KLM Introduces Renewed Economy Class Service on European Flights

KLM has announced that from October 25, it will introduce a renewed Economy Class service on European flights.

The new service is designed to better match the onboard offering to the length of the journey and the time available for service, while continuing to offer every customer something complimentary onboard.

"The way customers travel with us on European flights is changing, and we want our onboard service to reflect that. On shorter flights, there is limited time available for a full service, while on longer flights there is more time to offer customers additional choices," the Dutch carrier said.

"At the same time, we know that not everything we currently offer is consumed. Today, around 25"–30% of our sandwiches are not eaten. This means that a significant amount of food is left over after a flight, while sandwiches that are taken onboard cannot be used on another flight."

A complimentary offering will remain available on every flight, including water and a stroopwafel (biscuit) on the shortest routes, with the addition of tea, coffee and orange juice depending on the journey length and available service time. The stroopwafel is a recognisable Dutch product and has become much more familiar to people around the world than a traditional cheese sandwich.

On flights longer than 75 minutes, customers will have the option to pre-order a meal, such as a poke bowl, Caesar salad or pancakes. Customers can select their meal when booking or through KLM’s My Trip booking management platform.

On the longest routes, customers will also be able to purchase additional food and drinks from the Grand Café KLM menu, including snacks and hot and cold sandwiches.

This gives customers the opportunity to choose what suits them best, rather than offering the same product on every European flight regardless of the journey length.

KLM has stated that the renewed service is a starting point.

It said: "We will introduce the new concept, closely monitor how it works in practice and gather feedback from both customers and crew.

"We already know that we will continue to optimize the offering in the coming period. Operational data and customer and crew feedback will help us understand what works well and where we can make further improvements."