If you want to enjoy one of KLM Royal Dutch Airlines’ infamous cheese-filled half sandwiches on inter-European flights, you only have until October to fly with the Amsterdam-based carrier, before they disappear forever.
That’s the date that the carrier will introduce a buy-on-board menu across its short-haul network in Economy Class – a new service concept that has been tested for more than a year as KLM looks to shore up its lagging financial performance.
The introduction of buy-on-board at KLM, which the airline is calling Grand Café KLM, should come as no surprise to frequent flyers. The airline first flagged that it was actively looking into the concept in September 2024.
Since then, the airline says it has “conducted multiple testing phases across various destinations, evaluating both the product assortment and the supporting operational processes.”
What KLM has landed on is a hybrid model in which all passengers will still be offered a free sweet snack in the form of a Dutch classic: the iconic stroopwafel. Passengers will also get a free drink from a choice of tea, coffee, water, or orange juice.
Once flight attendants have passed through the cabin with the complimentary selection, they’ll make another pass with the Grand Café KLM cart. The airline hasn’t revealed the entire selection, but a spokesperson notes that premium fresh items like poke bowls and Caesar salads have to be pre-ordered before the flight.
The cart will contain a selection of sweet and savory snacks available for purchase, as well as a small selection of fresh items, including a salmon egg wrap or yogurt with fruit and seeds.
The introduction of buy-on-board at a supposed ‘full-service airline’ will irritate some customers, but the complimentary product that KLM has been offering for the past few years hasn’t been particularly good either.
As far as KLM sees it, the introduction of buy-on-board gives passengers more choice and flexibility.
“With this new concept, we are taking the next step in enhancing the European travel experience. Passengers will benefit from greater choice, more flexibility, and an offering that better reflects a wide range of preferences and needs,” commented Bas Gerressen, KLM’s executive vice president of inflight services.
“Whether they choose to pre-order a meal or spontaneously select a snack or beverage onboard, Grand Café KLM allows passengers to tailor the service to their personal preferences.”
Gerressen claims the service “further strengthens the warm and hospitable experience we strive to provide.”
While buy-on-board carts have long been commonplace on low-cost carriers across Europe, it wasn’t until 2017 that British Airways took the controversial plunge to eliminate free snacks in short-haul Economy Class when it announced a partnership with the upmarket food retailer Marks & Spencer.
British Airways was slammed for its decision, but the airline maintained that passengers enjoyed having more of a selection to choose from. The airline has, however, brought back a small sweet treat and a free bottle of water for all Economy Class passengers.
Lufthansa didn’t introduce its own buy-on-board service on short-haul flights until 2021, with the service being rolled out to its other full-service brands, including Austrian Airlines and SWISS. Again, Lufthansa said this was all about giving customers more choice.
With KLM now joining the buy-on-board gang, only Air France and Italy’s ITA Airways are the remaining major European full-service holdouts, still offering free snacks and complimentary drinks in short-haul Economy Class.
With ITA Airways now part of the Lufthansa Group, however, don’t be surprised if the airline’s approach changes sometime soon.
