Dutch national carrier KLM is currently upgrading its long-haul Business Class product. Its new lie-flat seats offer greater privacy and direct aisle access to every passenger. (KLM is also adding Premium Economy to its Boeing 777s and 787s.)

I recently used my Qantas Frequent Flyer points to try out the new KLM Business Class on its Boeing 777-300ER. This is the same aircraft that KLM flies from Bali to Amsterdam via Singapore.

On this particular trip, I was flying from KLM’s Amsterdam hub to Paramaribo in Suriname, a former Dutch colony in South America.

The Amsterdam-Paramaribo route is a strong performer for KLM, given the strong ties between Suriname and the Netherlands. Many Dutch citizens have Surinamese family or heritage, and the forests of Suriname are a compelling destination for Dutch tourists. In fact, Amsterdam-Paramaribo was the last route that KLM continued serving with its Boeing 747s before it retired them in 2020.

As you’ll see in this review, KLM Business Class on the Boeing 777-300ER is a great way to fly – especially with the recent hard product improvements.

Flight Details

Flight number	KL713
Route	Amsterdam (AMS) to Paramaribo (PBM)
Aircraft type	Boeing 777-300ER
Class of travel	Business
Seat number	2K
On-time performance	We arrived 20 minutes late
Star rating

The route

Flight Cost

I was able to redeem Qantas Points for this flight as KLM is a partner airline. It cost me 75,000 Qantas Points + €256.15 (~AU$418) in taxes & carrier charges for a one-way Business Class ticket from Amsterdam to Paramaribo. I thought that was excellent value.

As KLM is a SkyTeam member airline, you could also redeem points or miles with any SkyTeam partner airline to book a reward seat on KLM.

A return KLM Business Class ticket on this route would usually cost around AU$3,500 one-way or AU$3,300 round-trip. (Yes, you read that right – it really is cheaper to book a return ticket!)

Airport Experience

KLM has a dedicated Sky Priority check-in area and security fast-track lane in Amsterdam for KLM and SkyTeam Business Class passengers, as well as SkyTeam Elite Plus frequent flyers. (In theory, you could also use this as a Qantas Gold or Platinum member flying KLM Economy… but nobody really seems to know how this is supposed to work in practice.)

There was no wait at all to check in. After a cursory glance at my Suriname Entry Fee Voucher, the KLM agent handed me a boarding pass and I headed upstairs through the Sky Priority shortcut to the security checkpoint.

Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport instructs passengers not to remove anything from their bags before putting them through the x-ray machine. This is designed to save time, but I unfortunately find that it does the opposite. I travel through Amsterdam regularly and, since the airport implemented this policy, my bag has been pulled aside for secondary screening every single time. It’s probably because I have two screens in my bag. This doesn’t happen at other airports where I simply put the screens into a separate tray.

It seemed like a lot of other bags were also being pulled aside as I had to wait 15 minutes before someone took a closer look at my bag. So much for the fast-track lane.

Once through immigration, I headed to the brilliant Crown Lounge 52. This is KLM’s flagship non-Schengen lounge, and I think it’s easily the best lounge at Schiphol Airport.

This bright lounge had lots of natural light and colourful decor. It was a calm and quiet space, with no boarding announcements.

There were two food buffets at either end of the lounge. I was visiting during breakfast time and the food available included cereal, yoghurt, pastries, bacon, sausages, mushrooms and potatoes. There was also a chef preparing fresh plates of eggs florentine at a live cooking station.

The upper level of the lounge had a premium restaurant and “Sky Bar”. Coffee, tea, basic spirits and some beers and wines were available for free from the bar. There was an additional charge for premium drinks and dining, with payment accepted in either Euros or Flying Blue miles.

A robot on wheels was roaming the lounge, collecting used plates and cups. Of course, there were also real staff keeping the lounge clean and tidy!

The lounge had lots of different seating spots, as well as areas for sleeping and working. Of course, the lounge also had toilets and showers. But my favourite feature of the KLM Crown Lounge 52 was the outdoor terrace boasting a great view over the airfield!

Once it was time to board, I headed over to the gate where the ground staff were calling for priority boarding. I ducked past the long line and was soon settling into my seat.

The Hard Product

I was lucky enough to be sitting in 2K, a window seat in the front row of Business Class.

KLM’s newest Business Class product is superb, featuring reverse herringbone seats in a 1-2-1 layout. The seats actually have the same basic design as ZIPAIR’s “Full Flat” seats, except that they have entertainment screens and sliding doors.

I found the seat very comfortable, with lots of space and a storage cabinet to the side. There was also a universal power socket, USB and USB-C outlets, as well as a wireless phone charger that my iPhone couldn’t seem to stay connected for more than a few seconds at a time.

As you would expect, the seat reclines to become a fully lie-flat bed. It also has a massage function.

I slept very comfortably for several hours during the middle of the flight. The only problem with being in the front row was that there was a bit of noise from the galley. I got woken up at one point by what sounded like a crew member dropping an entire tray of glasses.

Being in the first row, I think there may have been more space for my legs than you would ordinarily get in other seats. I could easily and comfortably stretch my legs out while lying down.

There was a large, high-definition TV screen. I loved how it showed photos relating to the destination of the flight during boarding. I also enjoyed KLM’s unique tile-themed safety video.

The in-flight entertainment system had enough content to ensure I wasn’t bored. I happily binge-watched The Simpsons for the first few hours of the flight.

The seat came with a “do not disturb” button and a small privacy door that you could pull closed. To be honest, the door seemed like a little bit of a gimmick – anyone could still see into your suite when walking past. Nonetheless, the seat felt fairly private and I couldn’t see any other passengers while seated. The door itself is made of a flexible, lightweight material which wouldn’t add much to the aircraft’s fuel burn.

KLM offers free messaging and full Wi-Fi on board for a fee. I tried to connect to the messaging function but could not quite get this to work. I didn’t spend a lot of time trying to troubleshoot this, though. We could have just been flying through a coverage black spot at the time.

The Soft Product

When I reached my seat, an amenity kit, pillow, blanket, menu, bottle of water and noise-cancelling headphones were already waiting for me. The headphones were surprisingly good quality.

Before long, a flight attendant brought around a choice of pre-departure champagne, water or orange juice. I couldn’t go past the champagne!

The champagne served on this flight was Bernard Lonclas Cuvée Sélection Brut. It’s not Dom Perignon or Krug, but I enjoyed it.

The lovely Rituals amenity kit contained earplugs, an eye shade, socks, lip balm, moisturiser, earplugs, a toothbrush, toothpaste and a small pen. There were also a few extra amenities available in the Business Class lavatories, including (for some reason) hair gel.

I was impressed to discover that the comprehensive menu was specifically printed for this individual flight. It even had the date and flight number printed onto it!

After take-off, the lunch service began with a hot towel, a drink from the bar and a choice of nuts or Dutch cheese. I love it when national airlines embrace their country’s culture, and I found the cheese bowl a great touch.

This was the KLM Business Class food menu for the flight to Paramaribo:

There was also a comprehensive selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks available.

This was the KLM Business Class wine list:

I chose the salmon appetiser. This was fresh, restaurant-quality food!

This was followed by the spicy chicken masala main course, which was full of flavour and equally hit the spot!

I chose the almond bavarois for dessert, which was excellent too and came with a Delft house-shaped chocolate.

I paired this with KLM’s unique signature cocktail, “The Very High Fashioned”. This is the airline’s take on the classic “Old Fashioned”, which happens to be one of my favourite cocktails. I loved KLM’s version just as much as the original.

The first meal service did seem to take a while. But this wasn’t really an issue for a daytime flight like this one, and KLM does offer an express meal option. Other than that, the service throughout the flight was very attentive and the flight attendants addressed me by name.

After lunch, the crew offered tea and coffee. They also left some extra snacks like chips and more chocolates at the front of the Business cabin for hungry passengers to help themselves.

I was happily fast asleep when the crew served the mid-flight snack, so I can’t comment on that.

Two hours before landing, the cabin crew began the second main meal service with another hot towel. I chose the pumpkin ravioli to go with the Caeser salad, and both were very tasty.

I really enjoyed all of the food served on this flight. The quality was excellent, it tasted great and it was fresh. Full marks to KLM for that!

Before landing, the senior purser offered each passenger in Business Class a choice of miniature Delft blue houses. These adorable ceramic houses aren’t just a great souvenir – most also contain Bols Genever gin. (A small number don’t contain gin as they are handed out on flights to the Middle East or other destinations where it may not be culturally appropriate to gift alcohol.)

KLM has had this quirky tradition on its long-haul flights since the 1950s. It was originally a cheeky way for KLM to provide gifts to passengers when the aviation industry was heavily regulated and this wasn’t otherwise allowed. (KLM argued it was just giving away drinks to go.)

Arrival Experience

This great flight unfortunately ended on a slightly sour note, as I had to wait 73 minutes for my priority-tagged bag to arrive on the baggage carousel.

Matt Graham

The editor of Australian Frequent Flyer, Matt's passion for travel has taken him to over 90 countries… with the help of frequent flyer points, of course!
Matt's favourite destinations (so far) are Germany, Brazil & Kazakhstan. His interests include economics, aviation & foreign languages, and he has a soft spot for good food and red wine.

You can connect with Matt by posting on the Australian Frequent Flyer community forum and tagging @AFF Editor.