Review of Delta Air Lines flight Seattle Amsterdam in Business

Airline Delta Air Lines
Flight DL 142
Class Business
Seat 02A
Aircraft Airbus A330-300
Flight time 10:00
Take-off 23 Jan 15, 13:15
Arrival at 24 Jan 15, 08:15
DL   #33 out of 94 Airlines A minimum of 10 flight-reports within the past two years is required to appear in the rankings. 825 reviews
Esteban
By GOLD 7211
Published on 31st January 2015
    Take us to Seattle:
  • BSL - AMS KL J / E190: HERE
  • AMS - SEA DL J / A330-300: HERE
  • Fly us to the snow:
  • SEA - ANC AS F / B737-900ER: HERE
  • ANC - FAI AS Y / B737-400: HERE
  • FAI - ANC AS Y / DH8Q-400: HERE
  • Sea Sand and Sun:
  • ANC - SEA AS F / B737-800: HERE
  • SEA - KOA AS F / B737-800: HERE
  • All good things come to and end:
  • KOA - HNL HA F / B717-200: HERE
  • HNL - SEA DL F / B757-300: HERE
  • SEA - AMS DL J / A330-300: Now

Our flight from HNL landed well ahead of schedule and at 04:40A we waited in front of the Sky Club door that would only open by 5:00.

At exactly 5, the doors opened and we were about 10 people to enter. I asked for a shower key for me and my mum that was given with a smile. Unfortunately I forgot to take the shower in picture. Sorry for that. There are two showers in the SC: one for men, the other for women. They are spacious and very clean. The receptionist would give you whatever you request from shampoo, soap, razor, to toothbrush and toothpaste, in addition to towels.

Once showered, here the SEA lounge:

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I don't like those big chairs, it may be very private, but if you are a bit claustrophobic, it's horrible. There is a quiet area that we were willing to use, but as you can recline the chairs, it is pretty uncomfortable. As we got a 7H layover, we moved to a table next to the windows.

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Our 757 as we arrived:

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Now leaving, a bit later in the day:

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Spotting is difficult with the rain:

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Here the new Delta offer is also available too. It is the morning offering, with fresh fruits, oatmeal, yogurts, bagels, breads, preserves and muffins:



I did notice that DL (as AS) begins to only serve Starbucks coffee. That's a good thing.

The Wi-Fi connection is impressive early in the morning but will slow down as the lounge begins to fill up:

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Not very hungry:

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After this very, very long layover we head to the gate, as we could not wait to be back on a lie flat seat ^^ Seahawks balloons are almost everywhere:

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The flight is pretty empty in coach, but as almost always, full in Business Elite (upgrades were sold earlier in the morning):


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On time boarding through jet bridge:

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The cabin begins to be well known now:

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Absolutely no welcome from the crew. They are either busy in service preparation or to talk. We found our seats by ourselves.

I was surprised to see that Delta now provides sleepers. That's a good thing. But the menus were already on the seats. According to DL protocol, they should be handed over by the purser to introduce himself to Business Elite passengers. Not on that flight. I found the seat to look pretty messy with all the stuff on it: menu, water, sleepers, pillow, and blanket. Come on Delta, a seat is not a supermarket ^^

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Shortly after settling down, a first cockpit announcement is made to give the flight time and then a succession of orders, rules and don't:

- Galleys are crew workplaces
- Passengers should not enter galleys and should wait outside
- Waiting for a toilet to become free next to the cockpit is not allowed.
- Passengers should wait for the toilets on the carpeted area and not elsewhere.

That was pretty shocking, as the captain tone was rude and not friendly at all. Furthermore, never in the whole announcement he welcomed passengers aboard nor did he even try to make people feel good. I know and agree that there are rules and they need to be followed, but there is a way to tell them. In french we say il y a l'art, et la manière.

The speech finished, the purser arrives, a list in one hand and a pen in the other and told me: your choice for the meal? » This isn't even a real sentence as there is no verb on it. So it can't be considered as a question!!

Again, the DL protocol is all, but respected. The entree ordering is another moment of interaction between the purser and the premium cabin passengers and should be used to establish a contact. But nothing here. As the question was not a sentence, my answer was not an answer and I just said: chicken.

Then a steward presented me a tray with glasses on it. Absolutely no dialogue for it, nor introduction of the choices. That was supposed to be a welcome drink. I took an orange juice.

At that moment it was clear that none of the crew member was happy to be aboard. Seems that their crew briefing went bad but this is not the passenger's fault.

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Dinner menu:



Push back and a bit of spotting:



Take off:

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After it, there was an announcement from the purser, and I didn't understand half of it. It was said so quickly and with such a disinterested tone…

Oshibori time:

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We had to give the towels to the crew ourselves, no active clearing was performed!

Some external shoots:

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The aperitif service is performed shortly after. I asked for the dessert wine, as per my habits. The steward answered that there isn't any? I answered: Isn't there any on your trolley or aboard? He gave me such a bored look and answered that the whine is in the galley and I would need to wait the end of the service to get it. I answered that a simple call to the galley where the purser works can solve this problem.

He then noticed that I am used to DL protocol. He press the attendant call button, the purser came to check, gave me the same I cannot care less look and went back to the galley to open the bottle. Took him a good 5 minutes.



The shrimps were really good, so was the avocado. The dip was a nice touch and went very well with it. I ate everything.

My parents at dinner:

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Then the first course was served. My father was served 15 minutes before my mother, and I was served 15 minutes after her. It was dead slow.



The soup was excellent, so was the salad. Nothing to say about that, apart that I needed to ask for the glass refill as it seemed that drinks refills was not part of the starter service that night… Another shame.

At some point, I feel somebody standing behind me and two hands take my empty plates and replace them by the chicken I had ordered. No single word was pronounced at that time, no refills nor bread were offered. I did not even see who cleared my plates and served the chicken.

Chicken, then:

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Very nice entree I have to say. For the time being it is amazing how good the meal and how bad the service were.

IFE:
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The dessert trolley is rolled out, and the entree dishes are still on the table. I had to ask for them being cleared otherwise I would have gotten my ice cream and my cheese next to them. I looked around me and the crew served the dessert and the cheese without having cleared anything.

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I decided at that point that I had enough and went to sleep. When I woke up, it was almost breakfast time. Oshibori gain:

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The breakfast service was the same disaster as the dinner service was. Slow, unfriendly, no smiles, nothing. The tray are set on the tables with three words: eggs or cereals? Again, this was everything but a premium experience. At least the food was good again. I almost forgot the moment were the steward told me croissant OR bagel. I was the second to last to be served and the basket was almost full. Incredible.

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After the service, the purser handed out mints, again the protocol is that he presents the basket while bidding farewell to business class passengers. There is no need to tell you that no farewell was ever bidden. He even did not look at people.

We landed 30 minutes early, nobody at the door to say goodbye to passengers…

This flight was a nightmare in terms of passenger’s service. I sent a mail to Customer Care, but in France, this is handled by Air France and I doubt the comments will arrive once to the senior management. If anyone in the US has a contact with Delta, feel free to share this report with them. Should you need my personal details, send me a PM ;)

To end this awful flight, another Hawaiian bonus:

This is a beach that you will not find on maps, it is very well known by locals, and was our favorite spot on the island. We've been there 5 times to play with the huge waves (in Winter, the surf is high and there are waves up to 30 feet, we had some up to 20/25 as we were there. In Summer, the surf is low, and the place is absolutely calm and ideal for snorkeling). Should you go to Big Island and would like to know where the beach is, PM me please. As the locals would like this beach to remain far from the crowds, I'd like to do the same.



And some more sunsets:



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Verdict

Delta Air Lines

5.5/10
Cabin8.0
Cabin crew0.0
Entertainment/wifi5.0
Meal/catering9.0

Delta Air Lines Sky Club

8.1/10
Comfort7.5
Meal/catering7.5
Entertainment/wifi10.0
Services7.5

Seattle - SEA

10.0/10
Efficiency10.0
Access10.0
Services10.0
Cleanliness10.0

Amsterdam - AMS

8.8/10
Efficiency5.0
Access10.0
Services10.0
Cleanliness10.0

Conclusion

I know that I am the kind of person that would write complain letters when things are bad, but on the other hand I always send appreciation letters when things are outstanding.

On that flight, the crew was a nightmare. Nobody was good, I felt unwelcomed, everything but a guest. That should not happen.

Everything else was good, though.

Information on the route Seattle (SEA) Amsterdam (AMS)

Les contributeurs de Flight-Report ont posté 3 avis concernant 1 compagnies sur la ligne Seattle (SEA) → Amsterdam (AMS).


Useful

La compagnie qui obtient la meilleure moyenne est Delta Air Lines avec 7.4/10.

La durée moyenne des vols est de 8 heures et 35 minutes.

  More information

4 Comments

If you liked this review or if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to post a comment below !
  • Comment 128333 by
    Caribel 113 Comments
    A blood pressure rising service report indeed. It seems you got an ex-Northwest Airlines crew. My best guess is that during pre-departure briefing the crew learned of problems with ovens and other equipment and everything went downhill from there.

    I tend to have fun with crews that are going thru that time of the month. To the lovely response to the sauterne request, I would have retorted: Then let me place all my drink orders now. How about a flight of wine tasting of all your selections?. To the incident of hands reaching behind your back to clear plates:Touch for help, not for pleasure. During dessert pass without clearing plates: I am astounded by the award winning service you give. Were you named employee of the month? Finally, throw some shade in the form of:I was reading in the DailyMail air cabin pressurization causes FA to develop serious constipation issues. What works best to prevent this painful condition for you? Kill them with kindness. ;)
    • Comment 309764 by
      Esteban GOLD AUTHOR 19820 Comments
      I wish I would have answered this. That's the problem when English not your mother tongue is, you need more time to react and once you have the good answer it is almost too late :(
  • Comment 128380 by
    eminere™ 271 Comments
    I would post this report on all of Delta's social media channels. Absolutely disgusting service.

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