When flying from Southern Africa to Europe, you have a few options in terms of flight routes. The most cost effective way is usually to fly with Ethiopian Air via Addis Ababa or with Kenya Airways via Nairobi, but I must admit that Addis airport would be one of my least favourite places to layover in the world and Kenya Airways has an unbelievable reputation for lost luggage.
You could also opt to fly with Qatar via Doha or with Emirates via Dubai but these flight routes add a fair chunk of time to the journey. However, Air France flies daily from Joburg to CDG and KLM flies daily from Jozi direct to Amsterdam. I managed to find a rewards seat on the latter route and thus I decided we would see what the national Dutch airline had to offer.
Checking in was straightforward with a dedicated priority check-in line. At check in I was given a pass to the SLOW lounge and we cleared security and immigration within a manner of minutes. As this flight is scheduled to depart at 2355 each evening (such a random time, but sure) OR Tambo is quiet and a far cry from the hustle and bustle of the daytime. As Dad was flying in economy (sorry Dad) he was not given lounge access. Normally lounges allow you to bring in a guest but the SLOW lounge had no such arrangement, however they did let him purchase access to accompany me so that was no drama.
After a relaxing couple of hours scrolling through TikTok and drinking coffee it was time to board! The boarding experience is far from relaxing but that is more to do with the layout of gates at OR Tambo than anything else. Once on board I quickly settled into my seat.
First impressions of the seat were that it was very comfortable and had plenty of legroom. I liked the wireless charging spot on the armrest but did overall feel like I could’ve used a bit more storage space.
The entertainment system worked well enough although the selection of movies and television wasn’t overly thrilling.
Service from the flight attendants was no frills but cheerful, I’d definitely describe the whole experience as ‘quirky’. It’s not every day that the captain leaves the cockpit to hang out in the business class cabin and personally welcome everyone to the flight before takeoff!
The entire cabin was fully booked and thus the meal service was quick and efficient but definitely not a luxurious experience. I actually didn’t end up photographing my dinner but I cannot remember a thing about it which tells you how memorable it was. Most of the cabin seemed eager to eat quickly and get to sleep as soon as possible and I must admit, I had a decent nights sleep. I awoke from my slumber after about 6 hours of rest, just in time to start watching a movie before the breakfast service begun.
Much like dinner, breakfast wasn’t exactly fine dining but I must admit, I was absolutely in love with the dishware – the mug was so cute and so undeniably KLM.
As breakfast service ended, cabin crew moved through the cabin with a selection of the iconic Delft Blue miniature houses. If you aren’t aware, one extra special part of flying KLM business class involves having the opportunity to select one of the collectable ceramic houses (each filled with Dutch gin) that depict a real Dutch building. They are super cute and collectible and undeniably unique.
Final thoughts?
KLM Business Class is a comfortable option when flying from South Africa to Europe. The convenience of a direct flight and of staying within the same time zone can not be overstated. If you are looking for a real white tablecloth service like you’d find on airlines such as Emirates and Qatar then this is definitely not the seat or airline for you, but if you appreciate friendly and quirky service that is no frills and undoubtedly comfortable, then KLM business class would be a superb option.
Stay tuned for the first (of many) epic travels through Tunisia!
Johannesburg to Amsterdam: This route is a direct daily service that departs OR Tambo at 2355 and arrives into Amsterdam at 1010 – departures are reliable and significant delays along this route are uncommon
Booking KLM rewards seats: Booking this seat with cash will set you back at least $6k AUD, I booked my seat for less than $300 using Qantas frequent flier points – an absolutely fantastic redemption!
Remember: When booking rewards seats in premium cabins you’ll either need to be organised and book far in advance or super flexible and able to snap up seats at the last minute
