KLM 787-10 business class is a perfect example of what happens when an airline sits down, concentrates real hard, and comes up with a premium product that will appeal to the masses.
It’s stylish but not gaudy. Private but not coffin-like. Delicious but not pretentious.
I like to think of it as the “everyman” long-haul business class. Perfect for when you’re not quite in the mood for gold accents, dainty silverware, and an overbearing cabin crew that just won’t leave you the heck alone.
KL605
Amsterdam, Netherlands (AMS) – San Francisco, CA (SFO)
Saturday, June 7, 2025
Aircraft: 787-10
Registration: PH-BKG
Duration: 10 hours 8 minutes
Seat: 3K (World Business Class)
My full review of KLM 787-10 business class from Amsterdam to San Francisco
This was an award redemption. I paid just 140,000 Air France KLM Flying Blue points for my seat, which seemed like a pretty okay(ish) deal. Yay me!
Arrival at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport
9:50 AM was the scheduled departure time for this flight, and I ended up hobbling into Terminal 2 at 6:45 AM. Staying the night at the AMS Sheraton the night before (where I could see airplanes from my window) made it all too easy to feel a massive amount of FOMO for not being at the airport.
All KLM long-haul business class passengers flying out of AMS get complementary access to the KLM Crown Lounge. I popped in for a quick plate of bacon and eggs, but the temptation to roam around down in the main terminal was too great to resist. I’m just not a lounge guy.
The boarding process
They kicked off the boarding process at exactly 9 AM – despite how bad the weather was. Part of me was feeling skeptical that we would actually depart on time, but the other part of me told the other part to shut the hell up. “It rains here all the time! They know what they’re doing!”
KLM 787-10 business class seat overview
Business class on the KLM 787-10 consists of 38 seats arranged in a 1-2-1 layout. For those of you too lazy to do the math, that works out to 10 rows of seats total. This is a very large business class cabin.
These seats are a huge improvement over the old ones (which you can see in my KLM 777-200 business class review). Not only do they feature large video screens, they are very private.
Fun fact: these are the exact same seats you saw in my Zipair 787-8 Full Flat review (minus the video screen, fancy trim, blankets, pillows, highly decorated lady, etc).
General amenities
The cabin crew started serving pre-departure drinks as other passengers were still coming onboard.
The menus for drinks and food were already at my seat when I arrived. There was also an amenity kit, a pair of noise canceling headphones, a blanket and pillow, and a large bottle of water.
The amenity kit
The amenity kit wasn’t all that impressive if I’m being honest. Of course it contained all of the usual goodies (eye mask, socks, lotions, toothbrush, pen, etc), but the bag that it came in felt little cheap. It looked nice though.
Departure from AMS
I knew it! Despite the boarding process starting exactly on time, we were pushed off the gate 27 minutes late at 10:17 AM. At least part of me was right.
The taxi over to runway 09 was fairly uneventful and quick. It only took 10 minutes. Again, for those of you who have difficulty with math, that meant that we lifted off at 10:27 AM.
In-flight entertainment
Good news! The noise canceling headphones were perfectly sized to fit my big, bony, and bald (BBB) head. The foam earmuffs formed tight seal, and the noise cancellation was excellent.
The video screens in the seats are very nice. Not only are they bright, they are very responsive to touch. Unfortunately, it’s not like I travel with a tape measure or anything, so I can’t tell you exactly how large these video screens are. They’re big though. Probably 14 inches. Maybe even 16. Ish.
I have no complaints about the catalog of content. The selection of movies and TV shows was spot on. Good stuff!
The first meal service
The cabin crew came down the aisle taking drink and meal orders immediately after taking off. They returned shortly thereafter with a very tasty snack and drink service:
Kicking off the meal service was a bowl of Thai / pumpkin soup of some kind. I can’t tell you exactly what it was since I forgot to take a picture of the menu. I’m an idiot. I know this. The cheese cubes were too exciting and it just slipped my mind I guess.
Everything was served in courses. The cabin crew encouraged me to take my time with the soup, and once complete, it was time for the main course. Someone on YouTube told me that this is the Indonesian sample dish option:
Testing out the lie flat seat
Yes, these are seats that will lay down completely flat at the press of a button. The only problem is that the buttons on my seat weren’t functioning properly, and it was a bit of a fight to get it all the way down.
I ended up sleeping very comfortably for about four hours. These seats are a bit narrow in the lie flat position, but they are long. You won’t have any issues stretching out.
Business class lavatory
The business class lavatories are fairly straightforward and mostly “stock” 787. They did go out of their way to add a bit of extra flair though. I like the Dutch tulip and themed wallpaper!
Mid-flight snack
I don’t normally partake in the mid-flight snack action on long haul flights (Korean Air 747-8 business class being the only recent exception), but I was awake – and hungry – enough this time. There were two choices available. I went with ice cream.
The pre-landing meal
Pumpkin ravioli was one of several options for the second meal service. I forget what the other options were (sorry guys), but I ain’t never not going to turn down cheesy pasta. It wasn’t quite what I was expecting however…
The descent and arrival into SFO
We began the descent over Northern California a bit earlier than I was expecting. At the same time the captain made his announcement of an on-time arrival, the cabin crew came through the cabin offering the typical KLM business class parting gift: Delft Blue porcelain houses.
We hit landed on runway 28R at exactly 11:35 AM. How we managed to fly halfway around the world and land at the exact minute that they said we would over 10 hours ago blows my mind. How do they do that??
Pros and cons of KLM 787-10 business class
No need to beat around the bush: I’m a huge fan of KLM’s long-haul international business class product. It’s not exactly flashy (or super fancy). It’s just really good. Again and again and again.
Pros
- The wings on the side of the seat (against the aisle) makes for a very private experience.
- Perfectly sized video screens. Not too big. Not too small. Goldilocks would approve.
- Very generous footwell space.
Cons
- It may take a while for the cabin crew to reach you at meal time if you’re seated in the last few rows of this business class cabin. It’s huge.
- The seats are a little narrow in a lie flat position.
- This aircraft was only five years old, and my seat was showing its age in the form of chipped paint and buttons that didn’t always want to cooperate.
The “Everyman” business class product is a perfect description lol. It looks like KLM isn’t trying to wow, but is instead focused on offering a really solid long-haul business class that gets all the basics right. As someone with limited experience in the front cabin, I’d be more than happy to fly on it, since it has everything I’d want in a business class product.
Also, it’s interesting how they’ve changed the drinking for this flight since the last time you flew it, from a 3:00pm departure & 4:55pm arrival to a 9:50am departure & 11:45am arrival. It makes more sense now IMO since it’s better timed for people wanting to go into the city after arrival. After all, I doubt most people flying into SFO on Skyteam would be connecting onwards.
Yeah, I much prefer the earlier departure / arrival! The fact that it’s a 787-10 now instead of the 777-200 is a pretty nice change as well lol.
The only thing I don’t understand is why SFO is always the cheapest when it comes to award redemptions. For both my last trip and this one, AMS-SFO was the cheapest (by more than half) compared to any other US destination.
Hopefully the 787’s extra cabin moisture doesn’t make passengers feel like a dried raisin when they land lol
I’d much prefer arriving wrinkly like a raisin over arriving crusty and ashy like a cinder block! Except if I’m arriving crusty and ashy on a 747. That’s an airplane I’ll make pretty much any compromise for.
Scott, your posts always crack me up! I can’t say that I’ve read anyone else’s reviews and taken away such useful information while laughing out loud. Whatever problems big tech is throwing your way, please don’t stop writing!
Thanks George! Can’t stop won’t stop (unless I lose my arms or something lol).