Category: Delta Airlines

The Details

• Flight: DL1710
• Aircraft: A321
• Class: Domestic First
• Seat: 5A
• Route: Indianapolis International (IND)-Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (ATL)
• Distance: 476miles
• Flight time: 1hr 7min
• Departure: 5:59AM
• Touchdown: 7:19AM

The Preflight

This flight was a special one today, as it was the first time flying out of my new home airport Indianapolis International. My SO and I had moved to Indy from Chicago for work and I was looking forward to experience the nationally ranked IND travel experience. I parked my car in the economy lot at 4:45AM and took the free shuttle which dropped me off at the terminal 15 minutes later.

While there are multiple airlines that fly out of IND, there is only one lounge, operated by Delta Air Lines. I decided to fly Delta on my trip down to Orlando, Florida with a layover in Atlanta to check-out the Sky Club.

The check-in counter had a dedicated Sky Priority lane which was a bit slow since there was only one agent staffing it. Once I had my boarding passes, I made my way through the TSA Precheck lane. Luckily, it was empty and I was the only one going through.

The Sky Club is immediately to the right of the security area on the inner side of the airport which meant no windows. A friendly agent checked me in and told me that what gate my flight would be departing from. I had about 20 minutes before boarding was scheduled to begin at 5:25AM.

Directly behind the front desk was the bar and an area with sofas.

Along the wall there were additional chairs.

Next to the bar was a toast station with pastries and bagels.

There was also self-serve water and orange juice.

The main buffet area to the back of the lounge featured hot and cold dishes. Hot options for breakfast included bacon, egg, and cheese biscuits.

Cold options included egg breakfast wrap, granola, yoguhrt parfait, fresh fruit, hard boiled eggs, and strawberry smoothies.

At the end was some cereal and bars.

Once I grabbed a breakfast sandwich to go, I made my way to the gate area which was packed with passengers. A quick look online showed that the first class was entirely full and economy was roughly 90% full. Boarding began promptly at 5:25AM.

Our A321 today, registration N110DX, was fairly new at less than one year old. She had been delivered to Delta in January 2021.

The Flight

Delta’s newest A321s feature 20 First class seats arranged in a 2-2 configuration.

I was seated in 5A which was in the last row of the First class cabin. Each seat offered roughly 35 inches of pitch and 21 inches of width. I feel that Delta First class seats to have a tightest pitch up front compared to Alaska, United, or American.

However, unlike Alaska, American, or United, Delta does offer seatback entertainment screens for their passengers on narrowbodies. The seatback also had a variety of pockets of different sizes for storing items.

I loved the screen. It was both crisp and responsive to touch. The inflight entertainment system also provided information on our specific aircraft.

The legroom was a bit tight, especially once I stored my bag down there.

It between the two seatbacks was the individual power outlets. Each passenger had a 110V outlet and USB port.

The recline button was located in the left armrest.

The center console and a small table top area for drinks. Below was a pull out tray for additional cocktails.

The bi-fold tray table was stored in the center console. It was large and sturdy.

Upon boarding, each passenger was given a sanitizng wipe.

Boarding doors were closed at 5:55AM and was pushed back a minute early at 5:59AM. The taxi to runway 5R was short and we took off a few minutes later. The climb out of IND featured beautiful sunrise views of downtown Indy.

Service began 15 minutes later with drink orders taken from front to back. Next a tray of snacks was distributed. Options included Biscoff or roasted almonds.

I had a Bloody Mary which came pre-poured and mixed. No full size cans were provided.

The rest of the flight was unremarkable as we cruised above thick clouds.

We began our initial descent into Atlanta just 35 minutes after take-off.

It was a gloomy day in Atlanta but we had a smooth landing on runway 8L at 7:19AM.

The taxi to the gate took just five minutes. Thanks for the ride!

Delta in my mind offers a fairly generic Domestic First class experience. The seatback screen was a definite pro but otherwise nothing really elevated them above the competitors.

The Details

• Flight: DL2123
• Aircraft: B757-200
• Class: Domestic First
• Seat: 5A
• Route: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (ATL)-Seattle-Tacoma International (SEA)
• Distance: 2,322 miles
• Flight time: 5hrs 22min
• Departure: 1:40PM
• Arrival: 4:11PM

The Preflight

After arriving from Chicago, I had about two hours and 40 minutes until this flight to Seattle was scheduled to depart. Since I was in Concourse B, I decided to head towards the Delta Sky Club near gate B18. Access was thanks to my AMEX Platinum card which allows holders to use any Sky Club when flying Delta.

The entrance was up the stairs and then down a very long hallway.

The B18 Sky Club is the largest one at Atlanta and is considered a flagship lounge with newer facilities and nicer food. The club was essentially one large open 25,000 square foot space with the food and bar area in the middle.

Along the floor to ceiling windows were seating and tables each with individual power.

Along the backwall was a self-serve espresso machine station and self-serve coffee.

The food was in a buffet style with individually packaged portions located in the middle of the lounge.

Two large refrigerators offered cold options which included a variety of salads, grilled chicken, mini-ham rolls, and mini-wraps.

Hot options included a make-your-own soup station as well as hot oatmeal station.

A bar was behind the food area and a menu was on the plexiglass divider. Next to the bar was water and tea. The self-serve soda machine was in-activated, presumably due to COVID-19.

With an hour until boarding was scheduled to begin, I decided to go check-out the Sky Club in Concourse A (by Gate A19) close to my departure gate at A29. This lounge was right next to the PF Chang’s up a set of escalators.

Compared to the Concourse B lounge, this Sky Club was empty. There was a long room with comfortable seating and then another room with views of the apron.

The food was located in between the two rooms and was similar to the offerings in the B Sky Club.

Along the wall was a self-serve espresso machine and the bar. The menu for the bar was identical to the one above.

The separate room behind the buffet had amazing views of the apron.

On my way to gate A29, I passed by a few Delta narrow bodies including another B757. I loved how the windows at ATL have great views of the aircraft.

Our beautiful B757-200, registration N820DX, was originally delivered brand new to Shanghai Airlines in June 2004. She was actually stored in March 2015 before being purchased used by Delta Airlines a year later in March 2016.

There were a total of five B757-200s purchased by Delta Airlines from Shanghai Airlines and all were retrofitted with Delta interiors by December 2017.

Boarding began promptly at 1:00PM and was done from back to front. Delta elites and first class passengers were invited to board at their leisure. Since boarding was done via door 2L, I was lucky enough to turn left towards the front of the aircraft.

The Flight

Delta Airlines has a total of four different sub-fleets of their B757-200s (not including the charter sub-fleet of B757-200s). One sub-fleet, the 75S, has lie-flat seats and is used mostly on transcontinental and international flights. Two sub-fleets, the 75H and 75D, have 20 first, 29 Comfort+, and 150 economy seats with the difference being that the 75H fleet has ETOPS. The final sub-fleet is the 75G which was the type that I was flying on today.

There were a total of 20 First, 41 Comfort+, and 132 economy seats on this aircraft with First and Comfort+ located between doors 1 and 2. The first class seats were arranged in a 2-2 configuration. Each seat had 37″ of pitch and was 20.9″ wide.

I absolutely love the attention to detail that Delta has on their seats. The stitched Delta logo and nice leather upholstery created a very refined feel in the cabin.

There was nice, responsive, high-definition IFE screen in the seatback which also had a USB port and headphone jack.

I loved how the Delta IFE provided details not only about the flight but also the aircraft itself.

Directly between and below the seatbacks were two universal power outlets.

Due to COVID-19, Delta Airlines remains the last US carrier to continue to block adjacent seats in all cabins. This meant that I was guaranteed to not have a stranger sitting next to me in first class and I had all of the space under the seats available for me.

In between the two seats was a small cocktail table.

The bi-fold tray table was stored in the center armrest.

When fully folded out, it was large and but unstable. One thing I wish Delta added was a tablet or device mount in the tray table or seatback. But if I had to pick, I would definitely prefer the IFE screen over just a device mount.

The seat recline button was located in the right armrest.

Upon boarding, each passenger was given a small sanitizing wipe by the masked and gloved flight attendants.

Boarding was completed at 1:37PM and we pushed back exactly at 1:40PM. The captain announced that we were number three for take-off and after 10 minutes we accelerated down runway 8R.

We had great views of the Atlanta suburbs as well as downtown Atlanta on the climb out.

Due to COVID-19, Delta Airlines has cut back their inflight service to an extreme degree. On flights over 1,500 miles, all passengers are given a snack box and small bottle of water. First class passengers are also given Flight Fuel boxes and a choice between beer and wine. No hot or cold food is served (unlike Alaska, American, and United) and no other alcohol is available (unlike American and United).

Service began with flight attendants passing out a snack bag.

Contents of the snack bag were Goldfish, a Cliff Bar, bottle of water, and sanitizing wipe.

Next, flight attendants came by with a tray of beer and wine. Options included Sweet Water 420, Miller Lite, a red, and a white wine. I went with the Sweet Water 420 which was good.

Then a flight attendant came through with the snack boxes. Options included either the Crave or Crunch Flight Fuel Boxes. I selected the Crunch which had tortilla chips, hummus, roasted almonds, a beef stick and Toblerone.

One thing that I did not like about the seat was how restricted it felt when the passenger in front of me reclined. While the seat recline was certainly generous, if the passenger in front reclined, then there was not enough space for you to get up.

Every 30 minutes or so, the flight attendants would make a pass through the cabin either picking up trash or offering water bottles. They wouldn’t hesitate to distribute the water and I ended up with a total of six bottles by the end of the flight. I guess that was a way for them to make up for the lack of other beverages…

Having drank so much water, I eventually had to use the lavatory. The forward lavatory was very nice and modern. There was both Malin+Goetz soap and hand lotion.

We had great views of the Rockies at 32,000 feet as we passed over Denver.

With about 90 minutes until landing, flight attendants came through the cabin with another round of snack bags and Flight Fuel Boxes.

The contents of the snack bag were identical to the previous one.

This time I selected the Crave Snack Box which included Wheat Thins, Goldfish, Skittles, wafer rolls, salami slices, white cheddar cheese spread, and Tic Tac’s. More water was also handed out.

Delta also offers live TV on their flights and I watched some of the news regarding Day 1 of Trumps second Senate trial on CNN.

As we neared Seattle, the captain came over the PA to alert us that there were views of Mt. Saint Helens off to our left.

On our approach into SEA we had great views of both the airport and downtown.

On our final into runway 16C we passed over Boeing Field with less 737 MAXs than last time I flew over it.

We landed at 4:11PM local time and the taxi to gate A13 took about five minutes. Thanks for the ride!

This was another great flight with Delta Airlines. I really enjoyed having the entire row in first class due to the Delta seat blocking policy and the flight attendants were very friendly. While the food and beverages options could be improved upon to match competitors, I still would choose to fly Delta again.

The Details

• Flight: DL1216
• Aircraft: B717-200
• Class: Domestic First
• Seat: 2A
• Route: Chicago O’Hare International (ORD)-Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (ATL)
• Distance: 641 miles
• Flight time: 1hr 29min
• Departure: 8:05AM
• Arrival: 10:56AM

The Preflight

In my effort to fly the B717-200 before Delta retired this aircraft type due to COVID-19, I bought an indirect routing ticket to Seattle which had me flying from Chicago to Atlanta to Seattle instead of a direct flight from ORD-SEA. Delta Airlines currently runs four daily B717-200 flights between O’Hare and Hartsfield-Jackson and I was booked on the second flight of the day.

I arrived at the airport at 6:30AM an hour before the scheduled boarding time of 7:30AM. In addition to being the first time onboard a B717-200, this was also my first time departing Terminal 2 at O’Hare. I made my way to the Sky Priority lane which had just a few passengers this morning.

Thanks to my AMEX Green card, I had a CLEAR membership which helped me through the TSA Precheck lane without having to remove my mask. I was airside within two minutes of getting my boarding pass printed. CLEAR was also distributing passenger packs which included a face mask and sanitizing gel packet.

I made my way to the Delta Sky Club which I had access to thanks to my AMEX Platinum card.

There was a good amount of comfortable seating with individual power ports and great views of the apron. There were two main rooms and the first room contained an island with food and coffee machines.

The food offerings on the island included breakfast pastries, self-serve oatmeal, Nature Valley bars, and Cheez-its. There was also a self-serve espresso machine with Starbucks coffee and a variety of syrups.

Pass the first room was a small circular room with the bar and more food offerings.

Hot options included biscuit sandwiches and there was some fresh fruit as well as cold yoghurt or parfaits.

Alcohol was also available from a bartender from behind a plexiglass divider.

I grabbed a surprisingly good sausage, egg, and cheese biscuit sandwich, chia seed coconut pudding, and Americano for breakfast.

With 10 minutes until boarding, I headed toward the gate area. I passed by one of Delta’s newest A220-100s which just look so sleek.

The flight today was departing from gate E17 which was at the very end of the concourse.

Our B717-200, registration N944AT, was delivered to AirTran Airways back in October 1999. After flying with AirTran for almost 15 years, she was stored in December 2014 when Southwest completed their merger with AirTran.

She was then given a new life with Delta Airlines when Southwest leased all of the old AirTran B717-200s to DL in September 2015. N944AT has been flying for DL ever since.

Boarding began promptly at 7:30AM and was done with Delta’s COVID-19 boarding process from back to front. Delta elites and First class passengers were invited to board at anytime.

The Flight

Delta Airlines offers a total of 12 First class, 20 Comfort+, and 78 economy seats onboard their B717s. The First class seats are arranged in a 2-2 configuration with economy in a 2-3 configuration.

I was seated in 2A in the second row of the first class cabin. The seats are similar to the Zodiac 6810 model recliner seats found aboard most other domestic DL aircraft. Each seat was 19.6″ wide and offered 37″ of pitch.

As part of their Delta Care Standard due to COVID-19, Delta Airlines is the last remaining domestic carrier to block seats in their cabins and have cabin capacity restrictions. In first class, the adjacent seats are blocked which guaranteed me the entire row.

While Delta Airlines offers seatback entertainment screens on virtually all of their aircraft in all cabins, the B717-200 is one of the exceptions. There were no IFE screens and all streaming options were via a personal device.

The legroom was fairly generous, especially since I did not have a seatmate adjacent to me.

In between each seat was a small cocktail table.

Below this was two 110V outlets and USB ports.

The bi-fold tray table was stored in the center armrest.

It was not the biggest tray table and was slightly unstable when fully opened.

The recline button was located in the left armrest.

Upon boarding, each passenger was given a small sanitizing wipe.

At 8:05AM the doors were closed and the captain announced that de-icing would commence, taking about 10 minutes at the gate.

We pushed back at 8:15AM and had a nine minute taxi to runway 10L.

At 8:26AM we rotated off 10L and had a very smooth climb out of O’Hare.

Once in the air, I opened up the Delta inflight entertainment selection on my tablet. Unfortunately, there was no inflight map available.

Due to COVID-19, Delta has cut-back on their inflight services. On flights over 350 miles, Delta offers each passenger a snack bag and small water bottle. No other beverages are available in any cabin. First class passengers on flight over 500 miles have the option of having beer or wine as well (but no hard liquor). This service cut was probably the most severe and worst of any other US airline (such as American, United, or Alaska).

Contents of the snack bag included Goldfish, a Cliff Bar, water bottle, and sanitizing wipe.

The flight attendant also came by an asked if I would like a beer or wine. Beer options included Miller Lite, Heineken, Sweet Water IPA, or Sweet Water 420. I had a delicious Sweet Water IPA.

We had a very smooth flight at 37,000 feet. Flight attendants made two more passes through the cabin during the flight, collecting trash and offering additional water bottles.

As we neared Atlanta, I used the forward lavatory which was basic. There was Delta branded soap and Malin+Goetz hand lotion.

Flight attendants prepped the cabin for landing about 15 minutes before touching down in Atlanta. We began our final approach into 8L with cloudy skies and landed at 10:49AM local time.

The taxi to gate B34 took about seven minutes and deplaning was done in an orderly fashion by cabin. Thanks for the ride N944AT!

On my way to the Sky Club, I passed by quite a few other DL B717-200s.

I thought this was a very enjoyable flight with Delta Airlines, especially since it was my first time aboard the B717-200 type aircraft. While their service has been cut-back the most during COVID-19, I appreciate how Delta continues to block adjacent seats which ensured that I was not sitting next to a stranger. The Sky Club food offerings made up for the lack of good inflight snacks and I did enjoy the IPA that I had.