KLM Royal Dutch Airlines flies the Airbus A330-200 aircraft as flight KL682 between Vancouver (YVR) and Amsterdam (AMS). The aircraft offers a passenger capacity of 264 in a two-class configuration.

There are 18 seats in World Business in a 2-2-2 configuration and 246 in economy in a 2-4-2 configuration. Flight 682 departs YVR at 17:40 hours and arrives at AMS the following afternoon at 12:10 hours, with a block time of 9 hours and 30 minutes. This article reviews the World Business cabin onboard the Airbus A330-203 (registration PH-AOA).

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Check-in

The check-in process was smooth, with multiple attendants available to help in the priority lane at YVR. No other priority passenger was checking in at the time, so it took me only a few minutes at the check-in counter.

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With very little time left until boarding, I went straight to the departure gate. Although boarding had not started, there was a long line-up of passengers at the gate. In the priority line, however, there were only a few people ahead of me. The boarding started at 17:10, 30 minutes before departure time.

The World Business cabin

The KLM’s World Business cabin on its A330 fleet recently went through extensive refurbishment. The cabin comprises 18 lie-flat seats, a sleek interior, and HD touchscreen displays with a brand-new inflight entertainment system.

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I was seated in seat 3H, an aisle seat on the starboard side. The seat is 25.5 inches (65 cm) in width with a pitch of 60 inches (152 cm). The seat has a console to adjust seat positions, including adjustments for lumbar support.

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The seat facilities included earphone points, a USB port, and an LED touch-screen wired controller. Additional universal AC power outlets are shared in the middle console. While housing the removable tray table, the console also serves as a small tabletop for snacks and drinks.

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The fixed divider between the two seats allows for privacy. The back compartment holds flight safety cards, an in-flight magazine, and noise-canceling headsets. The compartment also includes a bottle holder and a reading spotlight mounted at eye level.

The aisle seat has an adjustable armrest on the aisle side, which comes in handy when exiting the seat in a lie-flat configuration. The cabin interior shows subtle use of the KLM blue color, which complements the dark brown seats.

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Amenities

Each business class seat comes with a pillow, a blanket, a noise-canceling headset, and an amenity kit. The amenity kit is designed by Jan Taminiau, a Dutch fashion designer. The kit contains a pair of comfy socks, an eye mask, ear plugs, a pen, a toothbrush, toothpaste, a Rituals Limited Edition lip balm, and a face moisturizer.

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The cabin also featured in-flight WiFi access. The instant-messaging access was free, with paid top-ups available depending on need.

Meal service

Two meals are offered on an overnight flight to Amsterdam. The main meal was served after takeoff, and the breakfast was served a little before landing. Shortly after boarding, the service started with a choice of drinks (water, soft drinks, and champagne). Just after takeoff, passengers were offered a hot towel to refresh before the main meal.

The main meal

As the cabin crew prepared the meal, mixed nuts and drinks were served.

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Shortly after, the flight attendant inquired with each passenger about their food choices. Among a variety of food options, these were my choices.

• Appetizers - Yellowfin tuna tataki with wasabi mayonnaise, pickled ginger, and seaweed salad.
• Side Dish - Mesclun salad with cherry tomatoes and olive oil dressing

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• Main Course - Tortellini pesto served with spinach, oven-roasted tomatoes, fava beans, and walnuts.

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• Dessert - Petit grand dessert of chocolate and fruit petit fours, macaron, and dark chocolate shavings.

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While the wasabi mayonnaise was too strong for my taste, the overall appetizer was pretty balanced. The tortellini pesto was as flavorful as it could get. It was cooked al dente with scrumptious pesto sauce and served hot. The array of sweet treats on the dessert plate was playful and delicious. The main course was followed by coffee, tea, and a miniature chocolate KLM house.

Cabin lights were dimmed shortly after the main meal cleanup. The cabin crew offered to assist passengers with seat configurations, blankets, and any additional needs before it was time to sleep. Immaculate attention to detail and going the extra step to please customers is what KLM does best. The cabin crew ensured all passengers were comfortable in their seats before they could depart to take a quick bite in the galley.

At around 21:30 Vancouver time, I took an uninterrupted four-hour nap. I woke up to the morning (cabin) lights as the flight attendants prepared for breakfast. The time to destination showed 95 minutes on the display screen.

The breakfast

Shortly after waking up, the flight attendant inquired about my choice of hot breakfast. Here are my choices, including the fixed menu items.

• Fresh Start - Bircher muesli with fresh red fruit.
• Cold Plate - Smoked salmon with cream cheese and cucumber.
• Main Plate - French toast with apple cinnamon compote served with vanilla sauce and fresh blueberries.

The breakfast was served with warm bread rolls, croissants, and jam. The drinks included fresh juices, wine, and assorted tea and coffee.

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The Bircher muesli (overnight soaked oats) had an incredible richness balanced with the berries. While the texture was a little mushy for my taste, the dish was flavorful. The French toast was soft, and the compote made it extra indulgent. It was served hot, which certainly added to the flavor.

A unique gift

Before landing, World Business passengers receive a precious gift, a Delft Blue miniature traditional Dutch house filled with Dutch gin. Passengers could learn the history of this tradition and make a selection among many choices. KLM has been presenting World Business passengers with these houses since the 1950s.

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Every year on October 7th, the airline celebrates its anniversary by presenting a new house. There are a total of 103 houses (one for each year since KLM’s founding in 1919). Passengers can keep track of the houses (by numbers) they receive and also view the history of each house on KLM’s website.

Concluding remarks

Following an on-time departure from Vancouver, the flight arrived in Amsterdam a few minutes early. The World Business passengers enjoyed priority de-boarding from both the front and center doors of the aircraft.

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After more than a century of service, the KLM’s glory is intact in its products and services. While the hard product exhibits attention to detail in every class, the hospitable flight crew makes the passenger experience impeccable.

Have you ever flown with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines? What was your experience like? Tell us in the comments section.