Dutch Flag Carrier Unveils New Business Class Seats With Lightweight Doors

KLM

Dutch flag carrier KLM has rolled out the first Boeing 777 aircraft in its fleet to feature a new World Business Class seat with direct aisle access for everyone, lightweight sliding privacy doors and a slew of tech updates, including wireless device charging.

The seat, based on the Jamco Venture product, is a big improvement on the existing 2-2-2 configuration that features on the rest of KLM’s 777 fleet – the backbone of the Amsterdam-based carrier’s long-haul fleet.

Frequent KLM passengers will notice similarities between the new seat and the existing World Business Class Jamco-manufactured seats on the airline’s Boeing 787-9 and 787-10 fleets, although there are a number of subtle design and technology differences.

Key amongst them is, of course, the new sliding door, which is made out of super lightweight and flexible material. In fact, KLM boasts that the new lightweight doors, along with other ‘innovations’, have reduced the weight of the new seat by around 10% to 15% compared to rival products.

That doesn’t mean, however, that passengers are going to get less for their money. Along with the all-important privacy door, the new seat also features:

Direct aisle access and a fully reclinable seat that stretches into a 198cm-long bed.
Multiple charging sockets, including a wireless device charging option.
A lockable compartment with a built-in mirror.
An adjustable headrest and various seat adjustments, including lumbar support and a gentle massage function.

KLM has set an aggressive schedule to roll out its new seats with plans to refit the entire Boeing 777-200 and 777-300 fleet over the course of the ‘coming year’. The airline will also take the opportunity to refit the planes with its new Premium Comfort (Premium Economy) cabins that recently debuted on the KLM’s 787-10 Dreamliner.

“Based on extensive customer and competitor research, we improved our World Business Class seats to ensure that customers have more privacy and comfort during their flight,” commented Boet Kreiken, KLM’s executive vice president of customer experience.

“The new seats are better in terms of design, technology and sustainability features,” Kreiken continued.

Mateusz Maszczynski

Mateusz Maszczynski honed his skills as an international flight attendant at the most prominent airline in the Middle East and has been flying throughout the COVID-19 pandemic for a well-known European airline. Matt is passionate about the aviation industry and has become an expert in passenger experience and human-centric stories. Always keeping an ear close to the ground, Matt's industry insights, analysis and news coverage is frequently relied upon by some of the biggest names in journalism.