Delta business/first class?

[39august]

We have never flown Delta, but I see a business/first class price to FLL in Feb. for about $300 less than AA. Could I please have some feedback on Delta? We have flown only SW and AA for many years.

[fbgd]

To FLL from where?:confused:

[FlyerTalker]

What equipment? Routing?

 

In general, DL's F product is good, though inconsistent. Pitch is not as generous as in the past, as they are stuffing more seats into the cigar tube, even up front.

 

DL F is better than WN.

[Roseflyer]

If you are flying domestic, the big three are virtually the same in first class. You get the same size seat, very similar meals, and similar service on the ground in first class. I would say Delta and American are virtually identical. The only differences worth paying attention to is the type of airplane that you are on. The regional jets (Embraer E series and the Bombardier CRJs) don't offer the same entertainment and meal service that the bigger planes offer on longer flights. Delta has entertainment on a significant percent of their flights whereas American is very limited, so you might actually prefer Delta.

[slidergirl]

Anything DL is better than the WN cattle crate ;)

 

A quick look showed that most of the flights on DL between OKC and FLL are on airbii or MD-717. I didn't see a nonstop, but connections in ATL.

 

Honestly, I don't see the value in paying up for domestic 1st class unless an overnight flight is involved. In those cases, I do go for that little extra space. But, for daytime flight, especially on these short hops, I wouldn't go for it.

[39august]

Thanks for the input. I don't know what WN stands for?

[fbgd]

Thanks for the input. I don't know what WN stands for?

 

Southwest's IATA code.

 

Air Namibia had snaffled SW before Herb Kelleher was out of high school.

[Clay Clayton]

and slidergirl, you and I are the perfect example of why the airlines are starting to monetize the first class cabin!:D I am willing to bet you aren't six foot seven tall! LOL

 

I used to be a high mileage flyer (usually USAirways) and rarely had to sit in a regular economy seat maybe 2% of the time. The remainder I could either snag an exit row or a free first class upgrade.

 

Now that I am not flying two or four times a week, and have to pay my own way and the airlines have reduced the seat pitch, my preferred airlines is WN (39August, that's Southwest airline) as for $30 roundtrip I can all but guaranteed I get an aisle seat on one of the aisles with better legroom and about 50% of the time I can get a seat in the exit row and about 15% of the time I get "my" seat....you know, the one without a seat in front.

 

With the reduced seat pitches typical on most everyone else, I now factor in the cost of PremiumEcon/MainCabinExtra/Econ+ into the Economy ticket price as it is impossible for me to sit in a regular economy seat for longer than about 30 minutes and since that is how long it takes to load a plane.....

 

and all three of the majors I tend to fly out of Houston now have made the difference in price between PremiumEcon/MainCabinExtra/Econ+ and First so slim that I am willing to pay it for the wider seat and the drinks and food don't hurt either.

 

For example, we flew over Memorial Day weekend IAH/CLT. Econ on our flight was $600 for the two of us, adding on the Main Cabin Extra brought it up to $900 but first was "only" $1,100. Or about $50 per person more each way than what I was already paying.....guess where we sat?;)

 

So if I was still a freguentfrequent flyer, I would hate the new system but as a tall guy who remembers the good old days, I am loving it!

 

39August

Only you can determine if the cost difference between Econ and First is worth it to you....if you haven't checked into whatever your airline calls their extra legroom seats, you might want to consider it as a step in between...or you could be like me (and my dear departed Dad) and say, "I can't take it with me"...and enjoy First.

 

Have a great cruise!

[TruckerDave]

Anything DL is better than the WN cattle crate ;)

 

A quick look showed that most of the flights on DL between OKC and FLL are on airbii or MD-717. I didn't see a nonstop, but connections in ATL.

 

You can't spell Delta in the southeast without A, T and L. :D Pretty much everything down here on DL routes through ATL. ;)

[rkacruiser]

I would determine what equipment will be used on the flights you intend to book.

 

My most recent experience in Delta First Class was a SFO-DTW flight that, when I booked it, was on a 757. That was an OK choice as far as I was concerned. Much to my surprise upon boarding, it was a 767 that had been upgraded to their Delta One service and it was a great flight!

 

Rather than spending the money on First Class if the equipment does not warrant it, perhaps you ought to consider Economy Plus or Premium Economy (I forget what Delta calls it).

[alcpa1]

Just did a jaunt on both AA and DL. Hands down DL would be my choice.

You don't really need D! on your short hops. Delta Comfort is perfectly fine.

What you do need is a reasonable connection time in ATL especially if you are not familiar with the airport. February could be a slight issue - more likely due to rain than snow so 1 1/2 hrs. connection time would be fine. DL has almost hourly flights to FLL from ATL too.

Hope you are flying to FLL at least a day before you sail.

[slidergirl]

Clay Clayton - for you, your height may play a factor in which class of service you choose. I'm a mere 5'8" with a leg and ankle reconstructed and bolted together. I have to have space to get that limb room to move and stretch out. I always book an aisle and it serves the purpose. But, with your extra foot on me, I an see where you may need to always "buy up".

I don't fly WN because they are rarely the least expensive from my airport and their times and choice of flights are usually not very complimentary to my needs. And, when I have flown them, I do not like the crap shoot of having to pay extra to have a shot of getting a "D" side aisle seat (need the left leg out side)…

I can suck it up for short flights, but anything over 2 hours, I either need that aisle seat or I pay up for the comfort + seat. But, I still don't do Domestic First Class unless it's a redeye...

[Brighton Line]

At 6'8" I used to be able to get Exit Row with one look from the GA (Gate Agent) but now can't do that. Exit rows are paid space or saved for frequent flyer's.

Yes I pay for the "comfort"/"more space" seats domestically but I have yet to pay for first class domestically. I don't find any value in it.

Of course that is my opinion, you might see some value.

[voyager70]

Anything DL is better than the WN cattle crate ;)

 

A quick look showed that most of the flights on DL between OKC and FLL are on airbii or MD-717. I didn't see a nonstop, but connections in ATL.

 

Honestly, I don't see the value in paying up for domestic 1st class unless an overnight flight is involved. In those cases, I do go for that little extra space. But, for daytime flight, especially on these short hops, I wouldn't go for it.

 

This. I wouldn't bother paying to upgrade to First on two short flights.

[GeezerCouple]

Clay Clayton - for you, your height may play a factor in which class of service you choose. I'm a mere 5'8" with a leg and ankle reconstructed and bolted together. I have to have space to get that limb room to move and stretch out. I always book an aisle and it serves the purpose. But, with your extra foot on me, I an see where you may need to always "buy up".

I don't fly WN because they are rarely the least expensive from my airport and their times and choice of flights are usually not very complimentary to my needs. And, when I have flown them, I do not like the crap shoot of having to pay extra to have a shot of getting a "D" side aisle seat (need the left leg out side)…

I can suck it up for short flights, but anything over 2 hours, I either need that aisle seat or I pay up for the comfort + seat. But, I still don't do Domestic First Class unless it's a redeye...

 

Have you spoken with Southwest (or any other airline) about Special Needs and the ADA?

Most airlines we are familiar with (in the USA, anyway) will try to provide appropriate seating for those with medical necessity, and what you describe seems to fit that.

At least ask them for assistance and see if that helps.

[slidergirl]

Have you spoken with Southwest (or any other airline) about Special Needs and the ADA?

Most airlines we are familiar with (in the USA, anyway) will try to provide appropriate seating for those with medical necessity, and what you describe seems to fit that.

At least ask them for assistance and see if that helps.

 

It's not bad enough for me to go the special needs way. I just have to be sure that I have enough space to be able to move my ankle around - if I can't do that, then I'll be limping for a couple of hours after deplaning. You have to really look at my two ankles and feet to see the issue - the reconstructed ankle is larger than the other one, and my foot points outward when I stand, rather than straight ahead. I almost walk "normal" - the footprints are fun - one straight, one pointing outward. If I put my foot straight on the floor, my knee points inward.

I'll leave special needs and ADA for those who truly need it. I've only used it as an excuse for special attention when I was flying back from Italy where the accident happened (needed wheelchair). Getting loaded onto planes from the catering truck was, well, interesting (no jetways for my flights that trip)! I cannot stand people who exploit a little inconvenience to get priority boarding. With Delta, I don't have to game the system to get what I need...

Edited June 8, 2016 by slidergirl

[GeezerCouple]

It's not bad enough for me to go the special needs way. I just have to be sure that I have enough space to be able to move my ankle around - if I can't do that, then I'll be limping for a couple of hours after deplaning. You have to really look at my two ankles and feet to see the issue - the reconstructed ankle is larger than the other one, and my foot points outward when I stand, rather than straight ahead. I almost walk "normal" - the footprints are fun - one straight, one pointing outward. If I put my foot straight on the floor, my knee points inward.

I'll leave special needs and ADA for those who truly need it. I've only used it as an excuse for special attention when I was flying back from Italy where the accident happened (needed wheelchair). Getting loaded onto planes from the catering truck was, well, interesting (no jetways for my flights that trip)! I cannot stand people who exploit a little inconvenience to get priority boarding. With Delta, I don't have to game the system to get what I need...

 

I think you are being too literal. :)

You obviously would "qualify", and that is precisely why the airlines would help.

(Just because there are others who might be "worse off" doesn't mean that you shouldn't get assistance that helps *you*! And on the off chance that someone else had a "worse need" than you on that same flight but there weren't any special needs seats still available, the flight attendants would no doubt help out by juggling some seating by asking for volunteers, etc.)

 

(Ah yes, the catering truck in Italy. Was that Rome?

We needed to use that once, and it was actually a bit scary.

We had tried and tried to explain that I could walk on the last bit of the gateway - which is quite different vs the long trek through the airport! - but they were having none of it. We had already been upgraded to Business/First, due to an equipment change [and that hooked us - drat! ;) ], so there was no need for special seating anymore.

There were several of us... what a group! And there were two people who were clearly VERY unsteady with canes, and I was just hoping they wouldn't fall on that uneven surface, and then the tricky last bit to get into the plane. Why they didn't/couldn't use wheelchairs with the regular entry to the plane, at least for those two people, still isn't clear. Did they have you in a wheelchair up in that truck lift!?)

[slidergirl]

I think you are being too literal. :)

You obviously would "qualify", and that is precisely why the airlines would help.

(Just because there are others who might be "worse off" doesn't mean that you shouldn't get assistance that helps *you*! And on the off chance that someone else had a "worse need" than you on that same flight but there weren't any special needs seats still available, the flight attendants would no doubt help out by juggling some seating by asking for volunteers, etc.)

 

(Ah yes, the catering truck in Italy. Was that Rome?

We needed to use that once, and it was actually a bit scary.

We had tried and tried to explain that I could walk on the last bit of the gateway - which is quite different vs the long trek through the airport! - but they were having none of it. We had already been upgraded to Business/First, due to an equipment change [and that hooked us - drat! ;) ], so there was no need for special seating anymore.

There were several of us... what a group! And there were two people who were clearly VERY unsteady with canes, and I was just hoping they wouldn't fall on that uneven surface, and then the tricky last bit to get into the plane. Why they didn't/couldn't use wheelchairs with the regular entry to the plane, at least for those two people, still isn't clear. Did they have you in a wheelchair up in that truck lift!?)

 

It was Florence and CDG. I was traveling to go home to have the surgery (after spending 4 days in the hospital in Siena). I had a "traveling cast" on - plaster, but with a 1-inch long section taken out of the front to allow for swelling. I could not put any weight on it at all and I had no crutches (be sure to ask your MD in an Italian Hospital if you may "buy" crutches - they don't just give them out and bill and the store to get them was closed when I found this out). The Florence-CDG was a regional jet and that one was an easy up on the truck. For the CDG-IAD flight, it was a 777, so that was a LONG way from the ground! Yep, I was in a wheel chair in the back of the trucks, then, once the truck was "attached" to the plane, the FAs had the wheelchair that works in the plane that I transferred to. When I had to go to the lavatory, one of the very nice FAs would always come and help me "hop" my way to and from. I was sooo glad that I had booked Business class for my entire way home!

 

I want to leave the Special Services to those actually disabled, be it temporary or permanent. In my mind, I am merely "inconvenienced." BUT, I've got a cheap flight coming up next month where I'm in the back of Economy - maybe I'll pull the "needs additional time" card so I can put my bag easily in the overhead (just kidding) ;)

[TruckerDave]

It was Florence and CDG. I was traveling to go home to have the surgery (after spending 4 days in the hospital in Siena). I had a "traveling cast" on - plaster, but with a 1-inch long section taken out of the front to allow for swelling. I could not put any weight on it at all and I had no crutches (be sure to ask your MD in an Italian Hospital if you may "buy" crutches - they don't just give them out and bill and the store to get them was closed when I found this out). The Florence-CDG was a regional jet and that one was an easy up on the truck. For the CDG-IAD flight, it was a 777, so that was a LONG way from the ground! Yep, I was in a wheel chair in the back of the trucks, then, once the truck was "attached" to the plane, the FAs had the wheelchair that works in the plane that I transferred to. When I had to go to the lavatory, one of the very nice FAs would always come and help me "hop" my way to and from. I was sooo glad that I had booked Business class for my entire way home!

 

I want to leave the Special Services to those actually disabled, be it temporary or permanent. In my mind, I am merely "inconvenienced." BUT, I've got a cheap flight coming up next month where I'm in the back of Economy - maybe I'll pull the "needs additional time" card so I can put my bag easily in the overhead (just kidding) ;)

 

:eek: