Delta International
When: Feb & March 2025
Where: Seattle -> Amsterdam
Overall Experience: Solid but plagued with issues
Our Delta experience was a mix of highs and lows—some smooth cruising and some unexpected turbulence (and not the in-flight kind).
The Nightmare Before Takeoff
Our flight home was pleasant and great, but the journey to kick off our trip was a bit of a nightmare. It’s pretty well known that I battle a fear of flying, and one key thing that helps me manage it is having a window seat. Being able to see what’s happening outside the plane keeps my mind from spiraling. So, we booked our flights nearly 10 months in advance and carefully selected our seats - an Airbus A330 with 2x4x2 seating. We secured a cozy two-seat row by the window. Perfect, right?
Wrong.
Two days before departure, we got an email saying our seats had changed. Delta had swapped the aircraft and "upgraded" us to Comfort+, which sounds like a win—except they put us in the middle section, no window in sight. I called customer service, explaining my fear of flying and my need for a window seat, only to be told that I had never selected that as a preference. Which is simply not true—I always check! Past support agents had even confirmed my settings.
Our only option? Move all the way to the very last row—57. Not ideal, especially since we originally had row 34 to help us make a tight 50-minute layover.
We were told to check with airport staff. At check-in, they said they couldn’t do anything and sent us to the gate agents. So we sprinted across SEA-TAC to the S gates, where the gate agent managed to get us up to row 37—slightly better, but the whole ordeal drained all our pre-flight time, meaning no dinner before our nine-hour flight.
An Unexpected Delay & 24-Hour Amsterdam Adventure
To make matters worse, we couldn’t fly over Greenland because it was too cold (never even knew that was a thing). That extra hour in the air sealed our fate—our 50-minute layover evaporated, and we missed our connection.
This meant a 24-hour stay in Amsterdam, no time to adjust in Tanzania before tackling Kilimanjaro, and an ongoing battle for reimbursement with KLM. Apparently, KLM blames Delta for the missed connection, while Delta insists it’s a KLM issue due to partnership agreements. We’re still fighting to get reimbursed for clothes since we packed for 80-degree Tanzania and found ourselves shivering in the Netherlands.
The In-Flight Experience: Food, Comfort & Entertainment
Once onboard, Delta actually delivered a pretty solid experience. The entertainment options were decent, and the plane was comfortable enough for an overnight flight.
Delta to Amsterdam:
Dinner: Cheesy pasta (vegetarian) with a weird pico side dish that showed up with every meal. Also included: cheese and crackers, and a dessert.
Wyatt's pick: Chicken and rice with tons of veggies (better than the pasta), plus that same unwanted pico pasta thing. The truffle brownie was the real MVP.
Breakfast: Calzones (egg, spinach, and cheese or chocolate hazelnut) with yogurt.
Wyatt’s pick: Chocolate calzone all the way.
Delta back to the U.S.:
Second dinner: Cheese ravioli with peas, orzo pico side dish (again), crackers, and tiramisu.
Wyatt's pick: Chicken stir-fry.
Second breakfast: More calzones! The vegetarian option had eggplant (not great). Chantel had to request the Mediterranean chicken and chive one, which thankfully they let her swap due to her allergy.
Wyatt’s pick: Chicken and chive calzone, plus some chocolate squares.
Final Thoughts
While the in-flight experience itself was pretty solid—good food, solid entertainment, and comfortable seating (once we finally got settled)—the stress before departure and the connection chaos left a sour taste.
Would we fly Delta again? Probably! We love their domestic performance but for high-cost international experience, we expected less issues.