What’s it like flying KLM business class on a Boeing 737 Amsterdam to Toulouse?

Breakfast time is always an interesting time to fly, especially in KLM business class. During online check-in, a friend I was travelling with noticed business class seats were available to select. This means you can upgrade and for this flight it was €47 extra.

We had already paid for Economy Comfort seats, which meant the total extra cost was €59. I arrived off an economy class flight from Dublin and hoofed it through Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam to make my connection. Moving quickly meant I arrived just as my flight to Toulouse started boarding.

KL1301 – Amsterdam to Toulouse (AMS-TLS)
22 October 2021
Boeing 737-800 – PH-BXA – Zwaan / Swan
Seat: Business Class 1C
Departure: 09:20 Arrival: 11:05

Handing over my boarding pass resulted in a beep and I was told my seat had changed. I had to go to see another lady, who fixed up my ticket and I boarded normally. They had thought I wasn’t going to make my connection, so that had been flagged in their system.

KLM Business Class Cabin

Most airlines in Europe use the same seats throughout the aircraft and KLM business class is no exception. The premium rows have more legroom and you get the middle seat free.

As I was in row one with nothing in front of me, I had tons of room. Pleasingly there are coat hooks located in the bulkhead wall, which proved to be quite handy. Due to my seat hiccup, I boarded after everyone in business was seated, meaning I had no overhead space. I put my bag above the first row of economy, much to the surprise of the person sitting there.

Safety On Board

Once everyone was seated, it was time for the safety demonstration. This was announced to be in English for the benefit of the passengers who were a mixture of Dutch and French, among others.

Once done, it was time to head off to the runway, which didn’t seem to take all that long. I was chatting to my friend, so I didn’t notice the time.

KLM Business Class Breakfast

Once flying, it was time to eat. Drinks are offered first and we went straight for the Champagne. Of course, we found out it was Cava upon delivery, but it tasted just fine. The meal boxes arrived next.

On the menu today was a Fresh Start, which comprised of fruit salad, yoghurt, crunchy granola and butter, presumably for the wheat bun. For your second course there were Cold Cuts, featuring jam, cream cheese, smoked salmon, boiled egg and a lemon. The meal proved to be fairly substantial, as even the yoghurt and granola proved to be a decent feed. Highlights for me were the jam for the bun, the cream cheese and salmon, plus the lovely egg. All round, very good indeed! Naturally we had another round of drinks as well.

Toilet Time!

Sitting in the first row meant easy access to the facilities. The business class toilet is located on the left beside the cockpit door at the front of the plane. It’s often located here!

Happily everything was nice and clean, so no surprises there. By now the meal box had been collected and after one more drink, we landed in Toulouse on time.

Overall Thoughts

KLM business class is very good value, especially when you’ve paid €47/€59 to upgrade. Actually, I see that it was €59 to upgrade my Dublin to Amsterdam flight back in 2017, so not much has changed there.

On board, I found the continental breakfast to be quite filling, not to mention tasty. While they only do Cava, that is no show stopper. Service from the crew was quite fine and so I was satisfied with the experience.

Have you flown KLM business class before? What do you think of it? Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.

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