Buenos Aires (EZE) to Atlanta (ATL) in Delta Business Elite
Mar 30, 2008, 9:31 am
#1
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Buenos Aires (EZE) to Atlanta (ATL) in Delta Business Elite
The Background
This flight is part of a longer trip from Bangkok to New York (via Singapore, Paris, Milan, Buenos Aires and Atlanta). The trip report for the Bangkok to Paris (via Singapore) legs on Singapore Airlines can be found here. The trip report for Milan to Buenos Aires can be found here.
The Itinerary
Buenos Aires (EZE) – Atlanta (ATL)
Delta
Business Elite (Business class)
This flight is part of a longer trip from Bangkok to New York (via Singapore, Paris, Milan, Buenos Aires and Atlanta). The trip report for the Bangkok to Paris (via Singapore) legs on Singapore Airlines can be found here. The trip report for Milan to Buenos Aires can be found here.
The Itinerary
Buenos Aires (EZE) – Atlanta (ATL)
Delta
Business Elite (Business class)
Mar 30, 2008, 9:33 am
#2
Suspended
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Home for the terminally bewildered.
Posts: 1,621
Buenos Aires (EZE) to Atlanta (ATL)
Date Saturday 29th March 2008
Airline Delta
Class of service Business Elite (Business class)
Flight number DL110
Aircraft type Boeing 767
Scheduled (actual) departure time 2030 (2024)
Scheduled (actual) arrival time 0545* (0535*)
Flight duration 9:53
Distance 4,999 miles
Average speed 506 mph
Departure
I arrived at Buenos Aires Ezeiza airport with plenty of time to spare at well before check-in opened. I passed the time until about 3 hours before departure, and then the check-in desk opened. There was a separate business class check-in, but this was useless because the general security questions which U.S. airline passengers are subject to were just using the one combined queue.
The check-in area at Buenos Aires Ezeiza International airport
I received my boarding pass and before I left the desk I asked where the business lounge was. To my utter disbelief I was told there isn’t one. This was particularly annoying because I still had three hours to go before departure, and in anticipation of being able to use a lounge, I had spent all of my Argentinian Pesos. I pushed a bit further and asked the check-in agent if they were serious. He confirmed that there usually is a lounge but that it is being renovated, and these renovations are overrunning. I said “OK, but when this is the case elsewhere, usually an airline agrees to use the lounge of another carrier, or AT THE VERY LEAST, offers vouchers to get drinks in the restaurants beyond passport control. But no. These were not being offered either. So, I asked to speak to a supervisor. To be fair, she was very polite and dealt with my complaint in the correct manner. (KLM and Air France staff could take a leaf out of her book). She said I should go to the lounge by gate 2, and she wrote on my boarding pass “VIP”, and that if I had any problems they should contact her. As expected, when I arrived at the lounge at gate 2, they didn’t have a clue what I was doing there and that I didn’t have access. BUT, they let me in anyway. So it seems because I complained I managed to get in a lounge. But I wish I hadn’t have bothered. In fact, I would normally have walked straight out again, but because they seemed to be doing me a favour I thought it best to stay. This was by far the worse lounge I have ever come across. Apparently it’s the lounge that other Skyteam carriers like Air France use. Also, it appeared carriers such as Mexicana and TAM use the lounge too. You can see the pictures I’ve enclosed. I am still astounded that this is even acceptable to any airline.
Utterly appalling “VIP” lounge by gate 2 at Buenos Aires Ezeiza. This was one of two computers, neither of which worked
The buffet area. An almost empty bucket of snack type things and some cake.
Routing
We departed Ezeiza from runway 11, and then made a left turn out across the River Plate. We flew over Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, the western part of Brazil, Colombia, Jamaica, Cuba, and then the eastern part of Florida.
Routing of DL110 from Buenos Aires to Atlanta on 29th March 2008
Seat and cabin
2-2-2
The flight was completely full, so it maybe felt a little more cramped than usual. However, once settled I thought there was more room than I first thought. The seats looked relatively new and were electrically operated, and covered in leather. They were comfortable. The seat reclined to a cradle position, but it was possible to sleep quite happily. However, when the seat in front was reclined it was very difficult to get out of the window seat without disturbing your neighbour.
Entertainment
Noise cancellation headsets were handed out. For one horrible moment I thought we were stuck with rubbish plastic headphones used in economy. The entertainment system was very good. I must say, it was one of the best I’ve come across. It didn’t have the 600 or 1,000 channels of Emirates or Singapore Airlines, but what it did have was worth watching. Often, if you look past the hype of the 600+ channel systems, you find that there isn’t actually anything worth watching, or that it’s not updated very often. On Delta there were plenty of films and comedies worth watching. Also, it was completely reliable and felt sturdy. At no point did it freeze or even look like freezing. It had an instant response. The screen wasn’t too big, but it was adequate.
Food and drink
The food and drink service as soon as we departed Buenos Aires. It started with a bowl of nuts and a choice of beverage. Then followed the appetizer. Salmon mousse. After the appetizer was the choice of salad or cream of mushroom soup. The entrée (why do they call it that?) was a choice of four dishes. Pan seared sole. Blue cheese crusted tenderloin of beef. Grilled breast of chicken. Or rigatoni in a pesto cheese sauce. I had the soup and beef tenderloin. It was very nice. Then came the cheese course followed by a fantastic ice cream sundae.
Breakfast was served about 1 hour before landing and consisted of breads and fruit and then a choice of cereal or quesadilla filled with scrambled eggs and pepperjack cheese, with Canadian bacon. This was nice too.
Cabin crew
This (apart from the lounge) was the weak part of the flight. During and immediately after boarding they didn’t seem to have a clue what they were doing. I was missed both for the pre take-off drink and the storage of my jacket. Then, when the emergency briefing was being played on the public address system, they didn’t actually demonstrate anything until it had almost finished (there were no overhead projectors displaying a video so all we had was the sound). All we got was a brief glimpse of a lifejacket, whilst at the same time (after the PA had finished by the way) a steward gestured roughly in the direction of the nearest emergency exit. Honestly. They looked like a set of clowns doing it and it really had to be seen to be believed. I myself am not too perturbed by the lack of an emergency briefing (having seen them so many, many times), but it annoys me that this safety critical part of the flight was shoddy, yet they spend much more effort in making sure my very dangerous shampoo bottle is below the regulation 100 ml size.
The dinner service was performed reasonably well, but again, it just seemed a bit shoddy. Some courses came immediately after the other, yet sometimes I was sat waiting there 20 minutes.
Arrival
We arrived at a cloudy Atlanta, and a dark Atlanta too, roughly 10 minutes ahead of schedule. We touched down on runway 09L and had a short taxi to stand E3.
Overall
Terrible experience in Buenos Aires. I only got lounge access because I complained and even then I still almost didn’t get in. When I did get in it was horrible. However, I don’t think this is the regular lounge, as that is being renovated at the moment. The onboard experience was reasonably good, and I thought the food and entertainment were excellent.
Airline Delta
Class of service Business Elite (Business class)
Flight number DL110
Aircraft type Boeing 767
Scheduled (actual) departure time 2030 (2024)
Scheduled (actual) arrival time 0545* (0535*)
Flight duration 9:53
Distance 4,999 miles
Average speed 506 mph
Departure
I arrived at Buenos Aires Ezeiza airport with plenty of time to spare at well before check-in opened. I passed the time until about 3 hours before departure, and then the check-in desk opened. There was a separate business class check-in, but this was useless because the general security questions which U.S. airline passengers are subject to were just using the one combined queue.
The check-in area at Buenos Aires Ezeiza International airport
I received my boarding pass and before I left the desk I asked where the business lounge was. To my utter disbelief I was told there isn’t one. This was particularly annoying because I still had three hours to go before departure, and in anticipation of being able to use a lounge, I had spent all of my Argentinian Pesos. I pushed a bit further and asked the check-in agent if they were serious. He confirmed that there usually is a lounge but that it is being renovated, and these renovations are overrunning. I said “OK, but when this is the case elsewhere, usually an airline agrees to use the lounge of another carrier, or AT THE VERY LEAST, offers vouchers to get drinks in the restaurants beyond passport control. But no. These were not being offered either. So, I asked to speak to a supervisor. To be fair, she was very polite and dealt with my complaint in the correct manner. (KLM and Air France staff could take a leaf out of her book). She said I should go to the lounge by gate 2, and she wrote on my boarding pass “VIP”, and that if I had any problems they should contact her. As expected, when I arrived at the lounge at gate 2, they didn’t have a clue what I was doing there and that I didn’t have access. BUT, they let me in anyway. So it seems because I complained I managed to get in a lounge. But I wish I hadn’t have bothered. In fact, I would normally have walked straight out again, but because they seemed to be doing me a favour I thought it best to stay. This was by far the worse lounge I have ever come across. Apparently it’s the lounge that other Skyteam carriers like Air France use. Also, it appeared carriers such as Mexicana and TAM use the lounge too. You can see the pictures I’ve enclosed. I am still astounded that this is even acceptable to any airline.
Utterly appalling “VIP” lounge by gate 2 at Buenos Aires Ezeiza. This was one of two computers, neither of which worked
The buffet area. An almost empty bucket of snack type things and some cake.
Routing
We departed Ezeiza from runway 11, and then made a left turn out across the River Plate. We flew over Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, the western part of Brazil, Colombia, Jamaica, Cuba, and then the eastern part of Florida.
Routing of DL110 from Buenos Aires to Atlanta on 29th March 2008
Seat and cabin
2-2-2
The flight was completely full, so it maybe felt a little more cramped than usual. However, once settled I thought there was more room than I first thought. The seats looked relatively new and were electrically operated, and covered in leather. They were comfortable. The seat reclined to a cradle position, but it was possible to sleep quite happily. However, when the seat in front was reclined it was very difficult to get out of the window seat without disturbing your neighbour.
Entertainment
Noise cancellation headsets were handed out. For one horrible moment I thought we were stuck with rubbish plastic headphones used in economy. The entertainment system was very good. I must say, it was one of the best I’ve come across. It didn’t have the 600 or 1,000 channels of Emirates or Singapore Airlines, but what it did have was worth watching. Often, if you look past the hype of the 600+ channel systems, you find that there isn’t actually anything worth watching, or that it’s not updated very often. On Delta there were plenty of films and comedies worth watching. Also, it was completely reliable and felt sturdy. At no point did it freeze or even look like freezing. It had an instant response. The screen wasn’t too big, but it was adequate.
Food and drink
The food and drink service as soon as we departed Buenos Aires. It started with a bowl of nuts and a choice of beverage. Then followed the appetizer. Salmon mousse. After the appetizer was the choice of salad or cream of mushroom soup. The entrée (why do they call it that?) was a choice of four dishes. Pan seared sole. Blue cheese crusted tenderloin of beef. Grilled breast of chicken. Or rigatoni in a pesto cheese sauce. I had the soup and beef tenderloin. It was very nice. Then came the cheese course followed by a fantastic ice cream sundae.
Breakfast was served about 1 hour before landing and consisted of breads and fruit and then a choice of cereal or quesadilla filled with scrambled eggs and pepperjack cheese, with Canadian bacon. This was nice too.
Cabin crew
This (apart from the lounge) was the weak part of the flight. During and immediately after boarding they didn’t seem to have a clue what they were doing. I was missed both for the pre take-off drink and the storage of my jacket. Then, when the emergency briefing was being played on the public address system, they didn’t actually demonstrate anything until it had almost finished (there were no overhead projectors displaying a video so all we had was the sound). All we got was a brief glimpse of a lifejacket, whilst at the same time (after the PA had finished by the way) a steward gestured roughly in the direction of the nearest emergency exit. Honestly. They looked like a set of clowns doing it and it really had to be seen to be believed. I myself am not too perturbed by the lack of an emergency briefing (having seen them so many, many times), but it annoys me that this safety critical part of the flight was shoddy, yet they spend much more effort in making sure my very dangerous shampoo bottle is below the regulation 100 ml size.
The dinner service was performed reasonably well, but again, it just seemed a bit shoddy. Some courses came immediately after the other, yet sometimes I was sat waiting there 20 minutes.
Arrival
We arrived at a cloudy Atlanta, and a dark Atlanta too, roughly 10 minutes ahead of schedule. We touched down on runway 09L and had a short taxi to stand E3.
Overall
Terrible experience in Buenos Aires. I only got lounge access because I complained and even then I still almost didn’t get in. When I did get in it was horrible. However, I don’t think this is the regular lounge, as that is being renovated at the moment. The onboard experience was reasonably good, and I thought the food and entertainment were excellent.
Mar 30, 2008, 11:47 am
#3
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: Over the Bay Bridge, CA
Programs: Jumbo mas
Posts: 38,642
C'mon, I think you are a little harsh on that lounge. I was in there 2 weeks ago (because the AA lounge was so crowded, or so I thought), and I could get into "your" lounge with Priority Pass. And so I went. A gruff receptionist waved me in (but we'll just call her 'efficient'). I then found that there was nowhere to sit, other than at the computer, which you show in the pic. I preferred not to think of the computer as "not working" but rather, "thinking carefully to ensure the optimal searching capabilities" because really, if you were patient, pages did load up. The keyboard, however, had a bunch of keys that were "challenged" (yet not retarded). I did post a trip report about my day at EZE on that very computer, so there is proof of the functionality.
The temperature and humidity in the lounge is adjusted such that when you fly over the Amazon, you feel like you just had the experience, and don't feel so bad that you aren't continuing your vacation on land.
As far as the food selection, the little cake slices had what I like to call the "freshness crust", i.e., the stale outside keeps the inside fresh longer.
The white wine on offer that day was better than that in the AA lounge.
The overcrowding and noise brought back memories of tapas in Madrid.
And this is why I think you are being overly critical about the opulent splendor known as "The Lounge by Gate 2".
__________________________________________________ _________
The above has been sponsored by "The Surge Is Working"
The temperature and humidity in the lounge is adjusted such that when you fly over the Amazon, you feel like you just had the experience, and don't feel so bad that you aren't continuing your vacation on land.
As far as the food selection, the little cake slices had what I like to call the "freshness crust", i.e., the stale outside keeps the inside fresh longer.
The white wine on offer that day was better than that in the AA lounge.
The overcrowding and noise brought back memories of tapas in Madrid.
And this is why I think you are being overly critical about the opulent splendor known as "The Lounge by Gate 2".
__________________________________________________ _________
The above has been sponsored by "The Surge Is Working"
Mar 30, 2008, 2:03 pm
#4
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: SYD+TYO+GFK
Programs: UA 1K, QF Plat, VA Gold, IHG Spire Ambassador, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Gold, Coles FlyBuys
Posts: 2,805
Well, Mofomat, I guess you can see why DL didn't bother to make alternative lounge arrangements. I suppose they couldn't stomach the idea of paying for pax to use the "VIP" lounge.
Mar 30, 2008, 2:16 pm
#5
Join Date: Jul 2005
Programs: FlyingBlue Platinum, LH Senator, VA Velocity Platinum, Marriott Silver, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 1,010
I, too, was at that lounge Feb 22. Used by AM because the AF lounge is being refurbed. I was appalled. Absolutely horrified. Worst lounge ever. I scoured everywhere for vodka. I asked, only to be told that they don't have vodka in that lounge. Yet they had every other type of 3rd world liquor in that place. It was extraordinarily hot (at 9pm, mind you). Not a seat to be had. I stood drinking my Bailey's on the Rocks (Well, more like pebbles. I got the crumbs of the leftover ice in the bucket) just behind the front desk and watched as the male attendant flirted online with another man on instant messenger and later, webcam.
Horrible lounge. Sala de las Americas, as it is called. BOOOOO!
Horrible lounge. Sala de las Americas, as it is called. BOOOOO!
Apr 14, 2008, 9:08 pm
#6
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Tampa, Florida
Programs: DL Diamond Million Miler
Posts: 79
Any solution to the B/E lounge problem in EZE...traveling soon!
I am traveling B/E ATL/EZE on 4/28 and returning 5/01. Can anyone suggest a solution to this ultra-shoddy Delta treatment for B/E customers. Perhaps trying to force an accommodation at the EZE airport, or request assistance, at the ATL B/E lounge counter or B/E customer service somewhere in Atlanta. I am extremely ticked off at DL as I have been waiting for to take this trip for 9 months! It seems to me that there is some other lounge to use, what about the lounge CO uses in EZE?