KLM A330-200 Business Class: Bottom Line Review

Earlier this year, my wife and I spent some time in East Africa after visiting a friend in the United Kingdom. We planned to begin in Rwanda, then move to Kenya, and finally end in Zanzibar. While there are many flights that link Europe to Kenya and Tanzania, there are only a handful that go to Kigali, the capital of Rwanda.

One of the chosen few is a daytime flight operated by KLM on an Airbus 330-200 that flies from Amsterdam to Kigali, then on to Entebbe, Uganda. I had never flown KLM’s A330 business class, so this was the perfect opportunity to give it a whirl.

KLM A330-200 Business Class Bottom Line Review

Given the paucity of options to get to Rwanda in business class, I’m grateful that this flight existed; it saved us hours compared to flying a connecting itinerary. That said, the product itself won’t win many plaudits. The seat was comfortable and spacious, the service was fun, and the Delft Blue Houses were as charming as ever. However, the catering was terrible, there was no privacy between seats, and the in-seat storage was as meager as could be. For the price we paid, I’m comfortable with the value we received, but on a route where there are more options, I’d try to look for something else. One thumb up, one thumb down.

• How we found it: We were able to find the availability via Virgin Atlantic by searching the route via AwardTool.
• How we booked it: Virgin Atlantic had two seats available at 58,500 points + ~$275 in fees. There was a 40% transfer bonus to Virgin from Amex Membership Rewards, so I transferred 84,000 Amex points after finding availability on the exact dates we wanted. Including the transfer bonus, the flights actually cost us 42,000 Amex points + $275 each. KLM Flying Blue had the same seats available, but they would have been almost double the points cost (partially because of the lack of a transfer bonus), and ~$150 more in fees.
• Cash Price: ~$3,400 per person.
• Route: Amsterdam (AMS) – Kigali (KGL)
• Ground Service:
  • Check-in: Smooth. KLM business class passengers in Amsterdam get access to an expedited passport and security lane, which was appreciated during the morning rush hour.
  • Departure Lounges: The best part of our experience. The KLM Crown Lounge in Amsterdam is an absolutely massive space, set over two levels and with more than 70,000 square feet. Despite having a capacity of over 1,000 people, there is so much space and so many bars and food areas that it never feels crowded. There’s an outdoor patio, numerous quiet areas and recliners, and a bountiful array of food and drink options.

• Business Class Seat:
  • Comfort: The KLM A330-200 has only 18 business class seats that are arranged 2-2-2 over one cabin. The window seats are slightly staggered, while the middle seats point inward. The seat has a decent ~25″ of width and is 81″ long when in lie-flat mode. Although the seat is undoubtedly dated, the space here was great, both seated and in lie-flat mode. There is no privacy between seats for those who are traveling solo.
  • Storage Space: One of the seat’s several shortcomings. Each pair has a console/side table that’s shared between seats. Outside of that, there’s essentially nothing. I had to store everything that I was using during the flight in the footwell or on the floor between the seats.
  • In-flight Entertainment (IFE): The A330 has a sharp, high-definition, 18″ In-Flight Entertainment screen with good resolution. Substandard, noise-cancelling headphones are provided that are a step down from the industrial Bose headphones used by many carriers. Although it will be fine for most people on one or two flights, the entertainment selection isn’t voluminous.
• Food and Beverage: Rough. On this particular flight, there was an initial multi-course lunch after take off, followed by a lighter meal before landing. Both my wife’s and my lunch mains were edible, and my wife had the presence of mind to order the Thai Curry Soup as her starter. I should have done the same. Instead, I had the “Surf and Turf,” which consisted of pressed, brown, raw beef underneath a cold, mushy prawn and some haricot verts. I had one bite and passed on the rest. The main for the light meal was potato salad, covered by cold, unseasoned, canned salmon; fish roe, wilted cherry tomatoes, and more soggy haricot verts. Neither my wife nor I got very far on that one. At least the cheese was Gouda (pun intended).
• Service: Brusque, but friendly. The flight attendants in the front were engaging and thrilled to be on a daytime route. I wouldn’t say that they took much pleasure in the finer points of hospitality, but they had some good, if not-safe-for-work, jokes.
• Cabin Ambiance/Temperature Control: For a daytime flight like this, I don’t mind the open cabin, especially when sitting with my wife. Some solo travelers on overnight flights may find it a little too open. There were two strangers behind me, one of whom spent about three hours trying to strike up a conversation with the other…who clearly wanted none of it. Them’s the breaks with an open, 2-2-2 configuration.
• Internet: The internet is spendy, at €30 for the entire flight. That said, while there were slow spots, I was able to spend most of the time working without issue, including image downloads.
• Amenity Kit: Comes in an attractive, pink fabric bag and includes a bamboo toothbrush, toothpaste tablets, face cream, lip balm, a pen, an eye mask, and socks.
• Would I choose to fly it again?  I certainly wouldn’t seek it out, but when it comes to lie-flat business class, even the worst seats are comparatively comfortable. This was no exception.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• In this case, the price was terrific, especially given how few options there are from Europe to Rwanda
• Availability seemed to be fairly easy to find
• I liked the small, 18-seat cabin
• Spacious seat that’s 81″ long in lie-flat mode
• The service was very warm
• Wifi seemed to hold up fairly well, even when downloading or playing video

Cons

• 2-2-2 cabin means that window seats don’t have direct aisle access
• Perhaps the worst, long-haul business class catering I’ve ever had (and I’ve flown British Airways a bunch)
• Terrible in-seat storage
• Wifi is expensive
• No privacy between seats

Image Gallery

KLM A330-200 Business Class Seat (and cabin)

KLM A330-200 Business Class Food and Menus

KLM A330-200 Business Class Amenity Kit

KLM Business Lounge Amsterdam

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