Flying with KLM - What regional flights in Europe are like

One of Europe's largest airlines

I've been dying to know what it's like to fly with KLM. Seriously, it's a huge airline, it flies all over Europe and it's not every day that you meet a giant, is it?
Although we only had a short flight of two hours and forty minutes, we could already taste it.
The Dutch giant did not disappoint us and showed its excellence in service as if it were an intercontinental flight, with full meals and beer to cheer Igor up...lol

The home and history of KLM

KLM was founded in 1919, can you imagine the thrill of flying on an almost century-old airline? During this time, KLM has earned respect and many destinations around the world, with more than 100 destinations being flown by many aircraft.
And Schiphol Airport couldn't be any different. One of the best airports I've ever been to, gigantic and with everything you need. There's even a market with fair prices and the same as any other chain in the city, I loved that!
Another striking feature of the airport is the constant presence of the KLM brand everywhere: there are several replica airplanes scattered around the terminals, or even real aircraft.

Fokker 100

Don't miss the panoramic terrace at Schiphol Airport. Flying with KLM is not just about fun, it's also about history.
KLM provided this space with an authentic Fokker 100 that was in service from 1989 to 2011. Now that it has been retired, it continues to serve the public, but as a museum and entertainment for the whole family.
When you enter the Fokker 100, you get the full experience. It tells the story of aviation and you can see details of the cabin and some of the technical aspects of air operations.
But one criticism remains: our beloved Santos Dumont is not on this aviation timeline =(
But the experience is incredible and not to be missed! Igor was thrilled to show our son a little of his passion for aviation.
Don't miss out on going to the terrace and seeing this real airplane!

Check-in

We boarded at Porto Airport in Portugal, heading straight for Amsterdam.
Check-in was extremely fast with very attentive staff and started a few minutes earlier. Normally on international flights, check-in starts two hours earlier, but it opened about two hours and twenty minutes earlier.
Another thing that struck me was the respect shown to the children: as soon as they saw us with Emmanuel, they called us to the priority line.
Moms who travel know how nice this is, sometimes the little ones don't stop much in queues, lol.

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Boarding

Boarding was very smooth and on time.
As soon as we arrived at the aircraft, smiling flight attendants were waiting to help us.
There's no doubt that being greeted with warmth and smiles makes all the difference, especially in Portuguese.

Airplane

Regional flights are made on smaller aircraft, KLM's fleet consists of Embraer and Boeing planes. We left Porto for Amsterdam on a Boeing 737-800.

The comfort is compatible with the flight time and on this particular model there was no entertainment system, which was a bit frustrating. The frustration went away when the in-flight service arrived with a full meal of alcoholic drinks, juices, soft drinks and Heinenken to get you into the Dutch mood.

On-board service

Even though it was a short flight, the on-board service surprised me, premium service with all the perks.
Of course, the service on an intercontinental flight is more elaborate, with breakfast and two meal options. But for a flight of just under three hours, I was more than satisfied with what we were served.
The meal option was pasta, with a fluffy muffin for dessert. As for drinks, there were several options, while I drank wine, Igor indulged in beer and Emmanuel enjoyed a juice.
But don't think it stopped there, there was still coffee and tea to finish.
This service was perfect for us, as our flight was right at lunchtime and when we arrived in Amsterdam we didn't need to waste any more time eating.

Entertainment

The aircraft we boarded didn't have in-flight entertainment, but as it was a very quick flight, we didn't miss it that much. A prepared mom always has a few downloads of drawings on her cell phone as a card up her sleeve =)

Flight amenities

On this flight, no in-flight amenities or children's kits are given out, possibly because it's such a short flight! When I take a longer flight, I'll let you know what the KLM amenities are like.

Read on, by clicking here, our article on the survival kit for flying with children.

Bathrooms

Well, there's not much difference between the airlines' toilets, but I always pay attention to the cleanliness of the toilets, especially on long flights. And as I expected, flying with KLM didn't disappoint me, the bathroom was clean and smelled good!

Final thoughts on flying with KLM

I was really impressed with the company's service and very happy to be able to see for myself what it's like to fly with KLM.
Of course, a traditional Dutch company like KLM wouldn't be any different from what we were shown. After all, the Dutch know what they're doing. No wonder they built the city almost entirely on water, below sea level!
I was very happy with every experience during this trip, and even more so with the on-board service, which on this occasion was a godsend. Sometimes it really is worth investing more for greater convenience and guaranteed quality.

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