My 22-hour sojourn to Europe and back was initially supposed to be a trip that lasted for approximately three weeks in Tbilisi in Georgia and several other countries — but the severe winter weather in Amsterdam had other plans for us.
My 22-Hour Sojourn to Europe and Back: A Trip In Vain
The trip from Atlanta to Tbilisi included a stop in Amsterdam, which would normally have been an ordinary connection between flights…
…but Schiphol Airport was inundated with severe winter weather that included days of significant snowfall, wind, and temperatures that were colder than usual. This situation was more than enough to result in hundreds of flights being canceled, hundreds more flights being substantially delayed, and thousands of passengers displaced or stranded.
Delta Air Lines From Atlanta to Amsterdam
The flight from Atlanta to Amsterdam was with an Airbus A330-300 airplane that was operated by Delta Air Lines. Each seat had a blanket and pillow wrapped in plastic.
The seats were reasonably comfortable with good leg room and were equipped with electrical outlets; but the in-flight entertainment system was glitchy at best. Fortunately, the airplane was equipped with complimentary Wi-Fi for members of the SkyMiles membership program, which worked quite well all the way across the Atlantic Ocean.
The Passenger Service Unit above the row of seats was equipped with lights and reasonably powerful air vents that were adjustable.
Moderately moist tepid towelettes were handed out by members of the flight crew…
…followed by a beverage service.
During the flight, I was asked by a member of the flight crew to choose whether I wanted chicken or ravioli. Both sounded good; but I chose the chicken, thinking that it was actual chicken…
…but the description on the foil had Chicken Meatballs with sauce and polenta printed on it. I do not particularly care for meatballs. I asked if I could please switch the untouched chicken for a ravioli instead. I was told that because I was already served the chicken meatballs, they could not take it back — but I was given a ravioli meal as well, as she was very accommodating.
The Lemon Cacio Pepe Ravioli was smothered in a white garlic cream sauce and chopped ratatouille vegetables. I was hoping that the sauce would be a red tomato based sauce; but the dish had too much of a dairy note for me, as neither the lemon nor the garlic flavors were apparent or evident. The oversized ravioli had a very mushy texture and not a proper al dente bite to it. Even the appearance of the meal did not look appealing or appetizing. I could not finish it…
…so I tried what I originally ordered. The chicken meatballs were simultaneously spongy and mushy with a faint flavor of processed chicken. The sauce was nondescript; and the polenta was very runny with a an unusually strong dairy note to it. The green beans and one bite of one chicken meatball was about all that I can stomach.
Both meals came with a vinaigrette that was comprised primarily of chick peas; but some random bits of cucumber, tomato, and red pepper were included. I ate the cucumber and the tomato, thinking that if that was all that was in this side dish, I would have enjoyed it. The cold packaged pretzel roll with a pat of butter was my favorite part of the meal — followed by the small packaged zesty Lemon Blondie with rich white chocolate and sweet creamery butter for dessert.
A small breakfast was served 90 minutes prior to landing, which consisted of a hot Mediterranean egg and cheese breakfast calzone that was produced in Türkiye and a cup of Chobani strawberry Greek yogurt. I did not touch either product. All I had for breakfast was a cup of orange juice.
The airplane arrived at Schiphol Airport 20 minutes early despite the severe winter weather and a slightly late departure from Atlanta.
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines From Amsterdam to Atlanta — Four Hours Later
The return flight from Amsterdam to Atlanta four hours later was with a Boeing “Dreamliner” 787-10 airplane that was operated by KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. Each seat had a blanket and pillow wrapped in plastic.
Each seat was equipped with a coat hook on the side and a monitor for the in-flight entertainment system — which worked significantly better than the aforementioned one with Delta Air Lines — but I could not find an electrical outlet; and the Wi-Fi was not only not free of charge, but even when trying to pay for the service, it failed to connect.
The Passenger Service Unit above the row of seats was equipped with lights — but not with air vents, which denies passengers more control of their comfort, in my opinion.
Something — perhaps a life vest in a bag — was hanging below under the seat in front of me, which impeded upon the leg room in my seat. It was more annoying than anything.
The seat back in front of me was conveniently equipped with a cup holder for those times when opening the entire tray table is not required when a passenger only has a beverage.
The tray table is one of those which opens halfway if the entire tray table is not needed…
…or opens all the way if the entire tray table is needed.
The first service started with a bottle of water and a thick cold refreshing large towelette that was sealed in a package.
The choice of meals for this flight was either vegetarian pasta or meatballs with a mash of savoy cabbage.
Meatballs again? I thought. What is up with meatballs on these flights?!?
I opted for the meatballs, as for some reason I felt that preferring the vegetarian pasta would be a mistake for me.
The beef meatballs actually looked decent, with what appeared to be a rich gravy — but not only were they spongy and slightly mushy, they also contained a lot of gristle that I had to keep removing from my mouth. What a shame that eating the meatballs was a very unpleasant experience, as the beef flavor was actually somewhat decent. The pieces of cabbage simply did not belong in the mashed potatoes, as they were too big and too hard — as though they were not cooked thoroughly enough. The gravy significantly helped the mashed potatoes — which by themselves without the cabbage would have been good — become more palatable.
I was indeed grateful that I did not order the vegetarian pasta, as it was actually macaroni and cheese with diced tomatoes and topped with a melted cheese of a different type. I imagined the vegetarian pasta being in olive oil and accompanied with vegetables and a light garnish; or with a pesto sauce. I do not like macaroni and cheese at all and was somewhat moderately glad that I chose the meatballs.
Both dishes were accompanied by a bizarre relish tray, which consisted of two small red peppers stuffed with cream cheese; pimento cheese, and sweet gherkins with small pickled onions. I ate the gherkins and the onions. Other than a warm ciabatta roll, no crackers or other vehicle was available for the pimento cheese — not that I would have eaten it anyway. A small wrapped package of Beemster premium traditional semi matured cheese also came with the meal.
A wrapped apple cinnamon tartlet was served for dessert.
This was a reasonably good dessert that served its purpose.
Snacks that were available in the back of the airplane included the aforementioned tartlet, bags of pretzels, Biscoff sandwich cookies whose taste was actually reminiscent of stroopwaffels, and bars of chocolate. Water, assorted juices, and assorted soft drinks were also available.
Hot pizza wrapped in cellophane was served 90 minutes prior to landing, which consisted of cheese and a few sliced tomatoes. I peeled the cheese off and ate the hot and wet dough with the tomatoes, which I would not have otherwise done if this pizza had tomato sauce on it.
The airplane landed considerable late at the international airport in Atlanta — but part of the reason was so that we could board the airplane at the last minute; so we were grateful.
Final Boarding Call
The members of the flight crew on both flights offered very good service; although KLM Royal Dutch Airlines seemed a bit more formal, which is not necessarily a negative — just somewhat different.
I remembered that not that long ago, I used to look forward to dining on meals aboard airplanes. Other people might have enjoyed either of these meals — but maybe it was just me, as both of these meals were simply too unappealing to me.
I was surprised that water was not served between meal services on either Delta Air Lines or KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. I thought that passengers were supposed to be kept hydrated during the flight. I remember not all that long ago that at least one round of water was served during the flight in between meals. Is this simple service now obsolete?
I had written in this article that “…at this point, I did something I never did before: I traveled from the United States to Europe and back in fewer than 22 hours, as I spent approximately four hours at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam…” — but I also traveled from San Diego to Atlanta via Cincinnati and London some years ago.
You read that correctly: London — as in the one in the United Kingdom — where I simply connected from one flight from the United States to another flight to the United States…
All photographs ©2026 by Brian Cohen.
