after takeoff cold nuts and drinks were served. I went with a glass of the Bernard Lonclas Blanc de Blancs Brut which was good. Dinner orders were taken at this time. Unfortunately, by the time flight attendants reached my row, the crab salad had run out.

Appetizers were served 30 minutes after the mixed nuts with another beverage service. The corn chowder was very tasty. A warmed bread basket of white and whole wheat bread was passed out as well. A side salad of watermelon, cucumber, and mozzarella was also served.

For my main, I went with the “local delicacies” which I assumed to be interpreted as from Chicago? There were two samosas (described as “quesadillas”) filled with spicy cheese, a dish of pulled pork, six sweet potato fries, and “Mexican” corn. The samosa/quesadillas were very tasty. However, despite being at almost 38,000 feet with dulled taste buds, I found the pork and corn to be extremely salty.

My father had the slow-grilled chicken breast which was average.

For dessert, I had an excellent cheese plate. Flight attendants also offered either tea or coffee with this service.

My father went with the dessert plate which he said was good. Small chocolate houses were also passed out afterward.

Once dinner was finished, flight attendants dimmed the cabin lights for the night. Although there was no comforter offered, I still found the bed comfortable.

The leg well did not feel restrictive, even when lying supine.

Unfortunately, I could not fall asleep so I spent a few hours enjoying the inflight entertainment. KLM offered a few new box office movies.

A snack basket was set up at the front of the cabin. Options included chips, stroopwafels, nuts, and cookies.

Flight attendants did make a few passes through the cabin offering water and orange juice.

An hour and 45 minutes prior to arrival, the entire business class cabin lights were turned on for the breakfast service. I found this to be super early and did not feel the need to wake everyone up. A hot towelette was passed out.

Twenty minutes later, breakfast was served on one tray. I found the breakfast to be very good for a trans-Atlantic crossing. There was a hot poached egg with spinach and roasted potatoes in a decadent Hollandaise sauce. Hot white bread or croissants were also offered. The cold dishes included gouda cheese and turkey ham along with chia oatmeal with caramelized banana, pomegranate, and pistachios. All three plates were very tasty.

At the conclusion of the meal, flight attendants came by to pass out the famous blue Delft Houses. The only option on this flight today was the newest release, House #103.

The cabin was prepped for landing twenty minutes out. We had a smooth descent and landed in Amsterdam at 6:29AM on runway 8C.

Our taxi to gate F3 took just seven minutes. There was a slight delay with a malfunctioning jetbridge but three minutes later it was fixed.

Thanks for the flight!

I really enjoyed this business class flight with KLM across the Atlantic. The seat was great, the food was better than other airlines, and the service was friendly. Until next time KLM.