Returning to Boston on an aircraft I saw arriving the last time I was there, back in February 2020. KLM currently operates a fleet of 11x Airbus A330s, divided between 6x A330-200s and 5x A330-300s. The Dutch carrier flies them to the United States, Africa, and the Carribean, although the type is becoming rarer and rarer here in the States. In the coming years, these second-generation Airbus widebodies will be replaced by the A350-900, along with the 777-200ERs as KLM becomes an almost-all-Airbus airline, with the 787-9, 787-10 (which have replaced the A330s on some routes already), and the 777-300ER being the only exceptions. In any case, flying on the A330 in KLM colors is becoming another do-it-while-you-still-can affair, so it was somewhat predictable that I’d have to do a trip report with it.
Server: Solo
Airline: KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
Aircraft: Airbus A330-300
Origin: Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands (AMS)
Destination: General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport, East Boston, Massachusetts (BOS)
Flight Number: KL617
Route: EHAM-KBOS
Seat: 5A (World Business)
Time En Route: 7 Hours 54 Minutes
After spending the afternoon hanging around the KLM Crown Lounge 52, for intercontinental passengers, it’s almost time to board our aircraft at Schiphol’s Gate E3. Our ride this evening will be PH-AKA, a 13.7-year-old A330-300, named “Times Square - New York”.
Starting our taxi to the Zwanenburgbaan at dusk. We’re in the rearmost row of this aircraft’s World Business seating, and we’re excited to see how it holds up!
Zooming airborne from the Zwanenburgbaan into the evening sky. From the get-go, one realizes as soon as one steps aboard that these airplanes are old-school. Not bad, not by any stretch of the imagination, but they definitely are from a time quite a while before 2025. World Business is configured in KLM’s older 2-2-2 configuration, and while the seats are lie-flat, they lack the privacy of, say, the airline’s 787-9. Where KLM really shines through, though, is its in-flight service. More on that later.
Climbout from the Netherlands over the North Sea, heading northwest (that’s a lot of alliteration). Engines have been throttled back to CLB, and the roar of the CF6s has become a pleasant hum.
Dinner service has begun once we’ve leveled off at 34,000 feet as we approach the English coast. This is where KLM stands out in a class by itself. Dinner tonight was a combination of local Dutch and New England cuisine. We opted for the beef Tsukune-style with hot bean sauce, prepared by De Lebrije, “the only Dutch restaurant with 3 Michelin stars”, as per KLM’s website. Dessert was a yuzu and pear quinelle with pear mousse, light coffee crémeaux, cinnamon ganache, and sweet caramel sauce. Throughout this and the rest of the flight the cabin crew was cheerful, polite, and willing to answer whatever questions we had.
We’ve briefly caught up with the sunset over the middle of the North Atlantic. However, this reprieve from darkness will not last long, with Boston apparently having a heavy nor’easter passing through, so we can not only look forward to a nighttime arrival, but also clouds, rain, and wind. Almost makes one not want to leave their warm, comfy business class seat!
Twilight descent over the coast of Maine. Those last rays of light aren’t going to last long, as we’re about to plunge into the weather.
We landed during a brief break in the rain on this end of the field (it’s coming down in buckets on the south side of Logan), in hight winds that set us down on one main gear, then the other, then both, with the nose strut coming down with a mighty THUD. Kudos to the flight crew for what had to be a pretty hairy approach. A lot of airlines here are just not flying at all in this weather, with delays and cancelations abound. Beats having to divert into Providence or Hartford, though, and the weather isn’t any better there.
Taxiing to our gate while an Air France A350-900 taxis out from it to depart from Runway 33L. Unbelievable. Landing in this stuff was hard enough, but taking off in it? Sic transit schedule.
Off of our aircraft at Gate E6. This was a wonderful flight across the Atlantic and a typical stellar experience in KLM’s World Business class, with the only drawback being the seats’ age and their lack of privacy. However, for an opportunity to fly on a soon-to-vanish type, it was well worth that minor inconvenience.