The Amsterdam-based airline announced a new cabin class for budget conscious flyers: Premium Comfort, featuring larger seats, bigger in-flight entertainment screens and upgraded meal service.
Premium Comfort Combines Luxury with More Affordable Price
The Premium Comfort cabin is a new concept in the growing premium economy sector, adopting what worked best in the business class in a bigger upright economy seat. The Collins Aerospace-designed seats are designed to be lighter, wider than regular economy seats, with a longer pitch.
The Premium Comfort experience begins at the airport, where flyers will check-in at the SkyPriority lane. Travelers will get more “flexible” baggage arrangements and preferential boarding.
Onboard, flyers will be seated in a section of 21 to 28 seats on each flight, in a less compact arrangement than standard economy. For intercontinental service, guests will be treated to up to two meals (depending on the flight length), combined with regular snack and beverage service consisting of the favorites from the World Business class. Meal choices will include a meat, fish, or vegetarian options. Afterwards, flyers will have their choice of an after-meal coffee, tea, liqueur, or ice cream.
With sustainability in mind, everything about the cabin class is designed to be more ecologically sustainable compared to other products. Service items are made of reusable lightweight polypropylene, reducing overall aircraft weight and requiring less fuel burn compared to traditional services. Anything that cannot be reused is made of recyclable PEF.
The first flights featuring Premium Comfort seats have not yet been announced but are anticipated to start flying to and from North American destinations starting at the end of July 2022. Leaders for the Dutch flag carrier say they expect the new service to meet the needs of both business and casual travelers.
“We have great expectations for this new Premium Comfort Class, based on extensive market research,” Boet Kreiken, executive vice president of KLM customer experience, said in a press release. “The new class will meet the wishes of business passengers as well as leisure travelers, strengthening KLM’s standing as a global network carrier offering an appealing and varied range: World Business Class, Premium Comfort and Economy Class.”
New Class Reinforces Codeshare Partnership with Delta, Virgin Atlantic
The addition of the new class is designed to further integrate into the codeshare partnership between Air France-KLM and international partners Delta Air Lines and Virgin Atlantic. Announced in March 2019, the four-airline codeshare agreement gives flyers interline access to international destinations across the United States, United Kingdom, France and The Netherlands through their collective networks.
Source: frugal travel guy