Greetings Flight-Report Community. Thanks for stopping by and having a look at this report.
For this report I will be sharing an exciting RTW adventure with several firsts and perhaps a last chance as well.
The reports will be broken down as follows:
LAX Oneworld/Qantas First Class Lounge and CX LAX-HKG (First)http://flight-report.com/en/report-11852.html
CX The Pier First Class Lounge and CX HKG-CGK (Business)http://flight-report.com/en/report-11861.html
MH CGK-KUL and Bonus KUL Food (Business)http://flight-report.com/en/report-11877.html
MH Golden Lounge and MH KUL-LHR (First)http://flight-report.com/en/report-11930.html
BA LHR-AMS (Business)http://flight-report.com/en/report-12594.html
Aspire Lounge AMS and Delta AMS-PDX(Business)(This Report)
My morning started early with a shuttle bus ride form the Holiday Inn Express Schiphol to the airport. This is a fine hotel for an overnight and can recommend it.
Check in was quickly handled by the KLM ground staff. Security was also brief and painless. There is a secondary screening for Delta flights to the USA that took some time but again, the KLM staff were courteous and professional.
I have some time before departure so, among the maze of construction, I found the Priority Pass lounge called Aspire. Well, it didn't aspire to be much other than crowded.
Some decent ramp views from the Aspire lounge.
Having not been to AMS before I left the lounge and walked about the terminal. It was quite busy due to all of the Delta departures to the USA but the flow of humanity moved freely and it never felt really crowded.
My ride to PDX.
AMS looked more like ATL during this departure bank.
Boarding commenced and I proceeded on board to occupy seat 8C, initially. The cabin on this A330-300 had undergone the Delta One refresh.
Menu and PDB prosecco.
The flight attendants were especially chipper as we boarded and through out the flight. They made the passengers feel quite at home and engaged in conversations with many. The purser who had a stern affect about her turned out to be a very warm and competent host. I noticed that 8A was open so I asked her about the possibility of relocating and after checking her paperwork she kindly agreed.
View from 8C and then again from 8A.
A look at the menu.
I appreciated that there was an attempt at local flavor. I also thought the pre-arrival mesze was a nice addition and outside of the normal Delta fare.
View on push. Do they keep the 767-300ERs together for space reasons?
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Some nice spotting as we taxi.
Xiamen Air 787.
The Delta 747-400 for DTW.
Arke 787.
MH 777
A nice array of tails.
After a long takeoff roll we were airborne and treated to views of the green Dutch countryside.
Feet wet came fairly quickly.
The service began with the salmon starter. A fairly meager portion. I also enjoyed a Bloody Mary cocktail and some water.
The screen and IFE are very adequate.
Next came the tasty salad with feta, arugula, cucumber and tomato. The cream of mushroom soup and a pretzel roll were enjoyed as well.
My first choice of chilled deli plate was not available so i opted for the beef. It was a tough cut and not memorable.
The meal is progressing quickly as we're just to the north of the UK over the North Sea.
The cheese and dessert cart made an appearance next. I was primarily interested in cheese but the chocolate mouse seemed to have fallen onto my tray as well.
Well fed and well taken care of in general I was ready to sleep. The past several days I have been living on the back of the clock and sleeping only opportunistically. The true measure of any business class product, in my mind, is the bed and the the sleep you can achieve. Delta does well here with a spacious semi-private space and excellent bedding. I slept until breakfast.
For the second service I was very curious to try the mezze plate. It's not EK but I found it quite enjoyable and a great alternative to a sandwich or pizza.
Closing in on Portland, Oregon.
Short final over the Columbia River.
Positioning to park at the D gates.
Thank you for this nice FR to a rarely reported long haul destination.
Hello Kelval and thanks for the comment.
Thank you Christian for sharing this nice FR.
Among the big 3 U.S. carriers, DL's J long haul looks the best. The inclusion of a soup with your appetizer is a thoughtful and generous touch and the use of a cart for dessert is always a welcomed sight so kudos to the catering dept.
The true measure of any business class product, in my mind, is the bed and the the sleep you can achieve. Delta does well here with a spacious semi-private space and excellent bedding. I slept until breakfast.
- This is the main criteria for a long J product. As much as a like catering, it is secondary.
Hello Jetsetpanda and thanks for the comments.
Among the big 3 U.S. carriers, DL's J long haul looks the best.
- At this point I think Delta J product across the Atlantic is competitive with just about any carrier in the market. Consistency of crews is probably where they will fall down the most.
This is the main criteria for a long J product. As much as a like catering, it is secondary.
- I concur, but the catering does make for better photos. ;)
Thanks and happy flying.
Thanks for this FR.
The number of DL planes at AMS is really impressive!
Overall DL One product is the best of any US carrier, however, on this flight, I found the mezze mix to be inferior to other arrival snacks served.
Greetings KL651 and thanks for the comments.
Overall DL One product is the best of any US carrier, however, on this flight, I found the mezze mix to be inferior to other arrival snacks served.
- I gave points for creativity. ;)
Thanks and happy flying.