kansas59

I was fortunate enough to book a fare of $479 for a trip to Venice in May (JFK-AMS-VCE) on NW/KLM. After a bit of research, I noticed that some of the new 777's are being used on these routes and wondered if anyone had any feedback on this route (with or without the 777). Also curious if anyone has any experience with connecting thru Amsterdam on this routing as well? Would appreciate any information you have to offer. Thanks in advance.

sandi

Amsterdam's Schipol airport is probably the most civilized airport ever. Making connections here should be a breeze.

rkkwan

The daily flight KL642 from JFK is 777, which has personal video monitor even in econony. The 4-times a week KL644 is 747-400C. EWR-AMS is 767. Neither the 767 nor 747 has individual screens.

Schiphol is nice, and everything's under one roof. However, it's grown pretty big in recent years, so the walk from your plane through customs, to your new gate in the Schengen (intra-Europe) area can be quite long.

My parents connected there a couple months ago, and they forgot to check the gate of their flight AFTER arriving at Schiphol. Instead they walked to the gate number printed on their boarding pass (issued like 10 hours prior), and found that the gate has changed...

That's a mistake I would never make, but if you don't travel all the time, that's something one can forget to do.

kansas59

sandi & rkkwan,

Thanks for your quick responses, very useful. And good reminder about checking the connecting gate upon arrival...could save you a lot of time when the clock is ticking.

Any additional tidbits, feedback or suggestions from any other travelers who've done this route?

wpcx2

KLM is one of my favorite airlines and its operations are excellent. Don't give it another thought - buy your ticket and go. Do, however, suggest that you have a stop-over in Amsterdam if possible - it's a fab city. I can't count how many times I've been there. If you can get there before mid-May you MUST go to Keukenhof Gardens - even if your tastes don't run to tulips, you'll be amazed by the spectacle.

kansas59

wpcx2,

Thanks for the add'l feedback on KLM - tix are already in hand. As it happens, I have been to Amsterdam on 3 separate trips, but each devoted solely to that fun city and usually on Continental flights. I too, am a huge fan of this place, but unfortunately this trip (middle of May)won't allow for any extra time - plans are already made for Venice. That said, I agree that the Keukenhof gardens should be on my must-see list and plan to do so on my next trip to Amsterdam.