Lufthansa or KLM to Amsterdam

I usually fly with Lufthansa but I see that KLM has a non stop flight to Amsterdam (from YVR).

Has anyone flown with both air lines? I just wondered if there is a big difference between the two.

I have to book a flight for March.

No there is hardly any difference between the 2 of them.

Both still serve free alcoholic drinks and serve meals on transatlantic flights. Luggage freedom is the same.

With Lufthansa you will have to make a transfer, while KLM flies nonstop, so traveltime is shorter.

The only difference is they are in different frequent flyer programms.

Agreed that there is no real difference between them. Unless you are a Star Alliance frequent flier and have a real reason to fly Lufthansa (and thus fly over your destination to switch planes in Frankfurt/Munich and fly backwards to Amsterdam), I would absolutely take the nonstop on KLM.

I usually fly with Lufthansa but I see that KLM has a non stop flight to Amsterdam (from YVR).

Has anyone flown with both air lines? I just wondered if there is a big difference between the two.

I have to book a flight for March.

Obviously the non-stop to AMS has some advantages for timing; as for service I would say they're comparable. If you're a point collector, you can credit LH points to AC/Air Canada or any other *A/Star Alliance carrier. If you fly KL, you can credit it to AS/Alaska; or any Skyteam carrier (like Delta)

Also, sign up for KLM's specials on their web page, I often get $999 all in return offers for YVR-AMS

Thanks. I will check both of them.

We decided to fly with KLM on the non stop flight. Is it better to book it with the cruiseline or book it myself?

We fly into Amsterdam and leave from Amsterdam after the cruise.

I read so much now I am confused...

We decided to fly with KLM on the non stop flight. Is it better to book it with the cruiseline or book it myself?

 

We fly into Amsterdam and leave from Amsterdam after the cruise.

I read so much now I am confused...

Why would you book it with the cruiseline? Book it directly yourself.

I haven't flown with LH but flew with KLM this past March.

They cram you in like sardines.

The meals are good & lots of seatback entertainment options.

Cruisingly Yours

I haven't flown with LH but flew with KLM this past March.

 

They cram you in like sardines....

 

As others have posted, there is little or no difference between LH or KLM, and sadly, seat space/pitch is the same on both of these airlines.

KL coach is not the most spacious, but you have a couple of options to move to better seating. KL offers both Economy Comfort and Economy with extra legroom (yes, they are different). Details at THIS PAGE and beyond on the KL website.

Depending on time of year, you will either be on a 777 or a MD-11. You can find seatmaps on the KL site and at SeatGuru. (Personally, I like the MD-11, as it's a fairly rare bird in the passenger market, though FedEx has a lot of them if you are a package!).

It is cheaper if I book the flights with the cruise line than it would be if I book them myself with KLM, but after everyone talking about a different class of tickets I am not sure what to do.

We are going in March, 2013.

It is cheaper if I book the flights with the cruise line than it would be if I book them myself with KLM, but after everyone talking about a different class of tickets I am not sure what to do.

Read the sticky at the top of the page. Now, do a standard cost/benefit analysis, plugging in your own values into the equation. What is the best VALUE proposition for you? Is price the overriding factor, outweighing other considerations? How will you feel if you save XX dollars and then run into a flight problem that causes you to miss days of your cruise?

Only you can answer those kind of questions and only you can make your own value determination. Ask yourself....is it worth it? And if all else fails, use the advice from Piet Hein who wrote:

Whenever you're called on to make up your mind,

And you're hampered by not having any

The best way to solve the dilemma, you'll find

Is simply by spinning a penny.

No - not so that chance shall decide the affair

While you're passively standing there moping

But the moment the penny is up in the air

You suddenly know what you're hoping.

Price is a story some times ..

I would pay the difference but just wondered if it made a big difference if we do have a problem.

We both have our own travel insurance that covers most everything and if the flights are delayed I assume they would make a later flight.

We are flying in a day early to stay in a hotel as I always do that.

We decided to fly with KLM on the non stop flight. Is it better to book it with the cruiseline or book it myself?

 

We fly into Amsterdam and leave from Amsterdam after the cruise.

I read so much now I am confused...

Go to KLM.CA and sign up for their web specials. As I mentioned before, there are often web-only specials for as little as $999 all-in return from YVR

We both have our own travel insurance that covers most everything and if the flights are delayed I assume they would make a later flight.

Dangerous to make either assumption. And everything depends on the specific rules for the ticket you purchase and the insurance policy you purchase. Plus, remember that "insurance" doesn't ensure that you make your trip, only to protect against financial loss.

Read the fine print. Caveat emptor.

I would pay the difference but just wondered if it made a big difference if we do have a problem.

 

We both have our own travel insurance that covers most everything and if the flights are delayed I assume they would make a later flight.

We are flying in a day early to stay in a hotel as I always do that.

If you buy the tix through the cruiseline and you have any problems, then yes, you COULD see a big difference in how you are re-accommodated. Make no assumptions. If you end up with a consolidator ticket, you will be at the bottom of the barrel when it comes to being re-booked, and you may or may not get on that next flight.

Thanks for all the replies.

I called the friend that I am travelling with and we are going to book the flights ourselves.

I also watched that new show on TV tonight "On The Fly" and seen all those people sitting in airports who had missed their flights....

I would pay the difference but just wondered if it made a big difference if we do have a problem.

 

We both have our own travel insurance that covers most everything and if the flights are delayed I assume they would make a later flight.

We are flying in a day early to stay in a hotel as I always do that.

Assume nothing with your travel insurance. Do you buy homeowner's and auto insurance and just assume various situations are covered? TI policies vary all over the map so you *must* read the fine print of the policy. Some cover flight problems only while traveling on a published fare...that excludes consolidator tickets.

Cruiseline air usually does not let you fly the day before, though some do for an extra charge. More often you will have to catch a flight at the crack of dawn, make one or two connections with short or long layover times, and be stressed out about missing the ship because the flight arrives only a few hours before sail away. The consolidator has bulk tickets between city pairs....so grabs one from A-B, another from B-C, and one from C-D to get you to your destination. Convenience and elapsed trip time are not their concern.

Noticed you just posted you're buying your own tickets. Good choice and you could very well end up paying less than the cruiseline-arranged air.

We plan on flying direct (non stop) to Copenhagen from Toronto, Canada.

We can take either Air Canada or Lufthansa for the same price. I plan on buying the exit seats for comfort.

Which would you choose?

I have taken Lufthansa to Europe (to Barcelona and to Venice). I really like them. I booked with them myself.

In October the cruise I was on ended in Rome and we got to the airport early and the flights were delayed to Frankfurt because of bad weather. We finally got on the plane after a few hours and sat on there for another hour and by the time we got to Frankfurt we had missed our fight to Vancouver.

Lufthansa put us up in a hotel and gave us shuttle tickets to the hotel and vouchers for food. They flew us home the next day.

They were very good as we were stressed and tired. They even gave us each a free phone call to let our relatives know we would be a day late.

I had a hotel booked in Vancouver for the night I arrived and they called them and changed it to the next night.

I would definitely take them again.

I seen KLM had a non stop flight which is only 9 1/2 hours so thought I would try them for the cruise in March.

Phabric -- Hate to tell you, but the AC and LH flights are one and the same. Operated by AC, with a LH codeshare. In addition SAS also has their code on that flight. I would just check out all three for pricing and take the cheapest. You get the same flight on AC.

How are the seats with extra legroom? Good enough for someone that is 6'3" on a 10 hour flight?

How are the seats with extra legroom? Good enough for someone that is 6'3" on a 10 hour flight?

As for "good enough"...only you can say. For sure you would have enough room in business, and if flying in economy, that's probably as good as you might get.