Skyteam member KLM offers some attractive business class fares its home base in Amsterdam, offering nonstop services to American West Coast destinations like Los Angeles and Vancouver as low as €1,372. These flights are available from October 2020 through April 2021. Of course, it is still a bit of a gamble to buy these tickets, as we cannot tell when international travel will be possible again. You might want to check KLM’s rebooking policy before buying a premium ticket.
KLM has extended this offer. It is now available until June 30, 2020.
You can find nonstop flights to the following US and Canadian West Coast destinations:
- Calgary at €1,372
- Vancouver at €1,372
- Los Angeles at €1,398
- San Francisco at €1,398
- Portland at €1,398
- Seattle at €1,398
Most Canadian and US nonstop destinations like New York and Miami are available at the same price.
Flights to Portland are operated by Delta Air Lines, featuring their newly implemented Delta One cabin. You can also fly Air France with a stop in Paris to most of these destinations.
Search & Book
The fare rules say these fares remain online until June 30, 2020. They may run out of availability earlier. A minimum stay of at least one night from Saturday to Sunday applies. The maximum stay is three months. Further, these fares seem to be exclusively available for Tuesday and Wednesday departures. They show scattered availability from October 2020 through April 2021.
You can fire up Google Flights (instructions) to check availabilities and find suiting flight dates. These fares are available on KLM.com, where we strongly recommend booking them.
Why is booking with an airline better than with an online travel agency?
More often than not, online travel agencies offer lower fares than airlines do. We still recommend booking with the airlines directly. There are two main reasons for that:
Better Customer Service
In case any problems like delays, cancellations or missed connections arise, you can communicate directly with the airline. The airline has to take care of you because you have a contract with them.
If a travel agency issues your ticket, you may have to reach out to them first. You also depend on your OTA to forward information like flight changes instead of receiving them directly from the airline. In many cases, you may get a prime exhibition of responsibility shifting rather than problem-solving.
This especially applies to premium tickets. You don’t want to spend more than €1,000 to wind up with some budget OTA’s telephone hotline in case anything goes wrong.
Baggage and Other Fees
Economy fares not including hold luggage are industry standard by now. In most cases, travel agencies charge much higher baggage fees than the airlines themselves. If bags are not included in your fare, airlines are often the cheaper alternative.
This also applies to other things like food services, insurances or priority treatment. In almost all cases, you pay less for additional amenities when booking on the airlines’ website.
Mileage
Tickets are issued in booking class Z. This results in an Amsterdam to Los Angeles roundtrip yielding the following number of award miles:
- 13,676 Award Miles + 200 Tier Points on Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
- 13,676 RDM + 2,052 MQD on Delta SkyMiles
- 10,258 Miles on MEA Cedar Miles
- 8,548 Miles on Aeromexico Club Premier
- 8,548 Miles on Aerolíneas Argentinas AerolíneasPlus
- 8,548 Miles on CSA OK Plus
- 8,548 Miles on Saudia Alfursan
- 8,548 Miles on Vietnam Airlines Lotusmiles
- 8,548 Miles on Korean Air Skypass
- 8,548 Miles on Garuda Indonesia GarudaMiles
- 8,548 Miles on GOL Aéreos Smiles
- 8,548 Miles on Air Europa Suma
- 8,548 Award Miles on Etihad Guest
- 6,838 Points on Malaysia Airlines Enrich
KLM’s World Business Class
According to a number of reviews, KLM’s Business Class is a middle-of-the-pack product. It is praised for seat length and quality of service. On the other hand, a major point of complaint is food quality, seat width and lack of storage, especially in their older layouts. However, their new Boeing 787 premium cabin (available to New York and Toronto) receives more praise. You can find a more detailed review about it here and one about the slightly older 777 Business Class here.
Information & Tips for USA
The USA offers many sights, natural wonders and cultural significance. Thanks to numerous airlines offering flights across the Atlantic, it is always pretty inexpensive to get there. Alternatively, you can also cross the Atlantic by boat.
Immigration, ESTA & Visa Requirements
The USA has one of the strictest entry regulations in the world. Most EU citizens, among others, are lucky to be able to participate in the so-called Visa Waiver Program. If you get an electronic entry permit (ESTA) for approximately €20, you don’t need a visa for entry.
The Best Time to Visit
Due to its sheer size, the perfect time to visit the USA varies greatly from region to region. In winter, Florida is very popular due to the mild temperatures. In the summer the West and East Coasts are flooded by tourists which drives up the prices for hotels and flights and during the Indian Summer in late autumn New England is a very popular destination. The hurricane season between July and September can be dangerous in the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico. Florida and the southern states are regularly struck by these tropical storms. Blizzards occur from the East Coast to the Midwest during the winter months and regularly put air traffic and public life on hold.
Currency
The US dollar is widely used throughout the world and accepted as a currency in most tourist hotspots worldwide. That being said, carrying cash isn’t necessary in the US, all you need is a credit card! These are very common in the USA and are accepted pretty much everywhere without any issues. If you already have a credit card in your wallet, you should make sure that it does not charge a foreign currency fee if possible. Carrying a few dollars in cash doesn’t hurt though. You might need cash e.g. for the bus ticket if you want to buy it directly from the driver. Most of the time you even have to give exact change.
Finding the Best eSIM Plan
We’ve compared various eSIM providers, such as Knowroaming and Ubigi. To see which plan is best for your travel needs, and which network offers the best coverage, feel free to read our detailed guide:
The Best eSIM Plans for the USA 🇺🇸 Compared
→ All Dealz for USA
Information & Tips for Canada
The North American country of Canada is the second largest country in the world in terms of surface area. In Canada, English and French are the official languages. Tourists visit Canada because of its many natural attractions and large cities, and the flight prices vary between the east and west coasts. Flights to the east coast e.g. to Toronto or Montreal regularly cost less than 400€. For flights to the west coast, e.g. to Vancouver or Calgary, prices are closer to 400€ – 600€. Other destinations are mostly only reachable with an additional domestic flight. Just like in the USA, most airlines now only offer cheap fares that do not include checked baggage. For checked baggage you should budget an additional 50€ per direction.
Best Time to Travel
Canada is a huge country with many varying climate conditions, but it is safe to say that the winters (November to March) are very cold and snowy in most regions. Summers are relatively mild and partly rainy.
Immigration & Visa Requirements
Most EU citizens do not need a visa for tourist stays of up to 6 months. However, an electronic travel waiver (eTA) must be applied for, similar to the ESTA required for entry into the USA. This costs CA$7 (~€5) and is valid for up to 5 years.
Currency
Canada’s national currency is the Canadian Dollar (CAD). One euro is approximately CA$1.46. Many credit cards may charge a foreign currency fee of up to 2% to pay in CAD.
Transfer from Canada to the USA
Canada is located north of the USA and is the only other country apart from Mexico that shares a border with it (2 borders, actually: Alaska borders Canada in the southeast!) At many airports in Canada US immigration is already done before departure, so you arrive in the USA as a “domestic” passenger in the domestic terminal which can potentially save you lots of time since you do not have to stand in line at customs upon arriving. By land the same entry formalities take place as at the airport or by train at the station in Canada. Most EU citizens don’t need a visa and can instead make use of the digital ESTA procedure.
Finding the Best eSIM Plan
We’ve compared various eSIM providers, such as Airalo and Maya Mobile. To see which plan is best for your travel needs, and which network offers the best coverage, feel free to read our detailed guide:
The Best eSIM Plans for Canada 🇨🇦 Compared
→ All Dealz for Canada