- I could not be a flight attendant.
- [Vesna] Give it some elbow grease.
There you go.
There you go, Andrew.
- It's very secure.
- Yeah, very secure.
Absolutely.
(upbeat music)
Hey everybody, how do you do?
I'm still gunnarolla And we're here today at
Terminal 3 at Toronto Pearson International Airport
to take you behind the scenes of a KLM flight.
Let's go!
Air travel is looking a little different these days
and it's probably been a while
since you were last on a flight.
So today in partnership with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines,
I'm taking you from airport to airplane
on a business class flight.
We'll get your questions answered by airline staff
and learn a little bit more about
improvements and new procedures in place
to keep everyone safe.
So Sabrina, we're in the check-in area.
What kinds of things do I need to bring
before I get on my flight?
- For check-in you would need to bring your passport
and any documents that are required
for the country that you're heading to.
- [Gunnarolla] Right, so that could be like...
- COVID tests, passenger locator forms,
visa requirements.
You can find this information on our KLM website,
which is great for passengers who
haven't traveled in a while.
- So walk me through the process.
I'm coming through with my bags,
where do I go?
- Okay, you can start off here at the self-service kiosk
which is now touchless, which is great.
So if you have a smartphone, all you do is just scan
the QR code and then you can start your
check-in process.
- What? - Yeah.
- So I can control the screen with my phone now.
I don't have to touch the screen, so cool.
So how would you say your job has changed
in the past year and a half?
- Well, we have a lot of new checks
to verify and,
and there's changes that are being made every day.
So it's kind of keeping us busy.
- [Gunnarolla] After check-in comes the baggage drop.
One of the perks of having a business class ticket
is being able to check in two items
and an agent will gladly assist you through the process.
Just be sure to keep an eye on the baggage cutoff time.
You don't want to learn this the hard way.
So Marzieh how does my bag go from check-in
to the plane?
How does it end up on the plane?
- [Marzieh] So the agent will help you assist you
to put the bag tags on your bag
and then guide you to come to the self drop-off counter
which is this one.
Place your bag on the belt and then take this machine
and scan your bag tag in order
to put the weight in the system.
It goes to the main belt and it goes downstairs.
Goes to five layers of security
and it goes to the x-ray machine.
The reason is they need to check for
dangerous goods and prohibited items.
After that, it goes to the KLM container.
- Wow, so there are
a ton of bags just flying around the airport.
- Absolutely.
- [Gunnarolla] It must be like a maze.
How long does the process usually take?
- Usually takes between 10 to 12 minutes.
- And that's if everything goes well?
- Yes.
- So
baggage cutoff time is very important.
Because to get from here to the plane
is still quite a bit of a journey and
lots of scanning involved.
- Correct, yes.
- So what is the normal baggage cutoff time?
- [Marzieh] For international flights
one hour before departure.
- So if I show up 30 minutes before my flight?
- Unfortunately, it's going to be too late
for checking your bags.
- That's why my dad likes to get to the airport
three hours early.
Before heading through security,
I'm taking you to where the action is.
All right, we're in a part of the airport
that not a lot of people get to see:
the office.
Vesna, What is your role at KLM?
- Well, I'm the deputy station manager here at the airport.
There is a lot of behind the scenes work
that has to get done on a daily basis.
And of course the operation has to run too.
So we're all over the place.
We keep in good spirits, good energy.
So it keeps us very busy.
- [Gunnarolla] Any tips for keeping that energy up?
You drinking like 10 coffees a day?
- You know, you just got to love what you do
and people, cultures drives us all.
So I think that's the secret.
- Now I've noticed there's these cute houses.
Can you tell me about that?
- Oh, Of course KLM
Royal Dutch Airlines, I might add,
is the first commercial carrier of the world.
1919 we started.
And these houses commemorate every year
KLM comes out with a special house.
That's significant to a landmark in Holland.
So there are 101 of these houses floating around
and they're exclusive and you can only get them on KLM.
You cannot even purchase them.
- Now for the question that I'm sure is on everybody's mind,
how do I find the best fares?
- Your best bet is to get onto the newsletters and
you will get all the firsthand information.
- All right, gonna do that.
Right now.
Security wait times vary and could be unpredictable.
So make sure to give yourself enough time to get through.
There are plenty of spots at Toronto Pearson to
shop, dine, and rest,
but let's indulge in another one of the perks
of having a business class ticket.
All right, so we're headed to
one of my favorite parts of the airport.
It's the lounge,
an exclusive spot to grab a bite a to eat
or relax before your flight.
- Hello, welcome to the KLM lounge.
You can follow me down.
- [Gunnarolla] Awesome, so excited!
Located on the second floor of Toronto Pearson,
the KLM crown lounge is your oasis of calm.
It's designed to evoke a sense of flight
with a touch of nostalgia.
And while access is included
with your business class ticket,
there are a few other ways to get in.
Trust me, it's worth it.
Oh!
These chairs really are comfortable.
They force you to relax. - Exactly, I know.
It doesn't look like they're so thin.
- [Gunnarolla] Sabrina, we are in a beautiful lounge here.
How does one get access to this space?
- So if you are flying in our business class,
or if you are an elite plus status member,
and if you like you can also have
a paid access to the lounge.
- [Gunnarolla] What are some of the features in the lounge?
- [Sabrina] So you have a selection of food and beverages.
We had a self-service buffet, which now has switched over
to an agent serving passengers.
- Ample sanitizer everywhere.
- Yes. - Lots of distancing,
lots of outlets.
That's one of the most important things for me.
- And a nice place to rest.
Amazing views of
you know, aircraft's passing by.
- [Gunnarolla] Gorgeous.
- You can wait in the lounge
until you're ready to board your flight.
- Awesome, and it's actually
not that far from the gate.
- Just one floor down, and you're,
you're at your gate.
- Well, I'm going to get a little bit of rest
before my flight so
don't mind waking me up.
- No problem.
- [Gunnarolla] Of course, the experience isn't complete
without the personalized service that KLM is known for.
All right Meryll, give me the scoop.
What's your favorite thing about working in this lounge?
- We really have a good theme right now, and then
I enjoy talking to the passengers.
They give us like stories of why they're going to places.
It's making me happy to know what they're doing and
that we're going to be a part of their experience.
- While agents love getting to know where we're flying to,
I want to know more about where they want to go.
Like, what are some popular destinations
or areas of the world where KLM flies to.
- The top three would have to be:
Amsterdam,
Africa, and Europe
- And what's on your bucket list?
- Ooh, that's tricky,
but I would have to say Greece.
For sure, Athens.
- I'll see you on the beach maybe.
- For sure.
- [Gunnarolla] Our flight is almost ready for takeoff
so it's time to head down to the gate.
Business class passengers and status holders
get priority boarding
so there'll be the first on the plane.
Made to our gate, time to check out the aircraft.
Behind the scenes agents and ground crew
have been hard at work to make sure
that our flight experience is a positive one.
Before any aircraft can take off,
there's one team that's responsible
for making sure we can do so safely.
Meet Justin.
All right, so I'm here with Justin.
What is your role with KLM?
- My role, I'm an aircraft maintenance engineer,
and I take care of the safety
and air-worthiness of the aircraft.
- So can you Tell me a little bit
about the thing that's probably on top of everybody's mind:
the air filtration.
How does that work on an airplane?
- [Justin] Okay, so these modern aircraft
do have what's called HEPA filters.
They are high efficiency,
particulate air filters, which are hospital grade.
The way the system works is it pulls the air from
the top of the cabin towards the floor.
And that's how you prevent horizontal transmission,
bacterial or viral.
COVID-19 is included in this as well.
- Cleanest air?
- It's refreshed every three minutes from the outside
so it's continuously recirculating.
- [Gunnarolla] On the ground, crews load up meals
freshly prepared at a facility nearby.
With flights connecting from all over the world,
Toronto happens to be one of the most
multicultural routings, which means that often
nearly half of the meals served on board
accommodate special requests.
- What we find here is all the wonderful food and beverage
that you are served on board.
So we've got all our food chilling in there
and what else we have in our galley is our heaters.
We got fresh brewed coffee being made at all times.
We serve many meals,
everything you can think of we serve.
And of course
it depends on the menu rotation and the seasonal changes.
And we just recently introduced the
beyond meat option in business class.
- And how often do you switch it up?
- We do a quarterly and a seasonal change of course.
- So I should fly once a season?
- Absolutely.
- What's the most popular meal that KLM serves?
Well, what you think Andrew?
You take a guess.
- I'll usually like chicken.
- Ding, ding, Andrew wins the fight!
You're absolutely right.
And number two,
can you guess what number two may be?
- Pasta.
- Pasta, there you go, yeah.
- So if I have any dietary restrictions
or any special requests,
when's the time to make that,
and how do you accommodate that?
- You should be reserving those
at least 24 hours in advance
so that we can well prepare for you.
But rest assured you will be taken care of.
- [Gunnarolla] Business class passengers
don't just enjoy premium meals.
They get the ultimate comforts
with full flat seats on select aircraft.
All right, welcome to our business class seat.
Got a beautiful big screen to watch movies,
a drive-through window for my neighbor.
And if I've had enough of him,
see you later.
And the best part
is that these seats go right back
so I could sleep through the entire flight.
I'll see ya in Greece.
Sacha.
Nice to meet you.
How long have you been with KLM?
- [Sacha] For 26 years.
- [Gunnarolla] 26 years, this must have been
a very different year for you.
- [Sacha] Yeah
I think for everyone.
- [Gunnarolla] That is true.
Any funny passenger stories that you can remember?
Any memorable passengers?
- Yeah well,
I had a
passenger that was very scared of flying, and she
came up to the galley and
there was another guy also there in the galley.
And I said
"well, if you guys talk and sit next to each other
maybe the flight will be a little more
relaxing for you."
They were supposed to get a different flight,
she was going to go onto London.
We saw them in a coffee shop
and they were not going to get their next flight.
I think they have enough,
maybe they're married now, you never know.
- [Gunnarolla] Little love connection in the sky.
Maybe I'll find somebody.
- [Sacha] Yeah, you never know.
- [Gunnarolla] All right with Tyrone now.
What is your role with KLM?
- I'm a flight attendant and
I love my job.
Traveling the world is great.
Having a people on board,
making them smile, giving them a safe and fun trip.
Love it.
- And when you're not on the plane,
where can we find you?
Doing other stuff?
- When I'm not on a plane,
you can find me on YouTube as well.
Yeah, I do travel vlogs.
- [Gunnarolla] So you do get some time
to explore the destinations?
Do you have any favorite destinations
that KLM flies to?
- Most of the time I like Kuala Lumpur.
- Good food - Yeah.
- [Gunnarolla] The cabin crew play a vital role
in our flight experience,
but there's one person who might be the most important
and we barely get to see them.
Now we're here with the boss, the captain.
What exactly does the captain do?
What are your big responsibilities?
- My responsibility as a captain is to
get the airplane from A to B
in a safe, comfortable, and quick manner.
In that order.
- [Gunnarolla] How has your job,
has it changed a lot over the past year and a half?
- [Captain Jos] Everything around it has changed.
Of course we had
only a few passengers on board for a long time.
We flew a lot of cargo flights.
- [Gunnarolla] What would you say is your favorite thing
about working for KLM?
People think, well it's the same every time.
You push the same buttons.
But it's different every time.
And every flight you have new colleagues,
you have a new team,
so it's never boring.
- Awesome, well thank you.
Thank you for taking the time.
- You're welcome.
- I hope you make a nice movie out of it.
- I hope so too.
As the world slowly opens back up to air travel,
It's important to remember to do your part.
Respect the rules, not just in the sky
but for the time after you land.
After all being a traveler means being responsible
for the people that you meet along the way.
And flying an airline like KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
you can be sure that you'll
reach your destination safely and comfortably.
Thanks for watching, I'll see you next time.
A la prochaine!