I exit The Okura Hotel at 12h00 and walk the short distance to the metro station – not quite ten minutes away from the hotel. De Pijp station is rather cool, mainly because the two tunnels for the south- and northbound trains are not next to each other, but underneath each other. I know, I know, maybe spending so much time around engineers really is starting to rub off on me…

Amsterdam Zuid is the terminus of the line 52 metro. I change here to catch a train to Schiphol airport. The journey from door to door takes me thirty minutes.

Check-In

At Schiphol I follow the signs from the plaza to Departures 1 and 2. I’ve already checked in online, so I can head straight for security – which is something they do really well in Amsterdam. The process is swift and efficient, the 3D scanners are convenient as you don’t need to take anything out of your bags.

Airside

Right behind security is the passage that takes me directly to the KLM Crown Lounge. However, I take one look inside and decide to keep on walking. It’s probably more crowded in there than it is outside. It’s not a big deal, my flight to Budapest will start boarding in about forty minutes, and you can’t see the aircraft anyway from inside the lounge.

Boarding

My flight is departing from gate C 11, which is bad news because it’s right in the tip of the C concourse, which means that I have no chance to take a decent photo of my aircraft. Boarding is by zones and strictly enforced by the gate agents.

The Cabin & Seat

I’m seated on 1D, which is the aisle seat on the first row. I’m the second passenger to board behind a Frenchman who, it turns out, is sitting on 1F. He unceremoniously plonks his belongings in the overhead bins and takes his seat. So then, before I can store my bags, I first need to rearrange his stuff so that it’ll all fit. By the looks of it, it’s going to be a full flight today. But the Frenchman is not amused at my touching his bags, and no sooner have I taken my seat, he glares at me, and then stands up to check what I’ve done. Meanwhile, on the other side of the aisle an Englishman is seated on 1C and, frankly, he smells. I don’t know if he lives in a restaurant or just decided to take a bath in a deep fryer, but he smells of old cooking oil and greasy food. At least, once he’s seated I can’t smell him anymore.

In any case, there are only two rows of Business Class on this flight. It’s an attractive cabin. Like the seats on the E2, these also have an adjustable headrest. The pitch on row 1 is very good. What is a bit surprising, though, is that there doesn’t seem to be a cabin divider, except for the flimsy curtains in the aisle.

Eventually, we leave with a delay of fifteen minutes, mainly due to the fact that the flight is full and thirty minutes is just not enough to board 220 passengers into a single-aisle aircraft. Nonetheless, with an expected flight time of one hour and forty minutes, the crew is still anticipating an ontime arrival.

The Meal

Once we’re airborne, the meal starts with a small bottle of mixed fruit juice – mango, orange, and passion fruit. Next, the meal is served in the famous Wandels box. Today’s offering is an Asian style noodle salad with shrimps. I think I may have mentioned previously that occasionally, KLM’s catering tends to be quite experimental… There’s also a container with roasted nuts and another container with three macarons for dessert. After the meal, I have a coffee with cream and a chocolate biscuit.

The Crew & Service

The crew on this flight are quite senior. They’re brilliant – very professional and welcoming to all passengers. During the meal service they regularly top up drinks and make several rounds with the breadbasket.

After the meal, I sit back and continue reading in my Kindle in the absence of a window seat with a view. And then, something unexpected happens. A short while after the meal, the purser approaches me with a small orange bag. “Mr. A, I have something for you. We’ve heard on good authority that you’re one of KLM‘s greatest fans. So next time you’re having breakfast, here’s a small gift to remember us by”. I’m completely puzzled. Inside the bag is a small bottle of sparkling wine, a coloring book with pencils, and a KLM mug with three cookies in it. There’s also a card that has been signed by the entire crew of the flight, and I’m totally and utterly charmed. This is just so nice of the crew, I can’t stop smiling. I thank the crew and explain to them that it’s exactly these small gestures that keep me coming back to KLM.

Arrival in Budapest

It really is quite remarkable just how much earlier it turns dark as you start heading east. By the time we land in Budapest, it’s already completely dark outside, even though it’s only just 16h15.

Our flight terminates in Terminal 2A. As I disembark, I thank the crew again for their lovely gift and wish them a safe journey back home. From what I understand, some of them will return to Amsterdam with the same aircraft, while some of the crew will overnight in Budapest.

Conclusion

This was my second trip on the KLM A 321 NEO. It’s a very nice cabin and seat that KLM has installed on it. The only thing I find a bit weird, is the lack of a cabin divider. But that’s just a minor thing. The absolute highlight of this flight, though, was of course the surprise gift by the cabin crew. I wasn’t expecting that, which only made it even better. The KLM crews are usually noticeably senior to those on SWISS, for example. And I really think it shows in the way they interact with passengers. They’re definitely a lot more experienced and confident in how they engage with the passengers, and that is something I really appreciate.