After deboarding the plane from London, I had to retrieve my luggage from the baggage claim area,…read morewhich was very easy to locate... just follow the signage. There were plenty of various restaurants, working areas and seating areas. The restrooms were very clean. After claiming the luggage, follow the signs to customs. Going through customs was to bad..... the signs will direct you which line to go to. Approximately, 15 minutes later, I was at the custom gate. After answering a few questions, I was on my way. Instead of taking a train, I decided to take an Uber to the hotel. Just follow the signs for the car sharing, taxi and bus area. By the time I got to the designated location, the car was with a few minutes. I didn't find this airport to be very difficult.

Arriving in Brussels, my flight parked at the farthest gate in the Brussels airport and I had a…read morehike to get to border control. The line took almost one hour at 9am on a weekday. Unlike in Germany, it appeared that Brussels had not yet implemented the new customs system at arrivals so non EU citizens queued in one line. EU citizens zipped through with the electronic pass gates. However when it was my turn with the agent I only had to scan the fingers on my right hand, answered a question what do I do for a living and that was it. Less than a couple minutes surprisingl. Baggage claim was right after and then the exit. Very good signage that directed people to the bus, train, parking, etc. When departing Brussels, follow the signs to the appropriate terminal if not checking luggage. Electronic gates required a boarding pass scan to validate trip and gain entrain to the security screening area. At least multiple lines were open so it flowed well. Plastics baggies needed to hold your small liquid containers), water bottles emptied, belts removed but shoes stayed on. Immigration was next and much more efficient on departure. US citizens accessed the electronic gates with just a passport scan and photo. It's not 100% functional as I was told to keep trying gates until my passport was accepted (4th one was the charm). Passport still had to be inspected and stamped afterwards but that was quick. Overall 50-50 rating based on this experience. Hopefully arrivals will be much better after full implementation of the EES screening process.