Review of KLM flight from New Delhi to Amsterdam in Economy

KL 872: DELHI TO AMSTERDAM

Hi! This is my first trip report, and it's on one of my favorite airlines, KLM. For as long as I can remember, I've been a fan of the striking blue livery. This is the penultimate flight in a MSP-AMS-DEL-AMS-MSP trip. This was one of the most convenient options to get home in DEL from MSP. Since there is no direct flight, the next best option is a one stop route via Europe or UK. The options are generally to transit in London, Amsterdam and Paris.

BOOKING

Originally, this trip was supposed to be MSP-CDG-DEL-AMS-MSP. However, I wanted to get home a few days earlier so I shifted my dates on the outbound journey since the difference was a measly 28$. Unfortunately, I got a call from Air France that they were overbooked on the Paris to Delhi flight. They offered to rebook me onto a Delta flight leaving MSP, and KL871 to Delhi. However it meant I'd have to spend 5.5 hours in Amsterdam Schipol instead of Paris Charles De Gaulle. Not a terrible proposition I thought to myself. 

Overall, this was during the peak winter travel season, so I paid about 2459$ roundtrip for this ticket. This is significantly higher than usual for this route. In hindsight, it would've made sense to not book 4 months in advance. Funnily enough, on my most recent MSP-DEL roundtrip I was able to snag a ticket on Emirates for 1690$ roundtrip which is honestly much better.  Regardless, the convenience of this itinerary is undeniable albeit comfort is debatable. 

iNDIRa GANDHI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, nEw DELHI

I was tracking the inbound KL 871 on FlightRadar24 and expected the email above. The inbound flight was delayed by 1h 40m. So naturally, boarding and departure was pushed by more or less the amount of time that the inbound flight delay was. The scheduled boarding time was supposed to be 2:35AM but this was pushed to 4:15AM. 

 
 

I got the above email about 4 hours before the original departure time. So I pushed back the time at which I would head for the airport. 

At 1AM, I arrived at IGIA. After bidding goodbye to my family I headed to the first checkpoint. It is a bit frustrating having this check since the lines can be long at times. Fortunately it wasn't too bad tonight. Took about 5 minutes until I was able to head to the Air France / KLM group Check in desks. 
 

I had 2 bags to check in and the process took a bit of time, about 40 minutes in total. I also had to get my boarding pass since the KLM or Delta app could not provide me with one. I suspect this is because they have to check my US visa before they let me on the flight. It could just be a technical problem though. Regardless, at about 2AM, I was through it, and made my way to the dreaded immigration lines at IGIA. This along with security took about 65 minutes and was easily the most frustrating part of the process at Delhi Airport. Funnily enough, only a month ago, they had tested automatic gates for Immigration, but apparently these were a disaster because they let passengers through without checking the documentation properly. Perhaps it will be a while before we have truly contactless immigration in Delhi. I've experienced this before at Singapore Changi's Terminal 4, and needless to say it is an amazing feature in any airport to have.

At about 3:05AM, having cleared immigration and security without issues, I was air side. As is the case with many airports now, Delhi makes you walk through the maze of duty free before you are air side.

Wasn't able to do too much plane-spotting but I did manage to take a picture of the following:
1. Virgin Atlantic 787-9 flying VS 303 to London Heathrow
2. Air India B777-300ER  flying AI 187 to Toronto Pearson Intl. 
And of course our bird for this flight:
3. KLM 777-300ER flying KL 872 to Amsterdam

Unfortunately, boarding was delayed further because our plane to Amsterdam was still being cleaned. So despite my boarding pass saying it would commence at 4:15 it was slightly after 4:40 that boarding began. 
 

Did I mention how much I dislike the carpet at IGIA? It is horrible, the colors and the footfall on it just makes it look tired and dilapidated. Definitely room for improvement.  

Got a decent click of our 777. 

Look at those massive GE90s!

I made my way to my seat for the next 8.5 hours which would be 41K. 
I'm 183cm tall, and the leg room was pretty decent, which I appreciate very much. (Not something I would receive on my onward Delta flight. The seat width was however an issue, as it is on the 777. The 3-4-3 configuration which is commonplace on most B777s is notoriously tight.  
I always opt to use my own headphones which fortunately I could just plug into the seat. They are Sony WH-XB910Ns for anyone who is curious.

 I'd like to mention it is a little uncomfortable if you are in the window seat because the metal part that holds each row to the floor of the plane slightly eats into your legroom which can be awkward. 

At about 5:15AM we started taxiing from the Gate, and made our way to runway 11R/29L for a takeoff around 5:30AM, approximately 2 hours and 10 minutes behind schedule. The Dutch captain introduced himself and his co-pilot and told us the flight would take 8.5 hours. 

I gave the IFE a try, and started watching Father of the Bride. I would like to mention I do appreciate the design of the tray table being that it can be folded half or fully. 

Finally at 5:30AM, we took off from Delhi into the foggy sky. We banked right and started westwards. After the seatbelt sign was switched off, the crew came around with water bottles for everyone, which was much appreciated. 

Do forgive me for not taking pictures of the first meal service, which consisted of a vegetarian pastry along with a beverage service, where I opted for a Pepsi and water. Unfortunately, there would be no choice for the second meal either, something I noticed was prevalent on KL871 as well. 

I managed to get about 5 hours of shuteye as we were entering Pakistani airspace. 

I woke to a stunning sunrise a little after we crossed Istanbul. 

Shortly after, breakfast was served. The main meal tray consisted of yogurt, fresh fruits, a bun, butter, marmalade, and Paranthas with Paneer. It was a classic Indian breakfast, one that is usually preferable to soggy airplane omelettes. I opted for a coffee and orange juice to go with it.
The crew were nice enough to hand out additional water bottles if required.  

Over Dutch air space. 

Some more clicks as we approach Amsterdam Schipol. 

aMSTERDAM sCHIPOL AIrport

Touchdown!

Spotted a beauty! PH-BVB the SkyTeam livery 777. 

Pulling into the gate beside a few other KLM 777s. We arrived at the gate approximately 15 minutes behind schedule which meant we had made up the time in the air. 

One final click of the bird that brought us here. 

I was able to comfortably connect onto my Delta flight which became easier as it was delayed by 1 hour as well. The security check at Schipol was relatively fast. I wouldn't say Amsterdam Schipol is my favourite airport to transit at, but I do prefer it over London Heathrow and Paris. As for KLM, if the price is right, I would definitely fly them again, although at current prices, I would look for alternatives because of the seat width. 

Thanks for reading!
Any feedback is appreciated.