KLM City Hopper Review Manchester to Amsterdam on the Embraer 190
KLM Review Manchester to Amsterdam on the Embraer 190
Inside the KLM City Hopper Emraer 190 Aircraft
I really enjoy experiencing different aircraft - the Boeing 737 and Airbus 320 families are fine to get you away, but they feel so 'samey' that you're just on board 'another' aircraft each time. There's nothing special so if I can try a smaller or larger aircraft we will.
The Geeky bit
So I was encouraged when I was booking our Manchester to Amsterdam Schipol flights when I saw we could pick from 6 daily flights and we could choose from 3 KLM City Hopper flights. And just when we wanted to fly they were scheduling an Embraer 175 out and an Embraer 190 back...In the end the flights were popular so the outbound was also served by a 190.
A view from the aircraft
The Experience
The KLM City Hopper service are scheduled flights on smaller aircraft. Both the Embraer 175 and 190 have a 2-2 seating configuation, giving 88 seats and 100 seats respectively. When you approach the aircraft you do get a sense that it's smaller, but it cosy small not claustrophobic.
The seats, even for someone over 6 foot tall, were comfortable and spacious. Typical airline non-reclining seats, so no arguments with the person ahead and behind, but travelling as a couple you don't have a neighbour. Perfectly comfortable (especially for the length of the flight) and sufficient knee room and foot space even with our hand luggage by our feet.
Boarding a small aircraft is quite quick and there are announcements asking you not to photograph fellow passengers and crew, so limited photos. There was a typical 'European Buiness class', which was very similar to the Lufthansa Euro business class already reviewed. The difference here is that because it's a 2-2 not a 3-3 configuration there isn't a middle seat to block. So Business Class was just the first few rows of economy! Admittedly those seats did look more fancy than those at the back so I expect if you pay more to sit at the front you get the business class seats. With very little to offer on such a short flight we were happy towards the back in the cheapest seats.
The snacks are provided for free on the City Hopper Service
Food and Drink
As soon as they could, the crew were bringing around snacks and drinks. A pack of mini cheddars and a choice of drinks was provided as part of the service - not sure if there was a dietary option.
These were included and not chargeable and there seemed to be a good choice of hot, cold and alcoholic drinks available. I was able to get a 330ml bottle of beer on each flight whilst wine was also available. What I did find strange was those asking for water had a small cupful poured from a large bottle, which didn't feel as good value as a 250ml of wine or a 330 ml of beer.
This was a real achievement considering the length of the flight - we started our descent into Schipol BEFORE we crossed the coast of England! It's a very short flight and we were lucky that the taxing was also very minimal (on the way out at least).
Arrival in Schipol
Here's where it wasn't so great. The aircraft parks up alongside the rest of the KLM City Hoppers, which is by the Schengen Terminal. Passengers are off-boarded onto busses, driven around the airport and exit via the non-Schengen part of the terminal. So first there's a reasonably long bus trip around the airport followed by the dreaded 30-minute (when we passed through) passport queue. Arrive after an A380 and you will be there much longer.
Leaving Schipol also requires exiting through the same part of the terminal and a bus ride around the airport. I suppose parking the aircraft in the non-Schengen area is not viable in case the next flight is Schengen.
Once through passports it was just a short walk to exit the area and we quickly found the public transport hub for our train into Amsterdam, which qwas very quick.
Summary
Overall, a very comfortable experience just a shame about the passports at the end. However, it's worth noting that when I booked I also checked the Easyjet flight options (£494) and flying around the same times KLM (£393) turned out significantly cheaper, plus offered the included snacks. And KLM fly from Manchester Terminal 2 which I much prefer - not just because we were able to visit the 1903 Lounge, I think the whole T2 experience is a lot nicer. On this visit from parking the car to arriving in duty free was an amazing 8 minutes.
If you are considering Amsterdam KLM and KLM City Hopper are definitely worth it.
Inside the KLM City Hopper Emraer 190 Aircraft
The Geeky bit
So I was encouraged when I was booking our Manchester to Amsterdam Schipol flights when I saw we could pick from 6 daily flights and we could choose from 3 KLM City Hopper flights. And just when we wanted to fly they were scheduling an Embraer 175 out and an Embraer 190 back...In the end the flights were popular so the outbound was also served by a 190.
A view from the aircraft
The KLM City Hopper service are scheduled flights on smaller aircraft. Both the Embraer 175 and 190 have a 2-2 seating configuation, giving 88 seats and 100 seats respectively. When you approach the aircraft you do get a sense that it's smaller, but it cosy small not claustrophobic.
The seats, even for someone over 6 foot tall, were comfortable and spacious. Typical airline non-reclining seats, so no arguments with the person ahead and behind, but travelling as a couple you don't have a neighbour. Perfectly comfortable (especially for the length of the flight) and sufficient knee room and foot space even with our hand luggage by our feet.
Boarding a small aircraft is quite quick and there are announcements asking you not to photograph fellow passengers and crew, so limited photos. There was a typical 'European Buiness class', which was very similar to the Lufthansa Euro business class already reviewed. The difference here is that because it's a 2-2 not a 3-3 configuration there isn't a middle seat to block. So Business Class was just the first few rows of economy! Admittedly those seats did look more fancy than those at the back so I expect if you pay more to sit at the front you get the business class seats. With very little to offer on such a short flight we were happy towards the back in the cheapest seats.
The snacks are provided for free on the City Hopper Service
As soon as they could, the crew were bringing around snacks and drinks. A pack of mini cheddars and a choice of drinks was provided as part of the service - not sure if there was a dietary option.
These were included and not chargeable and there seemed to be a good choice of hot, cold and alcoholic drinks available. I was able to get a 330ml bottle of beer on each flight whilst wine was also available. What I did find strange was those asking for water had a small cupful poured from a large bottle, which didn't feel as good value as a 250ml of wine or a 330 ml of beer.
This was a real achievement considering the length of the flight - we started our descent into Schipol BEFORE we crossed the coast of England! It's a very short flight and we were lucky that the taxing was also very minimal (on the way out at least).
Arrival in Schipol
Here's where it wasn't so great. The aircraft parks up alongside the rest of the KLM City Hoppers, which is by the Schengen Terminal. Passengers are off-boarded onto busses, driven around the airport and exit via the non-Schengen part of the terminal. So first there's a reasonably long bus trip around the airport followed by the dreaded 30-minute (when we passed through) passport queue. Arrive after an A380 and you will be there much longer.
Leaving Schipol also requires exiting through the same part of the terminal and a bus ride around the airport. I suppose parking the aircraft in the non-Schengen area is not viable in case the next flight is Schengen.
Once through passports it was just a short walk to exit the area and we quickly found the public transport hub for our train into Amsterdam, which qwas very quick.
Summary
Overall, a very comfortable experience just a shame about the passports at the end. However, it's worth noting that when I booked I also checked the Easyjet flight options (£494) and flying around the same times KLM (£393) turned out significantly cheaper, plus offered the included snacks. And KLM fly from Manchester Terminal 2 which I much prefer - not just because we were able to visit the 1903 Lounge, I think the whole T2 experience is a lot nicer. On this visit from parking the car to arriving in duty free was an amazing 8 minutes.
If you are considering Amsterdam KLM and KLM City Hopper are definitely worth it.