By RamonRamon is the creator of Travelling Companion. He focuses on flight review, hotel reviews, and helping stretch your travel dollars, miles, and points further. Flight Summary This flight showed Delta's product at its worse and that the airplane you fly matters on Delta. Pros-Conveniently located power plugs, mood lighting. Cons-No USB power, bland food, old and poorly functioning in-flight entertainment system, and barely functional in-flight messaging. A Weekend in Mexico City Trip Report A Weekend in Mexico City Trip Overview Delta A321 DCA-ATL Review Delta Boeing 737-800 Economy ATL-MEX Review Hilton Mexico City Reforma Review Exploring Mexico City Delta A319 Economy MEX-ATL Review Delta A320 Economy ATL-DCA Review Boarding As we got off of our flight from Washington D.C. we headed straight to our gate at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson (ATL) since our flight was departing in about one hour. Boarding began about 15 minutes late. Once again we boarded in Zone 3 since we bought deeply discounted tickets and did not have Delta elite status or a Delta credit card. Because this aircraft had much smaller overhead bins that the last one and we boarded in Zone 3 we were forced to check our bags at the gate. When we got on the plane it was packed and all of the overhead bins seemed to be full. This is one big reason why for those who travel often it can really help to have elite status and for those who fly even a few times a year it is worth it to sign up for your primary airline's credit card. Boarding ended up taking a long time as the flight attendants made multiple announcements but were not helpful in clearing the aisle quickly for boarding. We ended up departing seven minutes late due to the slow boarding and delays loading luggage. Plane and Seats As we settled into our seats for this roughly three and a half hour flight I once again enjoyed the mood lighting which this time was also paired with nice boarding music. However, in general these seats were not as well padded as those on the previous flight and the interior of the plane was significantly older. One positive feature of the seat was the placement of the shared power plug. Instead of underneath the seat the plug was located on the rear of the seat in front making it much easier to access. We were seated in seats 20A and 20B which were right at the wing and obstructed some of our view but I still enjoyed the view from the wing on a clear day departing ATL. In-Flight Entertainment and Messaging The in-flight entertainment (IFE) system on the plane was very old. I found it very difficult to use and it took forever to scroll through selections. This aircraft offered live-TV from Dish network which I had not noticed on my flight from DCA-ATL. However, it did not function at all during this flight. Also, as I looked through the IFE selection they were significantly fewer options than were offered on our last flight. On a side note when we finally got the IFE to work Christina and I watched the movie Detroit on this flight. While it was a good movie it was very intense and not the kind of movie which I would recommend watching on a flight 😀. In 2017 Delta rolled out complimentary in-flight messaging which allows you to use data messaging services such as I-Message, Facebook Messenger, and WhatsApp free in air. When I heard about this I thought it was a cool new feature but this flight was my first time using this feature. A few things to keep in mind the service does not allow you to send pictures or video only text and emojis. As I used the service I found it extremely slow and barely functional. It took a long time to send and receive even simple text only I-Messages. While I appreciate that Delta offers the service at all I really think they have a long way to go perfecting the service and I wouldn't plan on engaging in long text conversations on a Delta 737-800. Meal Most Delta flights to Mexico on U.S. carriers do not serve a meal so I was surprised when I found out that Delta serves meals on the ATL- Mexico City International Airport (MEX) route and did not know what to expect. My suspicion is that they serve meals on this route because their joint venture partner AeroMexico, in whom Delta has a 49% stake, operates its largest hub at MEX. When meal service began a choice between sandwich and a fruit and cheese plate. I chose the ham and cheese sandwich and Christina chose the fruit and cheese plate. The fruit and cheese plate included crackers, grapes, and three types of cheese. The fruit and cheese plate was fairly boring and not filling. It was much more of a snack than lunch. Christina thought the best part of the meal was the Ghriadelli Sea Salt Chocolate which was included on the side. The sandwich included ham, cheese, and a tomato. The sandwich was bland and basic. My favorite part of the meal was the apple on the side. I appreciated the fact that we were offered meals on this relatively short flight but overall the meals were small, bland, and had me wishing I was able to stick to my original AeroMexico since Aero Mexico serves hot meals and tequila on flights over three hours. We touched down in a very foggy Mexico City and I was excited to start exploring the city.
Take Away After a great flight from DCA-ATL this flight demonstrated the inconsistency in Delta's product across different aircraft. As I have also said about American Airlines the aircraft you fly really matters and the same principal applies on Delta. This aircraft was old had a poor IFE system, barely functional in-flight messaging, and no USB power. While I appreciated that Delta offered a meal it was small and bland. I would only recommend flying Delta to Mexico City on 737-800 if you are able to score a great deal like we were, otherwise try to avoid this aircraft and try some of Delta's newer aircraft. I really hope that I will be able to try out AeroMexico next time I go to Mexico City.
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By RamonRamon is the creator of Travelling Companion. He focuses on flight review, hotel reviews, and helping stretch, your travel dollars, miles, and points further. Flight Summary This short Delta flight showed Delta's potential and why the airline receives strong customer ratings. Pros-Delta Studio, new in-flight entertainment system, large overhead bins, USB power at every seat, mood lighting, new and comfortable economy seats, friendly customer service. Cons- None. A Weekend in Mexico City Trip Report A Weekend in Mexico City Trip Overview Delta A321 DCA-ATL Review Delta Boeing 737-800 Economy ATL-MEX Review Hilton Mexico City Reforma Review Exploring Mexico City Delta A319 Economy MEX-ATL Review Delta A320 Economy ATL-DCA Review Introduction Normally I would not review a flight as short as our connecting flight from Washington Regan National (DCA) to Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson (ATL). However, this flight was on one of Delta's newest aircraft the A321 and provides me with an opportunity to compare the four different Delta aircraft I flew on this trip Delta DCA Presence Over the past two years Delta has significantly enhanced the experience for Delta flyers out of DCA. I believe this is an attempt to fight for business travelers in key business markets from Washington D.C. and if Delta is successful it could represent a major challenge to American Airlines in these markets. First, in April 2017 Delta introduced lie-flat seats in business class on transcontinental flights operated by Boeing 757-200 aircraft along with complimentary meals for economy passengers and free drinks and a sleep kit for Delta's extra legroom Comfort+ passengers. Second, in May 2017 Delta announced that it would test its new biometric airport experience at DCA allowing passengers to board using their fingerprint and eventually expanded this to the include Delta SkyClub access using a fingerprint. Third, in June 2018 Delta opened its renovated Delta SkyClub at DCA with an additional 1,800 square feet of space. Boarding Unfortunately, as American Airlines elite fliers without access to the renovated Delta SkyClub we enjoyed some Cava at the airport and headed to our gate for boarding. While the boarding process was underway a passenger fainted at the gate and the gate agents called for assistance. This was the first time I had ever seen this flying. Police officers showed up to check on the passenger and after he said he was fine and in no need of medical attention allowed him to board the plane. Thankfully, it seems the passenger was ok as we did not experience a medical emergency on this flight. Because we have no status or Delta credit cards we boarded in Zone 3 which is reserved for passenger who purchased deeply discounted Delta economy tickets. Plane and Seats The A321 is one of the newest planes in Delta's fleet and the airline took delivery of its first A321 in March 2016. Delta has a reputation for utilizing older planes with an average fleet age of about 17 years at the beginning of 2018. Recently, the airline begun ordering planes such as the A321 to replace its ancient MD-80/90 planes in order to use more fuel efficient airplanes. I was immediately impressed as a the cabin featured mood lighting and brand new seats. The seats were well padded an very comfortable a stark contrast to the slimline and poorly padded seats on American Airlines new narrow body aircraft. The seats also had 110V outlets below the seat which were shared with the neighboring seat. Despite the fact that we boarded in Zone 3 there were still space in the overhead bins for our luggage. This is likely because of the larger overhead bins on Delta's A321 aircraft. In-Flight Entertainment The in-flight entertainment (IFE) screen had a crisp and clear picture. The screen was also touchscreen and functioned very well. At the bottom of each screen at every seat was a USB power plug and a headphone jack. The IFE offered Delta Studio which featured a large selection of TV shows and movies. As American Airlines continues to remove IFE screen from all of its domestic narrow body aircraft I think Delta is making a distinction in the passenger experience by continuing to add IFE screens to additional aircraft. I definitely noticed the difference even on this short flight. Having an IFE screen allows you to plug in without needing to remember to bring your own device, download content, move items around on the small tray table in order to find space for your food and drinks along with the device, and pack it away again before the end of the flight. Service We departed five minutes late but ended up arriving only about one minute late for this approximately one and a half hour flight. Typically on such a short flight there is not a lot of time to judge service in economy. However, I was impressed by the Delta staff on our flight. As the captain welcomed us on board he was very friendly and over the speakers talked about college basketball. During the snack service we were offered the choice between a snack mix or Biscoff cookie. Christina was indecisive making her choice and instead of getting upset at her the flight attendant smiled and gave her both. While this is a very small gesture it is these small gestures that set Delta apart from out legacy carriers on the customer service front. Take Away
This short flight showed Delta's great potential and why the airline often receives higher customer ratings than other legacy airlines. The airline impressed me with this new aircraft that featured a new IFE system, Delta Studio, large overhead bins, USB power at every seat, mood lighting, new and comfortable economy seats. Most importantly as an American Airlines elite what set Delta apart of this flight for me was their customer service. The crew was friendly an actually seemed to enjoy their work. I would definitely recommending flying between DCA and ATL. After finishing this flight I was interested to see how Delta would perform on my first ever flight to Mexico. |
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