KLM Royal Dutch Airlines has introduced its new World Business Class seats aboard its new B777 fleet which will operate on the South African routes between Amsterdam and both Johannesburg and Cape Town.

These broader seats have a sliding door ensuring greater comfort and privacy. Thanks to various innovations, the seats and their fittings are 10-15% lighter than other business class seats in this market segment, thereby contributing to KLM’s sustainability objectives.

KLM’s new World Business Class (WBC) seats were designed on the basis of extensive customer research. The new seats offer passengers more space and comfort:

• All World Business Class passengers have direct access to the aisle. Every seat has a lightweight sliding door that can be easily opened and closed, so that the seat can be closed off for more privacy when working, relaxing and/or sleeping;
• More personal adjustment options and user-friendly functionality, including an adjustable lower-back support and a relax setting with a subtle back-massage feature;
• The seat can reclined fully flat to form a comfortable, 198cm-long bed;
• There are multiple charging sockets that are easily accessible and clearly visible, and passengers also have a wireless charging option;
• Passengers can stow their belongings in a lockable compartment, which also has a built-in mirror. The seat features a recessed bottle holder, so that passengers can safely leave a water bottle on their tabletop, even during turbulence.

Other World Business Class Services, including the catering concept and SkyPriority, remain unchanged.

“Based on extensive customer and competitor research, we improved our World Business Class seats to ensure that customers have more privacy and comfort during their flight. The new seats are better in terms of design, technology and sustainability features. KLM meets a wide array of its passengers’ wishes with the new seats in World Business Class, Premium Comfort, Economy Comfort and Economy Class. We are delighted to offer these new products and related services to our customers worldwide” – Boet Kreiken, EVP Customer Experience

For its new World Business Class, KLM opted to install Jamco Venture seats in a 1-2-1 configuration, giving all WBC passengers direct access to the aisle. These Jamco Venture seats were previously installed in World Business Class aboard KLM’s Boeing 787 fleet. Following extensive customer research, KLM teamed up with the manufacturer to further improve the seat. The full JAMCO design, conceived in collaboration with KLM, particularly the personal cabin layout, is lighter than the previous setup, without detracting from quality. Lighter seats contribute to KLM’s sustainability objectives.

KLM’s entire Boeing 777-300 and 200 fleet will be fitted with the new World Business Class seats. This fleet will also be fitted with the latest Premium Comfort cabin. The full revamp will be completed during the course of the coming year.