hockeyinsider
Dec 20, 05, 1:56 pm
I recently travelled from Detroit to Brussels between 13 and 19 December on Delta Airlines.
I didn’t know what to expect, as some of the postings online seemed to indicate that my in-flight experience with Delta would be considerably poorer than my usual choice, Northwest. This couldn’t be further from the truth – at least the international portion.
The domestic service – both ways - was essentially the same as other U.S. domestic flights, but I did notice that flight crew (international and domestic) were incredibly nice and the level of service was much better than what I have experienced on other recent flights. I never experienced any “attitude” from flight attendants and I was constantly offered drinks, snacks, etc. Perhaps it was because I always pride myself on being nice and respectful to flight crew with a please and thank you always given.
My sweet-talk to Delta gate agents was unsuccessful in getting me a class bump from coach, but it did get me bulkhead seats on my connection flight from New York JFK to Brussels. The exit row had a little more legroom, but I was alone in the bulkhead with the television monitor just in front of me. This was much nicer than having to share a row with someone and look at a screen 10 feet away.
I was a little disappointed that Delta hasn’t really done much to its 767 aircraft – compared to the newer or recently upgraded planes being flown by competitors, especially European-flagged carriers. With that said, I did read in an industry trade magazine that Delta would be doing that and re-positioning its fleet next year when it adds more destinations that are international. I was impressed with the coach product compared to several previous trips on Northwest’s Detroit to London Gatwick and Amsterdam flights, but there is still need for improvement if it wishes to compete with European service.
Arrival at Brussels was easy – except for the long walk from gate to customs, something like 86 gates! For those who haven’t been to the European continent in a while, clearing customs is a piece of cake. There’s no declaration card or paperwork, just present your passport and wait for a stamp. I was asked if this was my first trip to Brussels and I said it was with this passport and that was it, they stamped it and I left. I have been to Belgium and the Netherlands before, but you forget how strongly the smell of cigarettes are in the airports, as there are smokers everywhere – even though Belgium “restricts” it to “designated” areas.
I also suspected that I would get a better currency exchange rate and I did, despite it being the same global company (Travelex) that also operates in Detroit and New York’s JFK. The Brussels location also didn’t charge a commission fee, which was nice, as the others did.
After locating my bags, it was off to Brussels. I decided to make a quick stop in the men’s washroom and change into my business attire. I would advise fellow travellers to do this on the plane before landing, as there isn’t much room in the stalls at the Brussels airport for changing. I was forced to leave some of my baggage unattended in the washroom and constantly go back and forth between the stall and common space while changing, which made for a few interesting looks from other gentlemen.
I then proceeded to the taxi waiting area and queued for about 15 minutes (the line was massive). It was a bit of a shock to see almost all taxis were premium models from brands such as BMW, Mercedes, and Saab. And like the U.S., the fare is a rip-off. I ended up paying 35 euros for the 15-20 minute trip to my hotel in the business and political section of Brussels.
Perhaps the best part of my trip was the hotel. I was able to secure a room at Marriott’s Renaissance Hotel for US$60 (not 60 euros) – which was a steal deal. And because I arrived so early, my “cheap” room wasn’t ready, so they put me into a club-level room, which was going for something like 430 euros (according to the sign on my door) a night.
The Renaissance is a good hotel, though for an upper-level **** hotel, it didn’t have a gift shop or boutique that many similar class hotels would have. It has an excellent location and because the European Commission had major meetings during part of my trip, there were several high-profile visitors, including the entire Danish government delegation. I was told the hotel is quite popular with members of the European Parliament, as it’s about a five minute walk from the hotel. And for those going for more touristy destinations, the Grand Place is maybe 20 minutes – not a bad walk at all.
The downside of the hotel is the concierge. While they gave decent service and information, their directions and maps were horrible and I always found myself lost and in the wrong part of Brussels. They would be much better with printed walking directions to popular attractions and destinations.
There is also an excellent health club with pool, comprehensive workout equipment, solarium, and spa services. This was a great place to relax after long and tiring days in Brussels, but the spa prices were really expensive (70 euros for a men’s facial).
As I mentioned earlier, I was on the club-level, so my room was extremely nice – even by American standards. There was regular maid service with turndown service during the week and I raided the club-level lounge and took bottles of soda, water, etc. I did have some dispute upon checking out, as they attempted to bill me for local telephone calls made to the European Union and Belgian Parliament – both located in Brussels. I said these calls should be free, as there is no posting that discloses a charge for them. They said it was implied because calls to everywhere else were charged and postings said that, after a verbal confrontation and me threatening to file a complaint with Marriott, the charges – 16 euros worth – were removed from my bill. I did complain a bit that I was charged for some use of my mini-bar, which is suppose to be free on the club-level. They said it was free to those who paid the club-level rate and I replied saying I was never told this and I should have been placed elsewhere, but that was it. I decided not to pursue it further, but future guests at this hotel should be careful, as they have a lot of questionable charges and practices here, though it is a nice hotel.
And for those who haven’t been to Brussels before, it is very expensive. I would recommend at least US$500 expense money for a five or six day trip. Even McDonald’s was expensive with two hamburgers and a medium soda costing almost US$6. That same meal would be considerably cheaper back here in the States.
Going home to Detroit, I flew to Atlanta first. This was pretty easy, but the 65 or so minutes between flights was hardly enough time and I just made my flight to Detroit. The whole Customs and Border Protection area in Atlanta is a mess with huge back-ups and so is going back through security. And like going over, nothing too bad about Delta except the old MD-80 they used, it was horrid looking inside – but the service was relatively good.
Not sure what else to add, but I did enjoy it and I have several photos posted at the following two websites:
- http://cmich.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2008891&l=f0e4e&id=21715675
- http://cmich.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2009390&l=55778&id=21715675
I didn’t know what to expect, as some of the postings online seemed to indicate that my in-flight experience with Delta would be considerably poorer than my usual choice, Northwest. This couldn’t be further from the truth – at least the international portion.
The domestic service – both ways - was essentially the same as other U.S. domestic flights, but I did notice that flight crew (international and domestic) were incredibly nice and the level of service was much better than what I have experienced on other recent flights. I never experienced any “attitude” from flight attendants and I was constantly offered drinks, snacks, etc. Perhaps it was because I always pride myself on being nice and respectful to flight crew with a please and thank you always given.
My sweet-talk to Delta gate agents was unsuccessful in getting me a class bump from coach, but it did get me bulkhead seats on my connection flight from New York JFK to Brussels. The exit row had a little more legroom, but I was alone in the bulkhead with the television monitor just in front of me. This was much nicer than having to share a row with someone and look at a screen 10 feet away.
I was a little disappointed that Delta hasn’t really done much to its 767 aircraft – compared to the newer or recently upgraded planes being flown by competitors, especially European-flagged carriers. With that said, I did read in an industry trade magazine that Delta would be doing that and re-positioning its fleet next year when it adds more destinations that are international. I was impressed with the coach product compared to several previous trips on Northwest’s Detroit to London Gatwick and Amsterdam flights, but there is still need for improvement if it wishes to compete with European service.
Arrival at Brussels was easy – except for the long walk from gate to customs, something like 86 gates! For those who haven’t been to the European continent in a while, clearing customs is a piece of cake. There’s no declaration card or paperwork, just present your passport and wait for a stamp. I was asked if this was my first trip to Brussels and I said it was with this passport and that was it, they stamped it and I left. I have been to Belgium and the Netherlands before, but you forget how strongly the smell of cigarettes are in the airports, as there are smokers everywhere – even though Belgium “restricts” it to “designated” areas.
I also suspected that I would get a better currency exchange rate and I did, despite it being the same global company (Travelex) that also operates in Detroit and New York’s JFK. The Brussels location also didn’t charge a commission fee, which was nice, as the others did.
After locating my bags, it was off to Brussels. I decided to make a quick stop in the men’s washroom and change into my business attire. I would advise fellow travellers to do this on the plane before landing, as there isn’t much room in the stalls at the Brussels airport for changing. I was forced to leave some of my baggage unattended in the washroom and constantly go back and forth between the stall and common space while changing, which made for a few interesting looks from other gentlemen.
I then proceeded to the taxi waiting area and queued for about 15 minutes (the line was massive). It was a bit of a shock to see almost all taxis were premium models from brands such as BMW, Mercedes, and Saab. And like the U.S., the fare is a rip-off. I ended up paying 35 euros for the 15-20 minute trip to my hotel in the business and political section of Brussels.
Perhaps the best part of my trip was the hotel. I was able to secure a room at Marriott’s Renaissance Hotel for US$60 (not 60 euros) – which was a steal deal. And because I arrived so early, my “cheap” room wasn’t ready, so they put me into a club-level room, which was going for something like 430 euros (according to the sign on my door) a night.
The Renaissance is a good hotel, though for an upper-level **** hotel, it didn’t have a gift shop or boutique that many similar class hotels would have. It has an excellent location and because the European Commission had major meetings during part of my trip, there were several high-profile visitors, including the entire Danish government delegation. I was told the hotel is quite popular with members of the European Parliament, as it’s about a five minute walk from the hotel. And for those going for more touristy destinations, the Grand Place is maybe 20 minutes – not a bad walk at all.
The downside of the hotel is the concierge. While they gave decent service and information, their directions and maps were horrible and I always found myself lost and in the wrong part of Brussels. They would be much better with printed walking directions to popular attractions and destinations.
There is also an excellent health club with pool, comprehensive workout equipment, solarium, and spa services. This was a great place to relax after long and tiring days in Brussels, but the spa prices were really expensive (70 euros for a men’s facial).
As I mentioned earlier, I was on the club-level, so my room was extremely nice – even by American standards. There was regular maid service with turndown service during the week and I raided the club-level lounge and took bottles of soda, water, etc. I did have some dispute upon checking out, as they attempted to bill me for local telephone calls made to the European Union and Belgian Parliament – both located in Brussels. I said these calls should be free, as there is no posting that discloses a charge for them. They said it was implied because calls to everywhere else were charged and postings said that, after a verbal confrontation and me threatening to file a complaint with Marriott, the charges – 16 euros worth – were removed from my bill. I did complain a bit that I was charged for some use of my mini-bar, which is suppose to be free on the club-level. They said it was free to those who paid the club-level rate and I replied saying I was never told this and I should have been placed elsewhere, but that was it. I decided not to pursue it further, but future guests at this hotel should be careful, as they have a lot of questionable charges and practices here, though it is a nice hotel.
And for those who haven’t been to Brussels before, it is very expensive. I would recommend at least US$500 expense money for a five or six day trip. Even McDonald’s was expensive with two hamburgers and a medium soda costing almost US$6. That same meal would be considerably cheaper back here in the States.
Going home to Detroit, I flew to Atlanta first. This was pretty easy, but the 65 or so minutes between flights was hardly enough time and I just made my flight to Detroit. The whole Customs and Border Protection area in Atlanta is a mess with huge back-ups and so is going back through security. And like going over, nothing too bad about Delta except the old MD-80 they used, it was horrid looking inside – but the service was relatively good.
Not sure what else to add, but I did enjoy it and I have several photos posted at the following two websites:
- http://cmich.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2008891&l=f0e4e&id=21715675
- http://cmich.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2009390&l=55778&id=21715675