sunshine007

I'm looking for one-way flights to Cairo from Seattle on Expedia, etc. & have found a flight that looks promising. It only has one stop (the plane change) in Amsterdam, leaves mid-day & has a 12 hour layover in Amsterdam. And it's about half the price of a one-way on BA. (Yes, EMD, I'm not flying on BA this time)

It's a code share -- KLM & NWA. Expedia gives me the option of booking it as a KLM flight or as a NWA flight.

Is there any real difference between booking it as one or the other?

Any bad feelings about using this combo? Pending strikes? Rude in-air staff?

I looked in this board & found some comments about poor KLM customer service which seemed to focus on post-flight luggage loss problems and a possible solution:

"My parents fly KLM all the time to Europe. They buy their tickets through nwa.com, and all issues are taken care of by Northwest."

I'd like to see the Rembrandts at the Rijksmuseum (spelling?) & look around Amsterdam. I haven't been there since 1970 & would like to see the new architecture if possible. Is the airport close enough to do so with a 10 or 12 hour layover.

As always, thanks for the help.

Flyboy

You'll have plenty of time to catch some of Amsterdam with a 12-hour layover. It's a quick train ride from the airport into the city; cheap and efficient.

As for booking, the Northwest-KLM partnership is well-established. If you go to the Northwest website and plug in the same intinerary, it will be clear to you who is operating the aircraft on the respective flights involved. Northwest-operated flights are numbered 1-1999 and KLM-operated flights would be outside of those numbering parameters, but it will also state clearly. (The flight from Amsterdam to Cairo is KLM for sure.)

Since you seem to be Seattle-based, you would want to collect Northwest miles and that is the way that I would book it. I've used Northwest-KLM on a number of occasions with connections in Amsterdam and found it to work well.

martytravels

I agree with flyboy. NO two airlines have a more intimate codeshare than NWA and KLM, and they've been doing it for longer than anyone. The loss luggage situation is much better now - Northwest sent people to Amsterdam to help expand KLM's baggage handling capacity a few years ago and it's much better now. And Schiphol is one of the best airports in Europe which to connect thru. Compared to Heathrow or Charles De Gaulle, it's absolute heaven.

kybourbon

Allow some extra time for your return connection too. All my KLM flights have been late with various excuses. One of the funnier ones announced in flight "The plane, it is late, it comes from Rome". Well now, that explains it!

You can catch the train at Schiphol into Amsterdam which takes about 15 minutes. From the central station you can catch trams to any museums you want to visit. www.schiphol.nl

rkkwan

Basically all of KLM's US operation is run by Northwest, including check-in agents at airport. There is no US website for KLM. The place to buy a KLM ticket in the US is nwa.com.

Personally, I always book these flight as KL flight numbers, as that's the only way to guarantee 100% EQM for Continental Onepass. But if you're not collecting CO EQMs, I don't see a difference either way.

sunshine007

Thanks for your help. I ended up booking directly with NWA on-line -- one way $705, with the long layover in Amsterdam. Checked out the link provided for Schiphol. Looks like I'll be going to the Rijksmuseum for its Golden Treasures, eating lunch & then trying to decide among 3 places in the afternoon.

kybourbon

And if you get stuck in the airport, check out their champagne bar.

vakantie

...or the rijksmuseum branch at Schiphol airport which will be there for the time that the renovations of the rijksmuseum are going on...

sunshine007

Will they let me sip champagne while I'm looking at the Schiphol Rijksmuseum? That would almost be heaven.