When I make short jaunts around the US, I typically try to fly Delta Economy Class and hope for an upgrade. When I sit in coach, I continue to be surprised by the selection and quality of food for purchase in the back of the bus. Some of the offerings are better than what is served in First Class.(Delta’s roast beef sliders were fantastic). Alaska clearly states on their menu that the items are available for purchase in First Class as well as Economy. I have heard of mixed availability of food for purchase in Delta’s First Class.

On my last Domestic trip, one segment was on Alaska Airlines and while I did not eat, I was also pleasantly surprised by the food for purchase selection; both in creativity and in presentation (the menu, anyway)
Things on each menu that stood out to me:

A) Who eats egg salad for breakfast? (Delta)
B) Heavy Hawaiian theme on Alaska’s menu; why the focus? You’re based in Seattle. Because of the heavy West Coast traffic?
C) Alaska also has arrows to denote which way is East/West for those passengers who… well, you know…

As for prices on each, they seem reasonable considering I am sitting 5 miles above the earth. I’ve paid much more for much worse food at sea level.

I posted both menus below for your perusal. Anybody tried Alaska’s offerings?

ALASKA AIRLINES MENU

Here at Sea-Tac airport and am thoroughly un-impressed with the synergies between Delta and their “partner” Alaska Airlines. To be sure, there is 0 synergy. Today’s itinerary: SEA-LAX-ATL. I booked this on delta.com and the 1st leg is operated by Alaska Airlines. I called the Delta Gold Medallion desk last night to inquire about flying directly to Atlanta. I was told that this was not a problem if I called 3 hours before the time of departure of the flight I wanted to standby on.

When I arrived at the airport, however, a different story unfolded. It took a full 25 minutes for a huffing, puffing and annoyed priority desk agent, assisted by no less than 3 other agents, to inform me that because my itinerary started on an Alaska Airlines flight, same day standby was not available unless space was immediately available on the Delta flight I was standing by for; which it was not. OK, I kind of understand this part, but why all the confusion? Nobody has ever done this in Seattle where Alaska owns half the joint?

“Can you assign me a seat on Alaska?” I asked. Nope. Couldn’t do that either.
Did I mention I could not check in online last night either? Also because my 1st flight was operated by Alaska Airlines.

I was able to check in at an Alaska Airlines kiosk, but it only provided me with 1 boarding pass to LAX. The Alaska agent told me to go to the Delta counter for the lax-ATL boarding pass.
I laughed. I wasn’t falling for that.

Unfortunately, I have had similar experiences with other airlines’ “partners”
Airlines celebrate and publicize these partnerships when they are created. They are touted as creating a more seamless flying experience for the for the traveller. Looks great on paper but when it comes down to the nitty gritty, it’s more hassle than it’s worth (for the traveller). In my case:

No seat assignment
Can’t check-in online
Can’t get boarding for all flights
Can’t fly standby
AND still not checked in for ATL-LAX – can’t do it online or in SEA

Ok. Enough travelling for the moment. Let’s take a break and look at some airfares. Without which we won’t be able to plan another trip. This is another installment of “Where The Good Fares Are”

I search for international airfares using a random set of dates and somewhat random city pairings. I see relative value in these fares. They may be good for mileage runs, checking out different airlines, positioning or hell… even leisurely travel. Not an all inclusive list. I found all the fares today on Orbitz (where Planereality has an affiliate agreement) using January 11, 2012 through January 18, 2012. I used the “search 1 day before/after” function in Orbitz.  Fare listed include  fees and taxes.  You may want to do the same.  Labor Day Weekend fast approaching.  No hurricanes please.

ECONOMY CLASS

JFK-Dublin $540 Delta – search for fare

JFK-Berlin $647 Air Berlin – search for fare

EWR-Oslo $708 SAS – search for fare

IAD-CDG $699 Air France & Continental search for fare

LAX-Madrid $781 Iberia – search for fare

SFO-Beijing $939 Air China – search for fare

BUSINESS CLASS

LAX-Shanghai $3453 Air Canada – search for fare

Boston-LHR $2858 Virgin – search for fare

JFK-Madrid $2721 Air Europa – search for fare

There has been quite an uproar over Delta’s policy of charging soldiers returning from combat up to $200 dollars each for a 4th checked bag. A gross oversight?  Definitely. Should active military personnel be charged for extra bags when travelling on military orders? Absolutely not, but I have to give Delta credit on this one. Credit where credit is due, in fact.

I lived in Atlanta for quite some time, got to know many Delta employees and can tell you with certainty that these folks are a far, far cry from un-patriotic.  On countless numbers of flights I have flown, Delta flight crews, be it pilots or flight attendants, have made special announcements acknowledging active and former military personnel flying on the plane that day. In some instances even calling for a round of applause. 99.9% of Delta staff will go out of their way to accommodate military personnel, including upgrading those in uniform when space is available.

When was the last time you saw the aforementioned actions take place on a Virgin America flight? Huh? When?

Greater Atlanta, all of Georgia and consequently Delta have strong military ties (aka Fort Benning,  Fort McPherson, Robins AFB etc… )  Military service is not something taken lightly in these parts. Delta made an unfortunate mis-calculation and rectified the situation. Take it easy. Many thanks to all those who serve around the World!

Big fan of going on inaugural flights. There is extra pep in everyone’s step; ground staff, flight crew, even the passengers.  Well, the passenger pep may be a result of the complimentary champagne, but none-the-less.  As if flying wasn’t entertaining enough on its own, inaugurals always seem to produce interesting fodder.
As soon as I checked in at the Business Elite desk, the agent said:

“You can’t do this….   You can just stay in London and come back Monday”
I stared at him, smiled and said nothing. What he mentioned was not an option.
“… you will not make it”
I stared at him, chuckled and said nothing
“…you can try” he then said

He was referring to my mere 70 minute connection before returning to Miami.
Then a 2nd check-in agent and the supervisor were hailed. They were both astounded at 2 things:
1) That Delta let me book the itinerary
2) That I was going and coming right back
The 4 of us shared a good laugh over the whole thing and I re-assured them I was going to do my damnedest to make the connection.

To be sure, yes it was a significant amount of travel in a short period of time, but what’s tougher: a quick turn between 2 long flights or 1 ultra-long haul like LAX-Bangkok???

After a few pops in the Sky Club, I was off to the gate to evaluate the pomp and circumstance. There were balloons, decorations, cakes, champagne and a ribbon cutting ceremony. Similar to the Air France A380 inaugural, but less crowded. Present were many Delta employees beyond the the crew who helped celebrate Delta’s new Trans-Atlantic route. They were all quite proud to be part of the event and the flight crew wore red corsages. We departed at bit late, but the entire gound crew and water cannons sent us off (see pictures below).

Part 2 of the trip, the actual flight, will be posted tomorrow morning. Thanks!

af 744

our plane to lhr pulling into gate

Today, Delta launches their Miami-London Heathrow non-stop service. Yours truly decided he would join them. The only hitch is that I have a total of 70 minutes between when I land and when my return flight leaves. I mentioned this potential debacle here.
The fare could not be beat so, hey, another excuse to fly. Wish me luck on the connection. I will let you know how I feel when I step of the return flight. If you are on the flight tonight or the return tomorrow, I will buy you a drink… in the Business Class cabin of course. Cheers!

Delta Airlines is launching their Miami-London Heathrow route on March 26. They are offering an outstanding round trip fare of $1500 for Business Elite Travel. Delta will operate this route using a 767-400. Here is what the cabin looks like on the 767′s Delta flies to and from Heathrow. There is plenty of availability in March and April.

This Saturday, Delta is also starting LAX/DTW to Tokyo-Haneda.

Enjoy!

Well… easily the best $130 I ever spent. My one-way flight from JFK to SFO was $130. As I mentioned here, the only question was, would I be lucky enough to get upgraded? The answer: Yes. No purchasing full fares, no certificates, no mileage redemption; just a plain, old-fashioned upgrade.

The seats were similar to the Business Elite seats on Delta’s 777 and 767 in appearance, but the controls were a little different and the seats do not have as much pitch or recline (but much more than typical domestic first). Less recline means the person in front of you is not sitting in your lap like the 777 and 767. I also found it much easier to get out of my window seat 4D during the 5 hour and 52 minute flight.

Surprisingly no menus were available. One of the selling points of airlines’ upgraded trans-continental service is multi-course meals prepared by world renowned chefs. When the FA comes by and asks me if I would like chicken, beef or pasta, “specially created” meals loose their luster. Is it beef tenderloin, stir-fry, wellington or tartare? I would like to know what I am eating (particularly if it is good) Needless to say, and most importantly, the food was delicious, particularly the polenta (even though it looked like hell) After the main course, passengers had a choice of a sundae or cheese tray.

With 1:45 flight time remaining, FA’s offered more drinks, the snack basket and then distributed warm chocolate chip cookies.

Service was most impressive, in large part because of Nicole’s flawless execution and ability to anticipate passenger needs. Lots of pics, enjoy. Thanks for reading Planereality

DL #127
757-200; N710TW
6.5 block time; 5:52 actual

blanket & pillow

lumbar controls

Here are a few shots from my layover yesterday at JFK. The angles from the Delta terminal were tough and the sun was doing weired things. Plus, I’m not much of a photographer. Anyway, these are the best of about 100.

I’m at Denver now, awaiting 777 service to ORD. Had an impressive breakfast coming over from SFO. I will post pictures of that flight soon. Help me decide who to fly next by voting on the right. Thanks y’all!

Thank you for your patience and please excuse my absence.  My family and I are in the process of re-locating to South Florida which has made writing a challenge.  Well, writing is always a challenge.  The real issue is that of time… specifically lack of it.  I am confident South Florida will present me much new material to share with you on Planereality.com (Plus it is 80 degrees nearly every day!)

I spent a few minutes at the Delta Sky Club in Narita after my flight from MNL, awaiting my flight to LAX. The only calm area was the lobby. The rest of the Club was a buzz, particularly around the food and beverage station where people were swarming like vultures. I found this odd as there was nothing terribly special being offered, but if you are bored or hungry, or both, I guess anything is appealing.

The club itself has a modern, bright feel and is equipped with all types of tables, counters, couches and work spaces. Even though the Sky Club was quite large a spread out, it was not easy to find a seat; it was simply very crowded There is a wall of Apple computers for guest use.
As I mentioned, nothing too special for food: vegetables in portioned cups, pretzels, pringles, shrimp dumplings, “sushi” and chocolate cake. The shower rooms were dated, but very clean.

There was a severe lack of reading material in the lounge.  Only Sky Magazine and a few copies of a Japanese newspaper. Here are the photos:

I would like to say that a lot has changed at the Delta SkyClub in Manila since my last visit.  This was not the case.  Actually, the whole airport could use a face lift, but the SkyClub just needs a few more food options and need to be brightened up a tad.  The only thing I saw this time that I don’t think was present last time was a few Apple desk tops that were free to use.  Here are the pictures: