KLM Royal Dutch Airlines has been part of my travels for more than a decade. Between 2013 and 2026, I flew with KLM nine times, from short European sectors to transatlantic flights between Amsterdam and Montreal.
But my history with KLM includes something much more special than simply flying the airline several times. I had the opportunity to fly the legendary McDonnell Douglas MD-11 three times, including being aboard KL672 from Montreal to Amsterdam, the final scheduled commercial passenger flight of the MD-11 in the world.
That alone gives KLM a unique place in my aviation memories.
About KLM
Founded in 1919, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines is the flag carrier of the Netherlands and one of the world’s most historic airlines. Its home base at Amsterdam Schiphol has developed into one of Europe’s major connecting hubs, allowing KLM to build a network stretching across Europe and to destinations throughout Africa, Asia, the Americas and the Middle East.
For many years, KLM was also closely associated with aircraft that have since disappeared from passenger skies. Among the most iconic was the McDonnell Douglas MD-11.
And that is where my own KLM story begins.
My First KLM Flight
My first flight with KLM was on 22 February 2013, flying from Amsterdam to Montreal on KL671.
The aircraft was McDonnell Douglas MD-11 PH-KCE, and the journey across the Atlantic took 7 hours and 41 minutes.
Flying an MD-11 was already becoming relatively rare by 2013. Most airlines had retired the type from passenger operations, while KLM remained one of its final strongholds.
The MD-11 was impossible to mistake. Its three engines, including the distinctive third engine at the base of the tail, gave it a completely different appearance from the twin-engine widebodies that were increasingly dominating long-haul aviation.
As an aviation enthusiast, having the MD-11 in my logbook was already special.
But PH-KCE would appear in my logbook again under much more historic circumstances.
KL672: My Flight into Aviation History
On 25 October 2014, I boarded KL672 from Montreal to Amsterdam.
When I saw the registration, there was another connection with my previous journey.
It was PH-KCE again.
The same MD-11 that had taken me from Amsterdam to Montreal in February 2013 would now take me back to Amsterdam.
This time, however, the flight was historic.
KL672 was the final scheduled commercial passenger flight of the McDonnell Douglas MD-11 anywhere in the world.
KLM had become the last airline operating the type in scheduled passenger service. Other MD-11s would continue flying as freighters, but the era of buying a normal scheduled passenger ticket and travelling aboard an MD-11 was ending.
Our flight from Montreal lasted 7 hours and 20 minutes.
When PH-KCE arrived at Amsterdam Schiphol the following morning, it marked the end of an era that had begun when the MD-11 entered passenger service in the early 1990s.
For me, this remains one of the most significant flights in my entire logbook.
I had not simply flown an aircraft shortly before its retirement. I had been a passenger on the final scheduled commercial passenger flight of the type.
One Last MD-11 Experience
You might expect KL672 to have been my final MD-11 flight.
It wasn’t.
A few weeks later, on 11 November 2014, I returned to Amsterdam Schiphol for one of KLM’s special MD-11 farewell flights.
This time I flew aboard PH-KCD.
The routing in my flight log is one of the strangest I have:
Amsterdam to Amsterdam.
The recorded flight time was only around 15 minutes, but the importance of a flight cannot always be measured by its duration.
This was a special farewell experience rather than a normal scheduled commercial service. It offered enthusiasts one final opportunity to experience the KLM MD-11 before the aircraft disappeared from the airline’s passenger operations completely.
It was a fitting goodbye.
My three KLM MD-11 flights therefore tell a story of their own: my first flight with KLM, the world’s final scheduled passenger MD-11 service, and finally a special farewell flight.
A Very Different KLM in 2019
My next KLM flight came on 11 March 2019, almost five years after saying goodbye to the MD-11.
This time I flew KL1234 from Paris Charles de Gaulle to Amsterdam.
Instead of a three-engined widebody, my aircraft was Boeing 737-800 PH-BXZ.
The flight lasted just 58 minutes.
It was a completely different side of KLM: the dense European network feeding passengers into Amsterdam Schiphol.
Brussels to Amsterdam
On 20 September 2021, I flew KLM again, this time starting much closer to home.
KL1724 took me from Brussels to Amsterdam aboard Boeing 737-700 PH-BGL.
With a scheduled duration of one hour, Brussels to Amsterdam was one of the shortest international KLM routes I have flown.
Amsterdam was not my final destination that day.
A few hours later, I boarded another KLM 737.
Amsterdam to Warsaw
My second flight of the day was KL1365 from Amsterdam to Warsaw.
This time KLM assigned Boeing 737-900 PH-BXS to the flight.
The journey took 1 hour and 55 minutes.
Flying the 737-700 and 737-900 on the same day was an interesting combination, allowing me to experience both ends of KLM’s Boeing 737 Next Generation family.
And another variant would follow only a few days later.
Amsterdam to Bucharest
On 26 September 2021, I flew KL1379 from Amsterdam to Bucharest aboard Boeing 737-800 PH-BXC.
The flight lasted 2 hours and 40 minutes.
This meant that within just six days I had flown all three Boeing 737NG variants in KLM’s fleet:
737-700, 737-800 and 737-900.
For someone who enjoys keeping track of aircraft types and variants, that was another nice addition to my KLM history.
Flying KLM Again in 2025
After a four-year gap, I returned to KLM on 17 September 2025.
Flight KL1924 took me from Zurich to Amsterdam aboard Boeing 737-800 PH-BXF.
The flight lasted 1 hour and 35 minutes.
By now, the 737-800 had become a very familiar aircraft in my KLM logbook. It was quite a contrast with my earliest experiences with the airline, when KLM meant crossing the Atlantic aboard an MD-11.
Istanbul to Amsterdam
My most recent KLM flight took place on 18 January 2026.
I flew KL1960 from Istanbul to Amsterdam aboard Boeing 737-800 PH-BCD.
At 3 hours and 40 minutes, this was the longest of my KLM Boeing 737 flights.
It was also almost thirteen years after my first KLM journey aboard PH-KCE.
My KLM Flight Log
| Date | Flight | Route | Aircraft | Registration | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 Feb 2013 | KL671 | Amsterdam – Montreal | McDonnell Douglas MD-11 | PH-KCE | 7h 41m |
| 25 Oct 2014 | KL672 | Montreal – Amsterdam | McDonnell Douglas MD-11 | PH-KCE | 7h 20m |
| 11 Nov 2014 | KL | Amsterdam – Amsterdam | McDonnell Douglas MD-11 | PH-KCD | 0h 15m |
| 11 Mar 2019 | KL1234 | Paris CDG – Amsterdam | Boeing 737-800 | PH-BXZ | 0h 58m |
| 20 Sep 2021 | KL1724 | Brussels – Amsterdam | Boeing 737-700 | PH-BGL | 1h 00m |
| 20 Sep 2021 | KL1365 | Amsterdam – Warsaw | Boeing 737-900 | PH-BXS | 1h 55m |
| 26 Sep 2021 | KL1379 | Amsterdam – Bucharest | Boeing 737-800 | PH-BXC | 2h 40m |
| 17 Sep 2025 | KL1924 | Zurich – Amsterdam | Boeing 737-800 | PH-BXF | 1h 35m |
| 18 Jan 2026 | KL1960 | Istanbul – Amsterdam | Boeing 737-800 | PH-BCD | 3h 40m |
Why KLM Stands Out in My Flight Log
Nine KLM flights might not seem extraordinary by themselves, but the aircraft and circumstances behind them make this airline an important part of my aviation history.
I have flown KLM’s Boeing 737-700, 737-800 and 737-900. I have used Schiphol for connections between cities across Europe. I have flown KLM on sectors lasting less than an hour and on transatlantic journeys of more than seven hours.
But nothing comes close to the MD-11.
Flying PH-KCE from Amsterdam to Montreal in 2013 was special.
Flying the same PH-KCE from Montreal back to Amsterdam in 2014 was historic.
And returning for one final MD-11 experience aboard PH-KCD completed the story.
Of all my KLM flights, KL672 on 25 October 2014 will always stand above the rest. Being aboard the world’s final scheduled commercial passenger flight of the MD-11 is the kind of experience that becomes more valuable as the years pass.
Today, seeing an MD-11 carrying passengers is no longer possible. The type belongs to another era of commercial aviation.
But I was there for its final scheduled passenger flight.
And that is why KLM will always have a special place in my flight log.