Delta Airlines
Total 1st Class Remembered
When selecting the airline to fly to Atlanta I chose Delta. This was the longest non-stop flight I have had since moving to Hawaii 28 years ago; 9 1/2 hours. I am admittedly spoiled, and only fly 1st Class. Hawaiian Air has always been my airline of choice, but they do not fly any further east than Phoenix. United by way of Chicago was an option, but the last time I flew them I was turned off by both the lack of leg room and the surly flight attendants.
I had not flown Delta before, so I gave them a shot, and I’m glad that I did. The 1st Class cabin was very roomy, even more so than Hawaiian. When the woman in front of me chose to put her seat all of the way back I still had room for my laptop.
The crew was personable, and the individual TV sets were cool. I watched one of the most bizarre movies of all time; Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. It was absolutely ridiculous yet entertaining in some weird way.
I forgot my Bose noise canceling earphones, but found the ones Delta provided to be comfortable on my ears. And, as a real surprise, they even allow special meals. As a vegetarian I have missed that perk since Hawaiian Air eliminated it sometime back, about the same time that Aloha Airlines eliminated 1st Class altogether. We saw where that one went.
My mainland client was thoughtful enough to order me a vegetarian meal, and when the flight attendant described the options, I asked if I could have the pasta rather than the veggie special. She said that she would try. The pasta was so desirous that it was “sold out” leaving me with the veggie dish. I told her that was fine, when she said that she would swap her pasta meal for my veggie one. Wow, I was impressed, and the pasta was great.
Return to Honolulu - No Empty Seats
As I got onto the plane to return to Honolulu I read today’s Honolulu Advertiser where beach boys and other Waikiki retailers were citing how bad business is with so few people coming to Hawaii because of the latest Wall Street news. Here they go again. My flight was full, and that included 24 seats in 1st Class at about $3,000 round trip from Atlanta to Honolulu. Maybe they just didn’t see the paper.
Tight Fit!
My seat mate on the way back to Honolulu reminded me of one of the (biggest) reasons I insist on 1st Class. When flying alone it’s always a game of “Seating Roulette” as to whom you might be seated next to. I lost the gamble this time, as my seat mate coughed, choked, snored, drank and ate throughout the entire 9 and 1/2 hour flight. I was stuck; the flight was fully booked. To add insult to injury, she was traveling with two look alike friends in the seats in front of us, and she carried on loud conversations with them for a good part of the flight. She was very unhappy about the lack of leg room, complaining that she wasn’t getting her 1st class money’s worth. She was expecting a cross continental plane with sleeper beds.
Watch Out!
She moved around a lot and I was constantly protecting my computer from the close calls with beverages between us. And; imagine the inconvenience as she made several trips to the restroom.
Home Sweet Home
It’s always heavenly to land in Honolulu, but the completion of this trip was especially welcome.
Whew!
September 16th, 2008 at 8:41 pm
I can vouch for the Bose noise reducers! You can hear what you need to hear, but you feel pleasantly removed from what’s going on around you. They are worth every penny and the customer service at Bose (near the theaters at Ward Center) is excellent.
September 17th, 2008 at 5:09 pm
Here you go again Ron blaming the media for reporting the facts. They don’t look very happy to me. Those people in that plane bought those tickets BEFORE the market crashed, and they will no doubt have a terrible time while in Hawaii trying to survive your high prices while stuck over there.
By the way, I thought your seat mate was sort of cute; did you find out if she is single? HA HA HA!!!
September 27th, 2008 at 11:25 am
My experience with Delta is just the opposite of yours. Have flown them three thime in the past two years and each one was a disaster. As for first class seats, on one trip the were marginally wider that coach, reclined only 4 inces, not foot rests. We were told theis was “domestic first class” even though it was an eight hour flights. On all trips flights were delayedd over twon hours, in one case cancelled, and we were not notified. Counter personel were totally surly, when you could find them. But, most US carriers are an embarassment. Our experience with Hawaiian has always been positive however.