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KLM Premium Comfort is KLM’s premium economy cabin, sold as its own booking class on intercontinental flights, with 38 in (97 cm) of seat pitch, 8 in (20 cm) of recline and a 13.3-inch screen. It flies on four aircraft types and no others: the Boeing 777-200ER, the 777-300ER, the 787-9 and the 787-10.
KLM launched the cabin on 31 August 2022, on flight KL641 from Amsterdam to New York JFK, using the Boeing 787-10 registered PH-BKA. The airline has never called it premium economy. Almost everyone searching for it does, which is why both names appear on this page: Premium Comfort is what KLM prints on your boarding pass, premium economy is what the cabin is.
The retrofit finished in December 2024, so every KLM 777 and 787 now carries the cabin. The Airbus A330s never got it and are being retired without it. What follows is the seat map for each aircraft row by row, the fee rules by fare family, the baggage allowance, the menu, the lounge answer, and what the fare came to on 3 routes checked on 18 September 2026.
KLM Premium Comfort: what you actually get
KLM Premium Comfort gets you a separate cabin of 21 to 28 seats, 18 cm more legroom than Economy, a leg and foot rest, 2 checked bags instead of 1, and SkyPriority at the airport. It does not get you a lounge, and it is not a full flat bed.
The table below compares the cabin with Economy on the same aircraft. Every figure in the Premium Comfort column comes from klm.com, read on 18 September 2026.
| What | KLM Premium Comfort | Economy on the same flight |
|---|---|---|
| Seat pitch | 38 in (97 cm) | 31 in (79 cm) |
| Recline | 8 in (20 cm) | 5 in (12.5 cm) |
| Space between armrests | 19 to 20 in (48 to 50 cm) | roughly 17 in (43 cm) |
| Seat layout | 2-3-2 on the 787s, 2-4-2 on the 777s | 3-3-3 on the 787s, 3-4-3 on the 777s |
| Cabin size | 21 to 28 seats | 175 to 322 seats |
| Screen | 13.3 in | 9 to 11 in |
| In-seat power | 110V socket, USB-A and USB-C | USB-A, plus a 110V socket on some aircraft |
| Leg and foot rest | Movable leg rest and foot rest | None |
| Checked baggage | 2 bags of 23 kg (51 lb) on Standard and Flex, none on Light | 1 bag of 23 kg (51 lb) on Standard and Flex, none on Light |
| Cabin baggage | 1 small bag plus 2 hand bags, 12 kg (26 lb) combined | 1 small bag plus 1 hand bag, 12 kg (26 lb) combined |
| Seat selection | Free once check-in opens, a fee before it unless your fare and route waive it | Free once check-in opens, a fee before it |
| Lounge access | Not included | Not included |
| SkyPriority | Included | Flex tickets within Europe only |
| Meal service | Choice of 3 mains, 2 of them hot, plus a second meal or snack before landing | Meal service included |
| WiFi | Free Message Pass for Flying Blue members, paid WiFi Pass otherwise | Same |
| Aircraft | 777-200ER, 777-300ER, 787-9, 787-10 | Every long-haul type |
Two rows in that table are worth reading twice. The armrest figure is KLM’s own measurement of the space between the armrests rather than of the seat cushion, and seat databases such as SeatMaps publish the seat width itself as 18.5 in (47 cm) on the 787-10 and both 777s and 19 in (48 cm) on the 787-9, so both numbers describe the same seat. The lounge row is not a mistake either, and the lounge section below sets out who gets in.
Everything in that table is specific to KLM. The trade-offs are the same across the category, and our guide to premium economy versus economy works through them airline by airline.
I flew KLM Premium Comfort from Amsterdam to Los Angeles in September 2025, on a Boeing 787-10, in seat 12A at the window.
KLM Premium Comfort seat map, by aircraft
The KLM Premium Comfort seat map starts at row 11 on every aircraft in the fleet, skips row 13, and ends at row 14 or row 15 depending on which aircraft you are on. Counting the rows is the fastest way to identify your aircraft from a seat map alone.
The 4 rules below hold on every KLM aircraft that carries the cabin, and they answer most of what people want from a seat map.
- Row 11 is always the bulkhead row. It has the most legroom in the cabin and it carries the bassinet positions, so it is the row to ask for if you want to stretch out and the row to refuse if you want to sleep next to nobody’s infant. The bulkhead also moves the tray table and the screen into the armrest, which narrows the seat and leaves you no underseat storage for takeoff and landing.
- The last row of the cabin has reduced recline. A wall, a galley or a lavatory sits directly behind it. Which row that is changes with the aircraft, which is the single most useful thing to check before you pay for a seat.
- There is no row 13, and there is no lavatory of your own. Premium Comfort shares the Economy lavatories behind the cabin on all four types.
- Only the centre block has true middle seats. The side pairs are A and C on the left and H and K on the right, so a couple booking a side pair never climbs over a stranger. That is the practical difference between this cabin and Economy Comfort, where a 3-4-3 row gives you four middles.
Row numbers below come from the seat-map databases AeroLOPA and SeatMaps, cross-checked against KLM’s published cabin layouts and seat counts on 18 September 2026. Open the seat map for your own flight number before you pay for anything, because KLM swaps widebody types at short notice.
Boeing 787-9: rows 11, 12 and 14
The Boeing 787-9 has the smallest KLM Premium Comfort cabin in the fleet: 21 seats in 3 rows, 2-3-2, lettered A C | D E G | H K. There is no seat F on the 787, so the centre block is D, E and G.
The cabin sits behind a World Business Class cabin of rows 1 to 8, where row 1 is only 1A and 1K, and ahead of Economy, which starts at row 17. Row 14 is the last Premium Comfort row on this aircraft and every seat in it has reduced recline.
| Rows to ask for | Rows to refuse |
|---|---|
| 12A, 12K and 14A, 14K: window seats clear of the bulkhead compromise | 14A to 14K: the whole row has reduced recline |
| 11A, 11C, 11H, 11K: the bulkhead row, about 32 in (80 cm) to the wall across the full row | Row 11 if you want quiet: the bassinet positions are in this row |
| 12A with 12C, or 12H with 12K: a side pair with nobody to climb over | 11E, 12E and 14E: the only true middle seats in the cabin |
The 787-9’s bulkhead is more generous than the 787-10’s in one specific way. The 80 cm measurement applies across the whole of row 11 here, rather than being concentrated in the centre seats, so the window pairs get the same stretch room as the middle block.
Boeing 787-10: rows 11, 12, 14 and 15
The Boeing 787-10 carries 28 Premium Comfort seats in 4 rows, 2-3-2, in the same Collins seat and the same A C | D E G | H K lettering as the 787-9. It is the aircraft the cabin launched on in 2022.
Business Class runs rows 1 to 10 here, with row 10 as a two-seat row of 10A and 10K, and Economy again starts at row 17. Row 15 is the last Premium Comfort row and the one to avoid: all seven seats have reduced recline, with a wall, galley or lavatory behind.
| Rows to ask for | Rows to refuse |
|---|---|
| 14A, 14K: window seats in a clean middle row, no bulkhead trade and full recline | 15A to 15K: reduced recline on all seven seats |
| 11D, 11E, 11G: the centre block gets roughly 34 in (87 cm) to the bulkhead wall, the most legroom in the cabin | 11C and 11H: SeatCompare puts the bulkhead wall across about 90 per cent of the space in front of these seats, so the extra room is smaller than the map suggests |
| 14A with 14C, or 14H with 14K: a side pair in the better of the two clean rows | 12A and 12K: SeatCompare lists both as window seats whose window is out of line with the seat |
| Row 11 if you are travelling with a baby: the bassinet positions are here | 11E, 12E, 14E, 15E: the true middles |
The 787-10 is the one aircraft where the two window seats in the middle of the cabin are worth checking twice. Row 12 reads as the obvious pick on a seat map, and it is the row whose windows are flagged as misaligned, so 14A and 14K are the safer request.
Boeing 777-300ER: rows 11, 12 and 14
The Boeing 777-300ER has 24 Premium Comfort seats in 3 rows, 2-4-2, lettered A C | D E F G | H K. The wider fuselage adds a fourth centre seat compared with the 787, so there are two true middles per row instead of one.
KLM operates 16 of these, all in 1 cabin layout of 35 World Business Class, 24 Premium Comfort and 322 Economy seats. Row 14 is the last Premium Comfort row, and it backs onto the Economy Comfort bulkhead at row 17, which carries four bassinet positions of its own.
| Rows to ask for | Rows to refuse |
|---|---|
| 12A, 12K: the clean middle row, no bulkhead trade and no bassinet alongside | Row 11 if you want quiet: the bassinet positions are in this row |
| 11A, 11K: the bulkhead row, with the most legroom in the cabin | 11E, 11F, 12E, 12F, 14E, 14F: the only true middles |
| 11D, 11G: bulkhead seats in the centre bank, without the window-seat trade | 14A and 14K: a passenger report on SeatMaps from seat 14K on KL836 describes one window missing and only a partial view from both |
| 12A with 12C, 12H with 12K, 14A with 14C, 14H with 14K: the side pairs | Row 14 generally, if you want quiet: the bassinets at row 17 sit directly behind it |
Boeing 777-200ER: two layouts, so count the rows
The Boeing 777-200ER is the one KLM type where the Premium Comfort cabin comes in two sizes, and it is the aircraft where reading the seat map for your own flight matters most. SeatMaps lists two configurations in service: one with 24 Premium Comfort seats across 3 rows, 11, 12 and 14, and one with 32 seats across 4 rows, 11, 12, 14 and 15.
Both are 2-4-2 and both use the A C | D E F G | H K lettering of the 777-300ER. The 3-row version seats 288 in total, as 35 Business, 24 Premium Comfort and 229 Economy. The 4-row version seats 286, as 35 Business, 32 Premium Comfort and 219 Economy, so the larger cabin adds 8 Premium Comfort seats and takes 10 out of Economy. KLM’s own Premium Comfort page describes the cabin as 21 to 28 seats, which fits every type except the 4-row 777-200ER, so treat the seat count on the day as the authority rather than any published table.
| Rows to ask for | Rows to refuse |
|---|---|
| 12A, 12K and 14A, 14K: window seats in the clean middle rows | The final row, whichever it is: row 14 on the 3-row layout, row 15 on the 4-row one |
| 11A, 11K: the bulkhead row, with the most legroom in the cabin | Row 11 if you want quiet: the bassinet positions are in this row |
| 11D, 11G: bulkhead seats in the centre bank, without the window-seat trade | 11E, 11F and every other E and F seat: the true middles |
| Any side pair, A with C or H with K | All E and F seats: the true middles |
KLM has 15 of these and they are the oldest widebodies in the long-haul fleet, due to be replaced by the Airbus A350-900. They were also the last type to be refitted, which is why two layouts are still circulating.
Airbus A330-200 and A330-300: no Premium Comfort at all
KLM’s Airbus A330s have no Premium Comfort cabin and never received one. Both the A330-200 and the A330-300 fly with World Business Class, Economy Comfort and Economy only, and both types are being retired and replaced by the A350-900.
This is the most common way a booking goes wrong on KLM. A schedule change onto an A330 removes the cabin entirely if your route is served by a mix of 787, 777 and A330 aircraft, and the seat map is the only place that shows it.
Airbus A350-900: arriving, but not yet flying the cabin
The Airbus A350-900 will carry KLM Premium Comfort, but it was not yet in commercial service on 18 September 2026. KLM’s first A350-900, registered PH-ZNA and named De Nachtwacht, flew for the first time from Toulouse on 4 September 2026, and its first commercial flight is scheduled for 9 October 2026 as KL691 from Amsterdam to Toronto.
The published layout is 331 seats: 34 World Business Class, 26 Premium Comfort in a 2-4-2 cabin, and 271 Economy including Economy Comfort. KLM has 22 A350-900s on order. The World Business Class seats will not be sold on the first aircraft while their certification is outstanding, so early A350 flights are being operated with that cabin closed. No seat map for the Premium Comfort cabin had been published at the time of writing, and this page will take the row numbers from KLM’s booking flow once the aircraft is flying.
How to tell which KLM aircraft you are on
To tell which KLM aircraft you are on, read the equipment code in KLM’s booking flow or app, where 789 is the 787-9 and 781 is the 787-10. Count the seat map if the code is not shown. Three Premium Comfort rows above a 2-seat row 1 means the 787-9, 4 Premium Comfort rows above a 2-seat row 10 means the 787-10, and a 2-4-2 Premium Comfort cabin means one of the two 777s. A cabin that is not there at all means an A330.
After eight hours in 12A, the recline still felt useful and the separate legrest took pressure off my thighs. The footrest was less useful, because my feet slid off it while I slept. The tray stayed firm enough for a laptop, and the two-seat side section meant I had one neighbour rather than two.
KLM Premium Comfort seat selection: what it costs and when it is free
KLM Premium Comfort seat selection is free once check-in opens and costs money before that, with two exceptions that depend entirely on your fare family and your route. KLM’s own seat selection conditions define a Premium Comfort seat as “a Premium Comfort seat before check-in starts (to be reserved at a fee)”, which is the whole rule in one line.
Check-in opens 30 hours before departure, or 24 hours for any flight to or from the United States. That six-hour difference is the detail that catches out travellers connecting through Amsterdam on a US itinerary, because the clock they are used to is the wrong one.
The first table is by fare family, on intercontinental Premium Comfort tickets, taken from KLM’s ticket options page.
| Premium Comfort fare | Standard seat before check-in | Checked baggage | Changes | Refund |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Light | At a fee | Not included, can be added | €250 ($288, £215) plus any fare difference | No |
| Standard | Free on the qualifying routes below | 2 bags of 23 kg (51 lb) | No change fee, pay any fare difference | No |
| Flex | Free | 2 bags of 23 kg (51 lb) | No change fee, pay any fare difference | Yes, no cancellation fee |
The free-seat rule on a Standard ticket is route-scoped rather than universal. KLM names the qualifying journeys as France or the Netherlands to the United States, Canada or Mexico; the United States, Canada or Mexico to Europe; and France to and from its overseas territories. On any other route, a Standard ticket waits for check-in like a Light one.
The second table is by timing, and it applies to everyone.
| When | What a seat costs |
|---|---|
| At booking, or later in My Trip, before check-in opens | A fee, unless your fare and route make it free |
| Flying Blue Silver, 24 hours before departure | Some seat options free, though KLM scopes the wording to standard Economy Class seats rather than Premium Comfort |
| Flying Blue Gold, 72 hours before departure | Seat options free, on the same Economy-scoped wording |
| Flying Blue Platinum, at any time | Free, and KLM words this one without a class limit: any seat you want |
| Once online check-in opens, 30 hours out or 24 hours to and from the US | Free, from whatever is left |
KLM does not publish a Premium Comfort seat price anywhere on its site, and says so in as many words: the price depends on the route, the time of day, your Flying Blue level and other factors, so it cannot be shown without an itinerary. The only way to see your number is to put your own booking into My Trip. For context, the paid seat products KLM does publish prices for are all Economy ones: Economy Comfort at €85 to €175 ($100 to $200, £73 to £150) and an extra-legroom seat at €50 to €110 ($58 to $127, £43 to £94).
One thing worth knowing before you pay: KLM’s seat selection conditions refund a paid seat if the flight is cancelled, if the aircraft type or seat layout changes and the same seat type is no longer available, or if KLM reassigns you for operational, safety or security reasons. Given how often a 777 becomes a 787 on this network, that clause is not theoretical. If the disruption goes further than a seat swap, our guide to flight cancellations covers what you are owed.
KLM Premium Comfort baggage allowance
The KLM Premium Comfort baggage allowance is 2 checked bags of 23 kg (51 lb) each, plus 1 small bag and 2 hand bags weighing 12 kg (26 lb) between them. A Light ticket in the same cabin includes no checked baggage at all, which is the trap in this section.
KLM runs the two allowances on two different systems, and they are counted in opposite ways.
Checked baggage is a piece system. You get a number of bags, and each bag has its own weight cap.
| Premium Comfort fare | Checked bags | Weight per bag | Size per bag |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light | None included | Not applicable | Not applicable |
| Standard | 2 | 23 kg (51 lb) | 158 cm (62 in), length plus width plus height, including handles and wheels |
| Flex | 2 | 23 kg (51 lb) | 158 cm (62 in), length plus width plus height, including handles and wheels |
Cabin baggage is a weight system. You get three items, and they share a single weight budget rather than each having one.
| Item | Maximum size | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Small bag, under the seat in front | 40 x 30 x 15 cm (16 x 12 x 6 in) | Counted in the combined total |
| Hand bag 1, in the overhead bin | 55 x 35 x 25 cm (22 x 14 x 10 in) | Counted in the combined total |
| Hand bag 2, in the overhead bin | 55 x 35 x 25 cm (22 x 14 x 10 in) | Counted in the combined total |
| All three together | 12 kg (26 lb) |
Two caveats sit on that cabin table. KLM’s own pages disagree with each other: the baggage page and the ticket options page both say 12 kg combined, while the legal fees page says each bag may weigh up to 12 kg with an 18 kg combined maximum. Pack to 12 kg and you are inside every version. Separately, departures from the United States are limited to 1 hand bag and 1 small bag per passenger regardless of travel class, under United States Transportation Security Administration (TSA) rules, so the second hand bag is a European-departure benefit only.
The number that applies to your ticket is the one printed on your e-ticket and shown in My Trip, because KLM varies the allowance by route and fare type on top of the class rules. Check there rather than working from any table, including this one.
KLM’s standard fees for extra bags are €85 ($100) for the first one beyond your allowance, €100 ($110) for the second and €200 ($220) for the third, with KLM publishing both the euro and the dollar figures. The airline also quotes a wider €30 to €240 band for an extra intercontinental bag, because the price moves with the route. Flying Blue adds allowance on top: Ultimate and Platinum members get 2 extra checked bags, Gold and Silver members get 1.
The KLM Premium Comfort menu
The KLM Premium Comfort menu is a choice of 3 main courses at the first service, 2 of them hot, followed by a second meal or a snack before landing depending on how long the flight is. KLM serves the cabin on its own timing, separately from Economy.
A typical intercontinental service runs in the 6 stages below, as KLM publishes them.
- At the seat on boarding: a bottle of water, a headset, a pillow and a blanket, plus an amenity kit containing a toothbrush, a sleep mask and ear plugs. The bag itself is made from recycled ocean-bound plastic.
- Once you are seated: a drink of your choice with a small bite.
- At the main service: a choice of 3 mains, 2 of them served hot, with a salad and bread and butter alongside, and a list of wines and liqueurs.
- At dessert: ice cream, coffee or tea, and a liqueur of your choice.
- Between the services: hot and cold drinks on request, and a self-service snack selection in the galley at the rear of the aircraft. The crew will bring an extra snack or drink at any point if you ask.
- Before landing: a second meal on the longer flights, a snack on the shorter ones.
KLM does not publish a route-by-route menu card or a menu PDF in advance, so there is no document to download before your flight. Special meals are the exception worth arranging: dietary, medical and religious meal types are requested through My Trip rather than on board, and the request has to be in well before departure.
Dinner was chicken with a creamy potato dish and vegetables, followed by salad, bread and ice cream. The chicken matched the menu card. The side dish was slightly different from the printed description.
Service in the cabin
Service in Premium Comfort is delivered by the same crew working Economy behind it, not by a dedicated team, which is the honest structural difference between this cabin and World Business Class. What the cabin does buy at the airport is SkyPriority: dedicated check-in desks, priority bag drop and pick-up, the priority boarding lane, priority security lanes, and priority at ticket offices and transfer desks. SkyPriority passengers board first.
The crew came through the small cabin after the main service and offered drinks individually rather than relying only on the trolley rounds. One attendant brought another bottle of water without being asked, after seeing the first one empty.
Lounge access with a KLM Premium Comfort ticket
A KLM Premium Comfort ticket does not include lounge access. The KLM Crown Lounges at Amsterdam Schiphol are included with a Business Class Standard or Flex ticket and with Flying Blue status, and everyone else pays at the door.
| Who you are | Crown Lounge access |
|---|---|
| Business Class, Standard or Flex ticket | Included |
| Flying Blue Platinum or Gold, and SkyTeam Elite Plus | Free, plus 1 guest on the same flight |
| Flying Blue Ultimate | Free, plus up to 8 guests on the same flight |
| Flying Blue Silver | Paid, with 25 per cent off when booked in advance |
| Premium Comfort, Economy, no status | Paid, from 3 hours before departure |
The entry fee is not published on klm.com. It is shown in My Trip or at the lounge entrance, and it can be bought when you book, in My Trip, during check-in or at the door. At the door, KLM takes miles or a credit card and does not accept cash. There are 2 lounges at Schiphol, Lounge 25 for European flights and Lounge 52 for intercontinental ones, and a booking covers a maximum of 9 passengers.
What KLM Premium Comfort costs
KLM Premium Comfort costs roughly 2.5 times the Economy fare on the same nonstop flight. The 3 searches below were run on 18 September 2026 for travel from 11 to 18 November 2026, KLM nonstop both ways, 1 adult, lowest fare shown per person on Kayak.
| Route | Economy from | Premium Comfort from | The gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amsterdam to New York JFK | $798 (about €695, £595) | $1,964 (about €1,710, £1,465) | $1,166 more, 2.5 times the Economy fare |
| Amsterdam to Los Angeles | $1,122 (about €975, £835) | $2,943 (about €2,560, £2,195) | $1,821 more, 2.6 times the Economy fare |
| Amsterdam to Bangkok | $1,073 (about €935, £800) | $2,455 (about €2,135, £1,830) | $1,382 more, 2.3 times the Economy fare |
Those are one set of dates on one day, and fares on this network move a long way with season and how far ahead you book. What holds across all three is the shape: the multiple sits between 2.3 and 2.6, it does not collapse on the shorter transatlantic sector, and the absolute gap grows with the length of the flight even though the multiple does not.
Three things change the number on your own search. The fare family moves it first, because a Premium Comfort Light ticket strips out both checked bags and the free seat and prices accordingly. Booking a one-way rarely costs half a return. And Flying Blue sells the cabin for miles on many routes, which is where the value case is strongest, because the cash gap over Economy is much wider than the mileage gap.
None of that is visible until you price your own dates, because the multiple moves with the route, the season and how far ahead you book. Compare live KLM Premium Comfort fares before you decide, and check the fare conditions attached to the exact ticket you are buying on klm.com.
A fare gap that size is worth testing against what the money buys elsewhere, because the seat, the baggage and the lounge rules differ sharply between carriers at the same price. Our ranking of premium economy airlines compares pitch, width, recline, baggage and lounge access across every cabin covered here.
Is KLM Premium Comfort worth it?
KLM Premium Comfort is worth it on flights long enough for 7 in (18 cm) of extra legroom and a leg rest to change how you arrive, and it is poor value on anything under about 8 hours. The cabin is a materially better seat in a much quieter cabin. It is not a bed, a lounge or a different standard of service.
The 5 conditions that make the cabin worth paying for are listed below, most important first, and the more of them apply to your trip the stronger the case gets.
- The flight is over 8 hours. The gap over Economy is a fixed sum of money against a variable number of hours, so the longer the sector, the better the trade.
- You cannot sleep in a 3-4-3 row. The 2-4-2 and 2-3-2 layouts mean a side pair has no stranger to climb over, which is worth more on a night flight than the pitch is.
- You are checking 2 bags anyway. The second 23 kg (51 lb) bag would cost €85 ($100, £73) to add to an Economy ticket, which claws back part of the difference before you board.
- You have Flying Blue miles rather than cash. The mileage price of the cabin is closer to Economy than the cash price is.
- Your route is flown by a 787 or a 777. On a route where the A330 still appears, the cabin may simply not be on your aircraft.
The cabin is not worth paying for when the flight is a daytime transatlantic hop you would sleep through anyway, when your ticket is a Light fare that hands back the baggage and seat benefits, or when you were hoping for lounge access. It stops being worth it once the fare gap widens past about 3 times the Economy fare, at which point the comparison with business class becomes the more useful question.
The 3 cabins worth pricing against this one on overlapping routes are listed below, each with the reason it belongs in the comparison.
- Air France Premium Economy: Air France sits in the same group as KLM, shares the fare structure and the baggage rules, and often flies the same city pair out of Paris on the day you want Amsterdam.
- Lufthansa Premium Economy: Lufthansa covers the same North Atlantic market through Frankfurt and Munich, and it is the closest European rival on pitch and on fare.
- Cathay Pacific Premium Economy: Cathay Pacific is the long-haul Asian comparison, on sectors several hours longer than anything KLM flies to North America, and it shows what those extra hours do to the value calculation.
Premium Comfort is worth booking again when the fare gap from economy stays reasonable, because the smaller cabin and extra seat space matter on a 10-hour flight. Anyone who mainly wants better food rather than more personal space should keep the economy ticket.
WonderfulWanderings Pro Tips
The 5 tips below come from checking KLM’s own published rules and the current seat maps on 18 September 2026.
- Count the Premium Comfort rows on the seat map before you pay for a seat. Counting 3 rows means a 787-9 or the 3-row 777-200ER, and counting 4 rows means a 787-10 or the larger 777-200ER layout. The last row of whichever cabin you are in has reduced recline, so knowing which number that is, 14 or 15, is the difference between a seat that reclines and one that does not.
- Set your check-in alarm for 24 hours, not 30, on any flight to or from the United States. KLM opens check-in 30 hours before departure everywhere else and 24 hours on US routes, and free seat selection starts when check-in does. Six hours is long enough for the side pairs to go.
- Read your checked allowance off the e-ticket, and never assume a Premium Comfort ticket includes bags. A Premium Comfort Light fare includes no checked baggage at all. Standard and Flex include 2 bags of 23 kg (51 lb) each, and an extra bag costs €85 ($100, £73) for the first one.
- Add a Flying Blue number to the booking before you fly, even if you never use the programme again. Membership is free and it is the only way to get the Message Pass, which makes text messaging free for the whole intercontinental flight on any aircraft with WiFi fitted. Without it you buy a WiFi Pass, priced by the type of pass and the length of the flight, and KLM does not publish the figure in advance.
- Pack a Bluetooth audio adapter if you want to use your own headphones. KLM supplies wired headphones and says plainly on its own Premium Comfort page that you need to bring an adapter to pair wireless ones with the 13.3-inch screen. A 3.5 mm transmitter such as the Twelve South AirFly Pro 2 does the job, and it is one of the few items on the long-haul flight essentials list that this specific cabin asks for by name.
About the author. This guide is written and maintained by the Wonderful Wanderings editorial team. Wonderful Wanderings was founded in 2012 by Sofie Couwenbergh, and the first-hand notes in this post come from her own 4 KLM Premium Comfort flights between Amsterdam and Los Angeles. The team covers long-haul flying for independent travellers, including the cabins, seat maps, baggage rules and fares worth knowing before you book, and updates this page when KLM changes its aircraft, its allowances and its prices.
