KLM Royal Dutch Airlines has announced some changes to its long haul experience, and I must say, the headline caught my attention. The airline is planning a new service concept for intercontinental flights, with “more room for personal contact and an increase in the number of seats.”
More seats and “more room for personal contact?!” First let’s discuss what KLM announced, and then let’s take a look at what actually seems to be going on.
KLM plans intercontinental product changes as of 2027
As of 2027, KLM plans to make changes to its service concept on intercontinental flights. Here’s how the airline frames this announcement:
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines announces a new service concept for both World Business Class and Economy Class. By organising the work differently, there will be more room for personal contact with passengers. At the same time, work on the cabin layout of the intercontinental fleet is also underway, which will result in an increase in the number of seats. With these changes, KLM aims to respond to passenger wishes and make optimal use of the available space in the cabin.
So, what all is changing? In business class, the airline will be introducing new tableware, in collaboration with Marcel Wanders. The Dutch designer is creating new tableware especially for KLM, which will include a new presentation of dishes.
In economy, the airline is introducing a “new service formula,” which is “aimed at serving hot meals faster and creating more space for personal contact with passengers.” For example, the airline is bringing back the after takeoff welcome drink before the meal, allowing for an additional interaction between the crew and passengers.
Next, with these changes, “more passengers [will be] welcome on board,” which is a really cute way to describe plans to densify the cabin. 😉 But the airline insists this won’t be bad for the passenger experience, and instead, “thanks to the new way of working and more efficient loading, fewer trolleys are needed on board.”
So KLM’s plan is to introduce more premium economy seats. This cabin will be expanded to a maximum of 40 seats, depending on the aircraft type. The airline will also add more seats in economy, and will even add two more business class seats on the Boeing 787-9.
Here’s how Paul Terstegge, KLM’s EVP of Inflight Service, describes these changes:
“Our Premium Comfort Class is very well appreciated by passengers and is often fully booked. People want to travel, and the demand for unique and more luxury travel is increasing. With the modifications we are going to make, we can expand the number of Premium Comfort seats. In addition to making optimal use of the space on board, we are simultaneously investing in a more modern product with more room for personal contact. This is how we continue to fly, improve and innovate.”
What is KLM actually changing, in simple terms?
I’d like to think that I’m pretty good at reading airline press releases, as I have a bit of experience with it. 😉 That being said, this is one of the more puzzling ones I’ve seen in some time. So we’re going to see the airline install more seats across cabins, without compromising comfort, and somehow this is also going to leave “more room for personal contact?”
Dutch aviation site Luchtvaartnieuws has the scoop on what’s actually going on here, based on conversations with a spokesperson for the company.
To make room for more Premium Comfort (premium economy) seats, the airline will be reducing the number of Economy Comfort (extra legroom economy) seats on most aircraft. While the 787-10 will see the number of extra legroom economy seats increase from 28 to 35, other planes will see the number of these seats reduced, with some planes having only one row of these seats. For example, the 787-9 will go from 48 extra legroom economy seats to just nine.
Furthermore, the size of the galleys will be reduced, as eight fewer galley carts will be needed per long haul aircraft. This is thanks to new ways for economy meals to be stacked, which will allow each trolley to hold 84 meals, rather than 54. One certainly wonders what changes will be made to meals to allow this more efficient “stacking,” since that raises some eyebrows. Galley space will be reduced in a way where the passageway between the two aisles will be eliminated, freeing up space for more seats, as that extra space is no longer needed.
The airline insists the new layout will also lead to more interaction between flight attendants and passengers, with a spokesperson saying the following:
“Research has shown us that passengers find this important. For example, we want to serve a drink after takeoff again. Currently, we only handed out a bottle of water. At the end of the flight, we’ll also hand out a chocolate or something else. It all creates interaction.”
As you’d expect, a representative for the flight attendant union has expressed concerns about the plan, claiming KLM can’t implement these changes without consulting labor groups (in fairness, this is still two years off from happening):
“It will increase the workload for the crew. We still need to test whether that’s feasible. KLM can’t simply implement it.”
This kind of cabin densification typically won’t be loved by passengers or crews, though I think it’s important to keep in mind the challenges that KLM is facing. The government is increasingly trying to limit flights out of Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS), which is the carrier’s only hub. No other European airline is facing such a structural challenge, where it literally has no airport where it can grow.
So I can appreciate KLM needing to put even more effort into maximizing aircraft real estate than other airlines.
Bottom line
KLM is planning changes to its long haul product as of 2027. The airline plans to make the galleys on aircraft more efficient, increase the number of premium economy seats, reduce the number of extra legroom economy seats, and improve interactions between passengers and crew.
We’ll see how this all plays out, but typically adding seats and taking away galley space isn’t something that leads to better interactions between passengers and crew.
What do you make of KLM’s intercontinental service changes?
