Transfer in Amsterdam

The flight from Zürich terminates at gate D82. By the time I deplane and make my way to the KLM Crown Lounge at the beginning of the D pier, it’s already 19h35. My flight to Oslo will be boarding at 20h22 from gate D61, close to the lounge.

The KLM Crown Lounge

When I first arrive at the lounge, it’s very busy. There are people everywhere and the only place I can find to sit is in the dining area. But then, as though somebody flips a switch, from one moment to another, the place quickly empties.

I rather like the KLM Crown Lounge. However, it is striking just how badly maintained it is, especially the washrooms. For example, in the washroom behind the Heineken bar there are five sinks to wash your hands. The one at the far end is covered in plastic and obviously out of service. And of the other four, two have soap dispensers that are also not working.

Boarding

At 20h15 I exit the lounge and make my way to the gate. Boarding has just started when I get there. Boarding is by zones, and I greatly appreciate that KLM strictly enforces it.

The Cabin & Seat

On this flight, I’m seated on row three again, only this time that puts me in Business Class. There are three rows in the forward cabin this evening, with ten out of twelve seats occupied. What is a bit unusual on this aircraft, is that the cabin divider is missing. Not that it really matters, as the new ones are rather flimsy anyway. The seat pitch on row three is great, though.

The Crew & Service

The cabin crew are all female, and they’re brilliant. They’re quite senior and the service is rather old school, in the sense that they obviously make the effort to give the whole service a classy touch. Or as classy as you can when you’re serving food from plastic containers in a cardboard box.

We push back slightly ahead of schedule. The flight time to Oslo is 75 minutes.

The Meal – Dinner

For dinner this evening we have a potato salad with boiled eggs and a piece of hot smoked salmon. It’s rather an attractive and tasty meal – although I’m still not convinced potatos are supposed to be this crunchy… Then there is a smaller container with cashew nuts coated in spices, and another container with three macarons. The crew serve warm rolls with the meal.

To drink, I have a glass of sparkling water. The crew ask me if I’d like that with ice and lemon, and they serve all drinks from a tray, rather than just handing me the glass. After the meal, I ask for a cup of coffee with milk, which is served with an almond biscuit.

Arrival in Oslo

It is noticeable how much longer it stays light up north. By the time we start our descent into Oslo at around 22h00, the sun has only just started to set.

We fly right past the city of Oslo on our approach, and eventually touch down at 22h10. The international terminal looks deserted, except for a lone A 330-900 of some Scandinavian charter operator, which looks as though it’s parked up for the night.

Getting into Oslo

There is a direct train – the Flytoget – from Oslo Gardermoen Airport to Oslo Central Station. The journey takes 22 minutes and trains run frequently – every ten minutes during peak times and twenty minutes off-peak. Tickets can be purchased at one of the ticket machines in the airport’s station at arrivals level, or by using the app. Tickets bought on the app have a validity period of ninety days. The fare for a single is roughly EUR23.

Conclusion

These were two pleasant flights on KLM from Zürich via Amsterdam to Oslo. The revamp of the B 737 cabin is a vast improvement, as far as I’m concerned. The old seats had started to look a bit tattered and worn, which would only become increasingly apparent as more and more of the new A 321 NEOs come online.

I know I’m repeating myself here, and I know that the service on KLM can hardly be described as being particularly polished or sophisticated. However, they easily make up for that with the consistency of their service delivery on the ground and in the air – and I appreciate that a lot.

Other than that, Amsterdam remains one of my favourite airports. The terminal complex is very well designed and easy to navigate, so that transferring through Schiphol is very easy – despite the airport’s impressive size.