KLM Business Class Review – 3 different planes

For our family trip to Asia, we took 4 separate long haul KLM business class flights. Which meant we got to try 3 different KLM planes. Wonder which has the best business class seat?

KLM Business Class Booked with Points

For Christmas 2024/New Years 2025 my family of 3 few from Chicago to Hong Kong (with full day layover in Amsterdam) and from Taipei to Chicago (with 4 hour layover in Amsterdam) on KLM business class.

Flights: 
Chicago to Hong Kong, KLM business class 95K points per person + $395
Taipei to Chicago, KLM business class 95K points per person + $482

Total Points/Cost: 570K American Express points transferred to KLM + $2631 in taxes & fees 
Actual Cash Cost: $35,199 for 3 people, roundtrip

Due to this routing, we flew 3 different KLM planes.

KLM 787-10 Business Class Review

The flight from Chicago to Amsterdam is a little less than 8 hours. The crew on this flight was the best of all 4 trips we had. Extremely attentive. So cheerful.
We also flew this plane (787-10) from Amsterdam to Chicago (2 weeks later) and the crew was good but not great.

This plane does not have temperature nozzles at your seat in business class. I highly recommend bringing your own mini fan. I NEVER travel without one.

2 meals are served on these flights.
On the outbound journey it was dinner & breakfast.
On the inbound journey it was dinner & lunch.
Both dinners were good.

Sleep was very good. On the outbound flights the timing was weird, we only slept about 2 – 3 hours.
On the inbound flight we were exhausted and only allowed ourselves to sleep 3 hours. I tried waking my son up 4 times, he actually slept nearly 7 hours on this flight.

KLM 787-9 Business Class Review

This is the oldest business class model of the 3 we flew. Old seat controls. The TV screen flips out. Very little space under foot rest (could not fit my book bag).
The worst part of this seat is that you can feel the movement from the seat behind you. Their movement in the footwell and when they adjust their TV screen. This was the only seat I noticed this on.

But this was also our 15 hour flight from Hong Kong to Amsterdam. We were all exhausted and slept for 8 full hours!! Service was the worst on this flight. Not cheerful. At all. Not quick with food/drinks.

This was also the only plane with individual climate control nozzles.

This flight took off shortly after midnight.
Do business class flights after midnight serve dinner? Yes.
It was a condensed version with only 1 appetizer choice and everything on 1 plate.

KLM 777-200 Business Class Review

We got to fly this new business class seat from Amsterdam to Hong Kong and it was fantastic. The crew was also great!

I LOVE the sliding privacy doors. This plane also has the phone charging pad. AND a chair massage option!! WHAT!! This was the only flight we received slippers on.

This was about a 12 hour flight. We only allowed ourselves to sleep for about 5 hours so we could get used to time difference. But the sleep was also great on this flight.

KLM Business Class – In General

The KLM soft experience is really a mixed bag. Of the 5 long haul flights I’ve taken with them, I’d had below average crew on 3 flights and great crew on 2.
I’ve had great food on some. Awful on others.

But, I’ve slept well on every single flight.
One complaint people have is that no mattress pads are given out. I generally use the blanket they give me as a mattress pad and then my scarf/shawl as a blanket

In their amenity kits you’ll find socks, ear plugs, sleep masks, lip balm and face cream.
The new bag for the amenity kit isn’t my favorite at all. It’s a reusable bag. But who uses bags with multiple tube like pockets on the outside you can barely fit your hand in?
I love the design of their old kit and am thankful I have a few of them from previous flights.

After take off, you are usually offered a choice of warm nuts or a bowl of cheese (gouda). I highly recommend going with the nuts. Unless you love a ton of gouda.
Also, after dessert, little chocolate houses are passed out. I LOVE the white chocolate!

And the thing we all love about KLM business class – the Delft houses!
Each person gets 1 Delft house from the KLM collection (there are over 100 designs) for each long haul business class flight. You’ll want to download the KLM Delft Houses app to keep track of what you already have. Each house has a number on the back so it’s easy to keep track of.

When you fly KLM business class, you’ll have access to the KLM Flagship lounge in Amsterdam. While quite large, it is chaotic. This is one of my least favorite lounges. The carpet desperately needs to be replaced. And the food options are minimal and all in 1 tiny area for way too many people. The downstairs is open concept and zero privacy. Just feels like people on top of people on top of people.

My tip? Go upstairs. There’s a nice seating area and it’s so much more peaceful. Yes, you’ll have to go downstairs to get food but it’s worth it. And you can still order complimentary drinks from the bartender upstairs (or they have paid elevated drink and food options up stairs too).

KLM Business Class 2024 Review

Overall we were super happy with our long haul business class flights. Finding award flights for families can be tough. Then factor in wanting to travel during the most coveted time of year (Xmas & New Years ) and to one of the most sought after destinations of 2024 and 2025 – Asia… it’s tough to find flights. So we were thrilled to find this option. And for each plane, we had excellent sleep and comfort. And at the end of the day, that is my biggest ask. And we definitely got it. 🙂