Things got of to a bad start at Gatwick with an Aviance? check in agent who really could not care less, then in the dungeon of the Gatwick BA Terraces complex is the Delta lounge, with a poor array of snacks and a lovely view of a solid concrete wall through the windows.
Onto the 767 and things picked up more than I could ever have imagined. Okay the seats are at best mid 1990s standards, but its a day flight and 60 pitch does at least give a feeling of space, however two things, both outbound and return made the flights really memorable:-
1: The food, great quality and generous portions. Drinks were topped up throughout the flights without ever having to ask. And yes, I am used to what SQ, BA and Virgin offer in case anyone thinks I am being na_ve!
2: The flight crew. The BusinessElite cabin has 36 seats with 4 flight attendants dedicated to them; outbound was perhaps 60% full, inbound approx 90%. On each flight all four attendants went to each BizElite passenger and introduced themselves personally. Absolutely nothing was too much trouble and as your jacket was handed back to you prior to landing, you were personally thanked for flying Delta.
If nothing else, these flights really brought home how a great crew can really make or break the whole experience.
As a footnote, I recall reading some debate over loo access for Upper/Economy in the forum. The BizElite cabin had 3 loos, these were segregated from the Economy cabins by straps similar to seat belt material and several announcements were made that you do not use the restroom unless it is for your cabin on both flights this was strictly enforced by the FAs, resulting in no wait at all when you needed a comfort break.
In conclusion, for the price (approx GBP1600 each), this was a bargain and I would not hesitate to fly Delta again. So many thanks to V-Flyer for convincing me to give them a go!
