2023.10 Edinburgh and London (Part 1)
We last visited the United Kingdom, well, London, back in 2017. This time around we wanted to see more, and branched out where we split our time between Edinburgh, and London.
Flight one – KLM, Toronto to Amsterdam
Boeing 777
Seats: 41A & C (way in the back)
When I did online check-in the flight appeared to be full. I had selected seats near the back on the hopeful basis that if there would be an empty seats they would be found at the back between our window and aisle seat. In the afternoon I started to track the inbound flight where it was late departing Amsterdam. With my work day finished, and packing already complete we had enough time for a quick quiet moment before our ride picked us up. Travelling to the airport at the tail end of rush hour afforded us no delays and we were at the airport in plenty of time for the incoming plane. KLM uses Terminal 3 at Toronto Lester B. Pearson International Airport, and when we arrived at baggage check we inquired about finding different seats on the plane however no change was possible as the plane was at capacity. No switching of seats were possible.
After security, we grabbed something to eat and then arrived at the gate to wait for our flight.
We are not night owls. The original departure time of 10:45pm, was already pushing our abilities (okay my ability) to keep eye lids open. I struggled to stay awake, but fortunately the arrival of the flight crew was the healthy sign that our flight would soon board. Also, you can tell by the clock hanging from the ceiling that the flight didn’t make up any significant amount of time into Toronto. Instead of boarding just before 10pm, the flight crew were waiting to be allowed on board just after 10pm.
Boarding finally started, and once on board we made our way to our seats. Our selected seats were near the back of the plane, actually it was a row of 3-3-3 due to the curvature of the fuselage.
Seating isn’t special, there was enough legroom for me. However upon the “boarding complete” message we got the best surprise — we didn’t have a seatmate. Three seats for the two of us!
From the picture below you can see that row 40 is the final row of 3-4-3 seating layout, and on row 41 there is entertainment screens for three seats.
Although the pillow was tiny, it was still functional to try and get comfortable. Once everybody was on board, taxi was fairly quick with take-off on the northerly east/west runway heading west.
While waiting for the plane to get airborne I flipped through the magazine. This is a dying breed as Air Canada eliminated it during COVID and most major airlines are headed in the same direction. It’s something neat to flip through.
Such as, from this issue was where I found out that there is a Miffy museum!
Without individual air nozzles though, Little Miss made continuous use of her hand-held fan to try and keep herself temperate. (Spoiler it didn’t, as both of us found the cabin very warm throughout the whole flight, and uncomfortable that we hardly slept) Even with the flight crew listened to our request to adjust the temperature the cabin would suddenly get another blast of heat and continued to be warmer than what we consider comfortable.
Food
Nothing special to report about the meal. The bread was fresh from a basket, hence why it wasn’t wrapped or covered like the rest of the meal. You’ll notice that even the lids on the salad and dessert have Netherlands motifs (windmill, clog, bicycles, flowers) decorating it. A neat touch.
I had the chicken and overall it was fine. Given the late hour, and having already eaten at the airport, I started with dessert, and then pecked away at the main dish. After the trays were cleared we tried to get some sleep. Tried. It didn’t work well at all given the warm temperature in the back of the plane.
Fortunately, flights between Toronto and Amsterdam are not that long, even being a transatlantic flight. When breakfast arrived, the sandwich just didn’t work.
The breakfast sandwich components were there, with cheese, egg and, I think, surrounded by an English muffin. Sadly though, seasoning, and flavours were missing in action. It was so bland I didn’t finish it. At least the hot tea helped wake me up for a long day ahead.
Our decent into Schiphol was without interruption, or delay. My timing on the Netherlands coast were complemented with the pilots applying the speed brakes as they continued the approach to Schiphol.
There was no further delay once on the ground, and the plane was at its assigned gate without issue. Our flight didn’t make up all of its delay in the air. Normally this would be of no consequence, however this time around I had made a lunch reservation at Sea Palace. Would we make it?
Explore other parts of this trip:
Part 1 – KLM Flight Toronto to Amsterdam (this post!)
Part 2 – KLM Lounge, KLM Flight Amsterdam to Edinburgh
Part 3 – Bruntsfield Hotel, Edinburgh
Part 5 – Food while in Edinburgh
Part 6 – LNER, Edinburgh to London
Part 7 – Conrad London St. James