Royal Dutch Airlines - Flying KLM ✈️

I’m off on KLM, Royal Dutch Airlines today flying from the new Brandenburg Berlin airport to Amsterdam then off to London. The new Brandenburg Airport was due to open, well, a bloody long time ago in October 2011. It finally opened on 31 October 2020 - in time for the pandemic I guess. Last time I came to Berlin I went to Tegel airport which was in dire need of replacement. The new airport is quite nice, spacious and easy to navigate.

Check in was self serviced and somehow my bag has put on weight. It’s gone from 19 to 22.5 kg. Hopefully I haven’t done the same. Anyway this means the machine wouldn’t accept my bag so I had to go to counter to get a heavy sticker. I got directions to the priority security and the lounge options which was handy. Despite being a ‘new’ airport, all the scanners are still old school having to take your laptops out. I guess in 2011 when they were supposed to be used the CT scanners weren’t a thing yet.

There were 2 lounges to choose from, either the Tempelhof or Tegal lounge in a nod to the history of Berlin’s old airports. I (by chance) choose Tempelhof and it’s a good pick as it’s just near my gate. The lounge is upstairs, quiet and has some nice hot and cold food options. I go for the pasta with vegetables and the potato as I missed lunch due to the train ride here. It was filling but I still go back for seconds with a small glass of sparkling. I see my plane land, a cute little baby 737-700, and make my way to the gate.

While waiting at the gate to board there were 2 clear lines. To the left, priority for groups 1&2 and to the right, everyone else. Both lines waiting in an orderly fashion. One lady, pushes past both lines flashing her Flying Blue gold card at everyone and pushing to the front. One man challenges her to which she just puts her card in his face and stays put at the front. I laugh a little as when boarding opens her boarding pass fails to scan and many people pass her. Once in the aerobridge she pushes to the front again. I take up my seat in 1A, and have the row to myself. The pushy lady is way down the back. 😂

We push back and I notice that the ramp area has 3 taxi lanes. This allows 3 aircraft to push back and startup without having a queue or hold up. Nice and efficient. The crew member nearest me does the safety demonstration with a little flair which is cool. A speedy taxi to the runway and in a few minutes I’m airborne heading west for Amsterdam.

After take off the crew serve meals in business class in cute little cardboard boxes. It’s not some cheap box, it’s a well designed Dutch themed box. It even has a menu card inside it. The meal today is a pesto salad (thank god no fish), some almonds and 2 macaroons. It’s all delicious which is the first time I’ve said that for a Euro business meal. I have a French white wine served with the meal. Even the salt and pepper is done in a detailed way in a cute little envelope which I take with me.

I enjoy the flight, the blue of the cabin and the view out the window. It’s cool to see planes zoom past you, above or below which is when you get a sense of how fast you’re going when flying. As we enter the Netherlands and begin the approach the scenery below is flat but symmetrically beautiful. Each field has a wind turbine at the end of it in a neat row. A large canal with a lock and waterway behind it. Ahh, we’re in the Netherlands for sure. Maybe it’s my Dutch heritage coming through but it all just looks right.

I land and arrive at the gate on time and begin the long walk through this massive airport to exit the European Union. Next stop the post Brexit UK.Read more