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New KLM business class suite
I flew KLM recently for the first time in business class long haul and overall, I thought it was a solid choice. I have found them very consistent with lovely staff, although some of the food choices onboard can be a little strange!
KLM already have a decent seat on most of their long haul aircraft – I flew on their B787-10, which at the moment is the most modern in the fleet.
KLM has now revealed their new World Business Class (WBC) seats which are suites with a door. The new seats are for the B777-200 and 300 and offer passengers more space and comfort with direct access to the aisle. It is basically an evolution of the seat I flew on the B787-10, with a door being the largest difference.
Every seat has a lightweight sliding door and more personal adjustment options and user-friendly functionality, including an adjustable lower-back support and a relax setting with a subtle back-massage feature (like the sound of that – most of the massage function seats have been phased out). The seats and their fittings are also 10-15% lighter than other business class seats in this market segment, thereby contributing to KLM’s sustainability objectives.
The seat forms a comfortable, 198cm-long bed which is the same length as their B777 and B787. There are multiple charging sockets that are easily accessible in front of you and a wireless charging option. There is a lockable compartment with a built in mirror. I’m intrigued by the word lockable as it is not clear exactly what they mean. If you could secure it so no one else could open it, that would be a great security feature.
I also like the recessed bottle holder which keeps things stable during turbulence.
The roll-out across all 31 777-200 and -300s is due within 12 months subject to the supply chain.
You can see more pictures on this Twitter thread.
Exclusive: Here’s a first look at KLM’s brand-new business class seat on the 777-300. It’s a modified Jamco Venture platform and an evolution of the product found on the 787-10. #klm pic.twitter.com/V5b6uwM197
— Gordon Smith (@smithgme) June 28, 2023
British Airways Air Belgium long haul lease
I wrote before about British Airways’ wet leasing Air Belgium A330NEO aircraft for the summer period from 1 July until the end of October. For a while, it all went very quiet, but on Friday, those with flights booked to Chicago started to be notified of the changes.
There is no First cabin on this service, so you can change to an alternative British Airways or American Airlines-operated service with a First cabin (and change via a US airport if no seats are available direct). You could also travel on your original flight in our Club World cabin with compensation or request a full refund.
The food and drink will be the same as on BA but delivered by Air Belgium staff. I would say the seats are better than old Club World as they all have direct aisle access. But if you want change to an alternative British Airways or American Airlines operated service, you can as long as there is availability.
If you want to see all the details of the seats and how they compare to BA you can see my previous article here.
British Airways to restore pay for pre-Covid employees
BA came under a lot of flak for their policy of forcing a big pay cut on their longer-serving staff during Covid, including their most experienced cabin crew. This drove many of them to leave, which no doubt was what BA was trying to achieve. The older Worldwide and Euro fleet were on some pretty generous terms and pay, but these had already been removed from new contracts for many years. I always said it should have been a pay freeze until the other pay levels caught up rather than a large cut of up to 30%. I would say the service onboard has sometimes suffered due to the lack of experienced staff in the last couple of years, although I have still had some great staff too.
Since then and the subsequent criticism by MPs in the Transport Select Committee of their “fire and rehire” policy during Covid, talks have been ongoing with unions about the issue, amongst other pay talks.
The pay talks have now concluded and will give a 12.5% pay rise over two years, and BA has said they will work towards restoring pay for those that are still earning less than they were in 2019. This is good news for everyone as it means it is unlikely that there will be any BA staff industrial action on the horizon in the 18 months.
1 comment
Called BA to discuss options on being told it’s Air Belgium and we were booked in First.
They offered First on the later flight but the timings didn’t suit.
I asked about American Airlines and they booked us in business with them instead.
Was told the compensation request goes in after travel completed.
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