Review: KLM Business Class 777 Bali Denpasar — Singapore
KLM operates a fifth freedom flight from Bali to Singapore, which then moves on to Amsterdam. Tickets in their lie-flat business class were super cheap at $250 one-way. We had some hickups with the seat selection, but the flight was quite enjoyable.
Check-in, lounge and boarding
Directly after leaving the taxi, you are approached by friendly people offering help with your bags. If you are happy to pay $5-$10 for the service, then go ahead. But otherwise just politely decline. There are plenty of trolleys available.
Upon entering the terminal there is a first security check for all your bags. KLM check-in is right next to it and there were three counters for business class and SkyPriority guests. Unfortunately the scales were quite faulty. We did not touch 2 of our bags after the flight from Melbourne and they each showed 2 kg more than before and on our next flight from Singapore and our little scale at home. After some reorganization they finally allowed our 32.8 kg bags to be checked in.
We used the Garuda Indonesia lounge, as we knew the Premier Lounge from our previous departure from Bali. They are both equally subpar. Food is mostly fried convenience stuff and for drinks they have Bintang and bad wine.
The business class restrooms were closed, so I got a chance to snap some pictures of the first class area of the Garuda Indonesia lounge.
Boarding was organized into SkyPriority for business class and elite guests and economy class. Queuing was a bit chaotic, but boarding started almost on time and we were on the plane in a few minutes. While there was a jetbridge to the front of the plane, we used the second bridge, as we were seated in the mini cabin just in front of economy class.
Seat
We were assigned seats 6D and 6F in the middle of the one row mini cabin just in front of economy class. The seats are in a slight parallel angle and offered plenty of space. My wifes headphone jack was broken. When we informed the purser about that, she was really apolegetic and issued a €30 voucher for subsequent flights. We didn’t care so much about that, as we wanted to watch the latest episode of Suits on my laptop anyways, but my kind request to “just take extra care of us when it comes to drinks” was met with a bright understanding smile.
Service and food
Compared to the carriers from Asia and the Middle East, the crew is less robotic and open for some real chat. After our humble request for some priority Sauvignon Blanc, we received two glasses right after we were airborne. The wine was nothing to talk about, but we appreciated the gesture. The beef brisket I chose for dinner was suprisingly good. Can’t say too much about subsequent service, as we both fell asleep shortly after.
Cabin and amenities
We were given a male and female amenity kit. They were quite different. The male one is a sturdy case, while the female one is smiliar to a clutch. The contents were quite basic, with an eye mask, tooth brush, earplugs and socks. If fits my Kindle perfectly though and will be my new case for that.
Conclusion
Amazing crew, great seats, bargain price. Only downside were the blocked seats, which left us in the one row mini cabin. During boarding it’s just much busier than the main business class cabin, as all economy passengers pass through. During the flight the trolleys for the economy class service also pass through a few times, but it’s not too bad. Legroom is a bit better than in the regular seats.
As a leaving gift, we received two porcellain delft houses. And they held a little surprise of 35 ml of genever. You gotta love the dutch for that.
The crew changed in Singapore, but as all the flight attendants did their job with a bright smile all the time, I guess the onward flight to Amsterdam would be equally enjoyable. We had to put up with Singapore Suites to London though…
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