After flying back and forth to Brazil several times and a lot of research, there is no doubt in my mind what is the best airline to use.

The last time I was in Brazil I flew with SAS/Varig/Star Alliance and can sum up the experience in this: "Never more!" Old planes, no entertainment system, only 20 kg of checked luggage! No way!

Then you have KLM. First of all, they operate the whole stretch themselves. When going from Oslo to Sao Paulo, I have to change planes in Amsterdam. I feel quite comfortable at Amsterdam Schipol Airport. To me, it is easy to find my way around, the staff is generally quite friendly and they all speak English.

The airplanes they use on the main stretch seem to be quite new and have an entertainment system with one screen per person, even in the economy class. So I can watch movies, TV series, listen to music or play video games. And my neighbor in the next seat do not have to watch the same thing as me. The only thing I wish for is the ability to tilt the screen a bit more upward. When the person in front of you recline the seat to the sleeping position, it is not easy to watch.

The in-flight service on KLM has been perfect on all the flights I have done with them. Maybe I am not the most difficult customer, but still I can sense a difference.

The only things I miss will probably be coming in a not too distant future. Wireless internet on board, and power for my laptop in every seat. With this available, the trip to Sao Paulo would just be another day at the office.

The final thing that really separate KLM from the Star Alliance airlines is the weight limit for checked in luggage. Instead of 20 kg, you can have two items of checked in luggage. Each of them can be 32 kg! Do not accept 2 x 23 kg as some of the people at the booking office for KLM will tell you. The limit is 2 x 32kg and they will find out if you are just persistent enough. September 1st last year there seem to have been a change in how much luggage you can check in and the new limit is 2 x 23 kg for most destinations. But not for Brazil. Here, the limit is still 2 x 32 kg. This makes a HUGE difference for anyone staying more than a week-end. If you are going to be in Brazil for a couple of months, 20 kg will never be enough.

So my favorite so far is definitely KLM. And the few things I am missing will hopefully arrive soon!

The pictures are used with permission from KLM Public Relations.