Had a brief stop in one of the many Delta Skyclub's at ATL which was pretty close to my gate for a quick refreshment and freshen up,. Boarding was called at A9 at 1630 for the 1655 departure. This seemed pretty tight considering it was said just a few times the flight was 'full'
Down the jet bridge and turned left again passing two rows of Delta comfort seats and found my seat at 3A. This was a 757 with seat back entertainment and looked fresh and clean. A small thin red blanket was on the seat along with an even smaller pillow ( as is normal in First class on Delta)
Having got organised a male crew member came around first class using a mobile device to welcome everyone individually. Those with Delta status had a 'welcome back' attached to his genuine and friendly welcome. Even though he was using a device it was nice to see (never happened to me before in First class on Delta within the US) though is a regular feature in Delta One on long-haul segments.
'Southern Lemonade' was offered which was a mixture of vodka and lemonade. It was tasty though others were choosing a beverage of their choice - all served in plastic cups as is the norm on the ground on US airlines. Small bags of pretzels were also handed out along with headphones for the entertainment. It felt very organised and well executed.
Departure came and we pushed back at 1654. A manual safety demonstration was carried out as we taxied and waited our turn for departure in quite appalling weather. The rain and low cloud were quite impressive.
Departure came at 1708 and was loud and long departing into the cloud as the wheels left the runway. A flight time of 1hr10mns was announced and the weather in and around Orlando not expected to cause any delays.
It took nearly 20mins then for the in flight lead (not the same guy as on the ground) to get organised and offer a drink. This came eventually in glassware with the offer of the snack basket (crisps, peanuts, pretzels, apples, chocolate bars, cookies and the like) No refills at all were proactively offered though the guy next to me was asking for vodka and getting it in rather good quantities.
The rest of the flight was uneventful as we dodged thunderstorms and I listened to some tracks on the IFE and tracked our progress. The flight was smooth and we were all fastened in with touchdown coming at 1820. It was very wet in Orlando too though it would improve as the evening went on.
Left with a goodbye. No bells or whistles but got a drink or two, had a really comfortable seat, listened to some music and arrived into Orlando on time.
Jon
Last edited by horburyflyer on 29 Sep 2015, 22:24, edited 1 time in total.
