KLM Cityhopper E190 Economy Review AMS to LUX

Last year, I had the chance to fly to Billund in Denmark. On my way out, I flew a KLM Cityhopper E190. A surprisingly low frills, but comfortable flight from Amsterdam to Luxembourg. Here is my KLM Cityhopper E190 Economy review.

Connection in Amsterdam

After my very pleasant flight from Billund, I had a two hour long layover in Amsterdam. I walked to the Schengen Priority Pass lounge, which was quite far from where I had landed. The lounge was quite crowded, but I was able to grab some coffee and a continental breakfast. About an hour before departure, I headed over to the gate. The waiting area was packed, with about 4 flights leaving within 15 minutes of each other one next to the other.  Boarding was called exactly 30 minutes before departure. I waited for them to call my group and then walked down a jetway into the tarmac to board the E190 by airstairs.

KLM Cityhopper E-175 Economy Class Cabin

The E190 is one of my favorite aircraft. All seats are either aisle or window seats. The KLM E190 looked a bit drab, showing its age, but the seats were comfortable. The flight ended up being about 2/3rds full. A woman sat next to me, but as soon as boarding was completed, she moved across the aisle to the empty row next to us.

Seat pitch was your average 30″, but the slimline seats made it seem roomier. With that said, the seats were one notch more comfortable than ironing boards. There was no IFE and no Wi-Fi, which meant that it would be a quiet 45 minute flight. I did not mind, given I had brought a few books I wanted to finish before getting home.

Strongly recommend taking a beach-read style book on any flight, especially on short hops. My wife usually takes podcasts, but in case they do not download properly, I bring a book along for her.

Departure & Take Off

Boarding was completed quickly. As I mentioned, with a 2/3rds cabin, people moved around to more comfortable seats. Flight attendants welcomed passengers and started the safety demonstration. The captain came on the PA afterwards and advised us of a 70 minute hop. She noted that there were storms just southeast of Amsterdam, meaning a bumpy climb, as well as bad weather on arrival to Luxembourg. She noted that she hoped for a short period in the middle of the flight of calm for FAs to bring around water.

After a long taxi to the far runway in Amsterdam, we took off into a very cloudy and windy morning.

On Board Service

The climb to cruising altitude was pretty bumpy, however, at cruising altitude the sky calmed. Flight attendants came by offering passengers water or orange juice, going through the motions quickly given the risk of turbulence. Once they were done with their service, they sat down. I was pleasantly surprised at how efficiently they got the service done. It took them around 10 minutes to go through the whole cabin.

Landing & Arrival

About 25 minutes prior to landing, the pilot came on the PA and announced an early arrival. She again noted that there would be a fair bit of turbulence as the storm system had moved closer to Luxembourg. She asked the flight attendants to prepare the cabin for landing and take their seats as soon as possible.

Our approach into LUX was indeed very bumpy. Low-level clouds made it pretty much impossible to see the ground until we were about 300-500 feet above it. After a hard landing, we taxied to a gate. It was pouring rain, and, in the short walk into the terminal, I got soaked.

LUX is a small and straight forward airport, so after a few minutes to change, I was on a bus to the city center to do some exploring.

Conrado’s Thoughts

This flight was perfectly acceptable for such a short distance. I appreciated that the FAs brought out drinks, and it was done so efficiently. I would hope that there were Wi-Fi or some form of entertainment. For a lot of people, reading a book is not their go-to choice to keep themselves entertained. Hopefully KLM installs fleet-wide Wi-Fi soon.

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