KLM’s new World Business Class (WBC) seats were designed on the basis of extensive customer research. The new seats offer passengers more space and comfort:

• All World Business Class passengers have direct access to the aisle. Every seat has a lightweight sliding door that can be easily opened and closed, so that the seat can be closed off for more privacy when working, relaxing and/or sleeping;
•  More personal adjustment options and user-friendly functionality, including an adjustable lower-back support and a relax setting with a subtle back-massage feature;
• The seat can recline fully flat to form a comfortable, 198cm-long bed;
•  There are multiple charging sockets that are easily accessible and clearly visible, and passengers also have a wireless charging option;
• Passengers can stow their belongings in a lockable compartment, which also has a built-in mirror. The seat features a recessed bottle holder, so that passengers can safely leave a water bottle on their tabletop, even during turbulence.

Other World Business Class Services, including the catering concept and SkyPriority, remain unchanged.

For its new World Business Class, KLM opted to install Jamco Venture seats in a 1-2-1 configuration, giving all WBC passengers direct access to the aisle. These Jamco Venture seats were previously installed in World Business Class aboard KLM’s Boeing 787 fleet. Following extensive customer research, KLM teamed up with the manufacturer to further improve the seat. The full JAMCO design, conceived in collaboration with KLM, particularly the personal cabin layout, is lighter than the previous setup, without detracting from quality. Lighter seats contribute to KLM’s sustainability objectives.

KLM’s entire Boeing 777-300 and 200 fleet will be fitted with the new World Business Class seats. This fleet will also be fitted with the latest Premium Comfort cabin. The full revamp will be completed during the course of the coming year.

Eight finalists, all of whom were cockpit and cabin crew, battled it out in this third edition of the KLM Cooking Contest. Folkert Stikvoort’s winning dish will be served to World Business Class passengers from January 2020, probably for a period of three months.

The panel of judges included Roel Verwiel, head of the panel and chairman of KLM Foodies; Jonnie Boer, chef at the Librije; Bart van Olphen, cooking book writer and founder of sustainable fish brand Fishtales; and Miriam Kartman, executive vice president of KLM Inflight Services.

Partnership with De Librije

KLM has a longstanding partnership with Jonnie en Thérèse Boer of three-star restaurant De Librije in Zwolle for World Business Class meals and the selection of appropriate wines. Jonnie en Thérèse also own Librije’s Winkel, Librije’s Hotel and the cooking and wine school Librije’s Atelier.

Choice of five dishes

The “Anytime For You” menu consists of five dishes. The cold, warm, savoury, sweet and tasty-treats dishes can be prepared at any time (during daylight hours) and served in restaurant style. Passengers can also opt for a World Business Class three-course meal. Both menus are served by hand, ensuring that trolley use is kept to a minimum.

Personal service schedule

Cabin crew play an integral part in “Anytime For You”. They have completed special training in preparation for this new service. Crew set a personal service schedule in consultation with customers, ensuring that they have more control over their travel experience.

Exclusive
Farah Quinn is the first Indonesian celebrity chef with whom KLM is cooperating. Passengers travelling in KLM’s World Business Class and Economy Class will be served exclusive meals created by the leading chef on the Jakarta – Kuala Lumpur and Singapore – Denpasar routes. Passengers travelling to Amsterdam will also be able to enjoy her dishes because the flight from Indonesia heads to Amsterdam via Kuala Lumpur.

Unique composition
KLM’s cooperation with leading chef Masanori Tomikawa, with his Michelin-star restaurants Yamazato and Sazanka in Hotel Okura Amsterdam, harks back to 2010. In cooperation with KLM, Tomikawa is responsible for the meals served on board flights to Japan. The Japanese dishes served in KLM’s World Business Class and Economy Class are inspired by Tomikawa. This cooperative relationship is unique because not only are the Japanese dishes served on flights from KLM’s home base Schiphol developed by the chef, but so are the Japanese dishes served on board flights from Japan to Amsterdam. In Japan, he heads up workshops to create the summer and winter menus and align them with preparations from Schiphol.

Pictures: Natascha Libbert 

The Rijksmuseum Amsterdam is the Netherlands’ leading historical art museum, taking visitors on a journey through famous Dutch art and historical treasures; from the Middle Ages to Mondriaan. In June 2017, the museum welcomed its 10 millionth visitor since it reopened in 2013 following a full renovation. KLM is partner in transport to the Rijksmuseum.

The five wines originate from leading vineyards such as Boschendal (South Africa) and Lapostolle (Chile). With these unique wine labels, KLM hopes to whet the appetites of its World Business Class passengers for Dutch culture and to encourage them to visit the Rijksmuseum, where they can marvel at the actual paintings.

About Anytime For You

KLM launched Anytime For You on 1 July. This service ensures that WBC passengers get more choice and control. In addition to the usual three-course dinner and lunch options, the menu also includes an Anytime For You selection of eight dishes. This includes cold and warm dishes, savoury and sweet, healthy dishes and tasty treats. After the regular meal service, passengers can order from this extra menu during the remainder of the flight. The selected dish is prepared and served restaurant style whenever it best suits the passenger.

“Anytime For You” will be offered at no extra cost to KLM’s World Business Class passengers. The service concept will be phased in on various flights and, from October 2017, will also be offered on a second route, which has yet to be determined.

The new World Business Class has full-flat seats for maximum passenger comfort, a twelve-language Inflight Entertainment System and a 3D flight-tracking system. KLM’s new World Business Class cabin interior has been designed by the Dutch designer Hella Jongerius.

What is more, for years now, KLM World Business Class has offered meals developed by trendsetting Dutch chefs. This year, we have engaged chef Jacob Jan Boerma to work in KLM’s kitchens. The tableware that KLM uses with its meals was created by Dutch designer Marcel Wanders.

Jacob Jan has compiled four different menus, all of which seamlessly match the quality of KLM.

Jacob Jan Boerma and Kim Veldman opened restaurant De Leest in Vaassen in 2002. The restaurant received its first Michelin Star in 2003, its second in 2007 and, in 2014, the ultimate achievement, its third Michelin Star. De Leest is among the leaders of Dutch gastronomy. The cuisine is French with cosmopolitan influences. Fresh elements are prominent and the restaurant stands out for its use of local, often organic produce. The restaurant has now attracted international fame. Jacob Jan will open his own restaurant at Amsterdam’s newly renovated Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky in 2016.

One interesting aspect of the survey has shown that improvements in the cabin add to the travellers' experience of the flight as a whole. This has resulted in their willingness to choose KLM in the future and recommend the organisation within their own circles.

The survey information comes from eScore, the online version of the paper survey that KLM used to provide to passengers on board, to learn of their perception of KLM. Since 1 July of last year, the survey has taken place entirely online.

KLM will work to the best of its ability to use seasonal products, and will begin with yellow pepper soup which will be prepared fresh daily.

KLM will serve meals by Sergio Herman in World Business Class until the end of September. For years, now, KLM has been offering meals in World Business Class created by a variety of leading Dutch chefs including Richard Ekkebus, Jonnie Boer, Onno Kokmeijer, Mario Ridder, and Peter Goossens from Belgium.

Sergio Herman’s meals will be served in World Business Class on flights out of Amsterdam from 1 December 2013 until the end of September 2014.

About Sergio Herman
Sergio Herman (1970) is chef and owner of the restaurant Oud Sluis in the town of Sluis in Zeeland province. His restaurant has been awarded three Michelin stars and is ranked 35^th on San Pellegrino’s list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants. Earlier this year, Herman announced that he intended to close Oud Sluis for good on 22 December 2013. From 2014, he will focus on his second restaurant, Pure C, which is located in the dunes near the coastal village of Cadzand in Zeeland province. During the course of 2014, he will also turn his attention to The Jane and The Upper Room Bar in Antwerp.

Full-Flat Seat
The new full-flat seat offers customer optimum comfort. It can be reclined horizontally so the passenger can lie fully flat. The seat position in the cabin and the partition between television screens ensure greater privacy for passengers. There are also storage compartments in the seats beside the passengers and under the television screens. The number of seats in World Business Class will be reduced from 42 to 35 aboard the Boeing 747-400. KLM has chosen the Diamond Seat manufactured by B/E Aerospace.

Design Concept
The guiding principle of new design is to ensure that passengers feel at home on board. That involves a transition from a business-like look to a greater sense of being at home. This has been achieved by using a characteristically warm colour palette, more sustainable materials, and by enhancing personal comfort. The design is timeless, recognisable and unified by the decorative dot patterns that feature on every item.

KLM Blue
Naturally, the new interior features the fresh and recognisable KLM blue. To ensure the sense of comfort on board, Hella Jongerius has blended warmer and darker colours into the existing colour range making the KLM blue sparkle even more. The five new colours are aubergine, dark brown, midnight blue, cobalt and dark grey.

Innovative and Sustainable
Sustainability is another point of focus for KLM in all new developments. The new design therefore had to be innovative as well as sustainable. In meeting this requirement, Hella Jongerius sought new solutions within the existing options available to the airline industry. The carpeting, for instance, was manufactured partly of discarded KLM ladies’ uniforms. KLM recycles all of its discarded carpets in collaboration with carpet manufacturer Desso based on the cradle-to-cradle principle. This is in line with the CSR policy KLM has pursued for years.

July 2013 will see the inaugural flight of the first KLM aircraft with the new interior including the new seat. KLM’s Boeing 747-400 fleet, consisting of 22 aircraft, will be redecorated first. It is expected that the entire 747-fleet will be redecorated by April 2014. Work on KLM’s 15 Boeing 777-200s is planned for the summer of 2014.

“KLM’s ongoing investment in passenger service is reflected by our decision to work with this Dutch master chef and sommelier,” said Erik Varwijk, Executive Vice President of KLM Commercial. “These exclusive meals are testimony to KLM’s pledge to renew its World Business Class product, and accentuate their Dutch origins.”

“It was a great adventure to create meals for KLM,” says Jonnie Boer. “As always, we have produced beautiful and pure dishes of high quality, all of which has given rise to lovely combinations of food and wine. We are delighted with this opportunity to give KLM passengers a taste of our culinary abilities.”

The dishes created by Jonnie Boer will be served from 1 December 2010 until the end of September 2011 on intercontinental flights originating in Amsterdam. KLM and Jonnie Boer have developed three different menus. From the start of the summer schedule, on 27 March 2011, the meals will be served on tableware created by leading Dutch designer Marcel Wanders.