Review of Delta Air Lines flight Los Angeles Shanghai in Economy

Airline Delta Air Lines
Flight DL 185
Class Economy
Seat 32A
Aircraft Boeing 777-200ER
Flight time 14:15
Take-off 11 Mar 17, 12:40
Arrival at 11 Mar 17, 18:55
DL   #34 out of 96 Airlines A minimum of 10 flight-reports within the past two years is required to appear in the rankings. 826 reviews
NGO85
By SILVER 5716
Published on 22nd March 2017
Background:

This series covers a recent trip to China with stops in Shanghai, Chengdu, and Jiuzhaigou. The LAX-CTU round-trip was booked through Delta and the 3U and CA tickets were purchased as one-way tickets through Ctrip to complete the routing since there are no SkyTeam codeshare flights to JZH during low season. The routing therefore was booked as:

Part 1 – LAX-PVG [DL 185, Boeing B777-200ER, Comfort+] – You are here
Part 2 – PVG-CTU [CZ 3359, Airbus A320, Economy] – Here
Part 3 – CTU-JZH [3U 8607, Airbus A319, Economy] – Here
Part 4 – JZH-CTU [CA 4482, Airbus A319, Economy] – Here
Part 5 – CTU-SHA [FM 9404, Boeing B737-800, Economy] – Coming soon
Part 6 – PVG-LAX [DL 186, Boeing B777-200ER, Comfort+] – Coming soon

This report will cover the flight from LAX to PVG aboard a B772 in Comfort+. The lounge visit will be to the KAL Lounge in TBIT.



Pre-flight:

Online check-in on Delta’s website was a failure and we received a message saying to see an agent at the airport. With that information in hand, we showed up to LAX T5 at 9:30am.

photo 1

Inside, we joined a long queue for Sky Priority. Only 3 agents were working and a 4th was going around kicking people out of our line to send them to the normal check-in area. We eventually got our bags tagged to PVG and were handed boarding passes after a thorough document check.

photo 2photo 4

Heading upstairs towards security.

photo 3

With TSA PreCheck, we were able to skip the long lines at T5 and were airside in less than 5 minutes.

photo 5

T5 airside looks old and drab like all the terminals at LAX (sans-TBIT). They have the standard shops and a large area in the middle with restaurants.

photo 6photo 7

We elected to walk over to TBIT to use the KAL Lounge in order to kill some time and stretch our legs.

MU A332 preparing for the LAX-NKG-CTU trip.

photo 8

CA B789, which now operates their 3rd LAX-PEK flight of the day.

photo 9

TBIT tail line-up.

photo 10photo 11

The KAL Lounge is located across from the OW F Lounge. The entrance is a lot more grand than what is contained inside.

photo 12

At the front desk, an agent slowly checked us in.

photo 13

The lounge is not that big and it was filled to the brim at 10am. With impeding MU and KE flights, the lounge was bloated and we struggled to find a pair of seats. I read that they won’t let PriorityPass customers use the lounge around the KE departure times, interesting move to try and protect their passengers. After the KE/MU flights departed, the lounge cleared out a lot, so here are some photos of the seating areas.

photo 14photo 15photo 16

The buffet is equally disappointing, with food on the same level as a UA Club. Only fruits/vegetables, sandwiches, and snacks. There were no hot buffet items and the only espresso machine was broken.

photo 17photo 18photo 19

Our offerings.

photo 20

The bathroom was not well maintained and had the trash over flowing.

photo 21

After enduring the disappointment of the KAL Lounge, we trekked back over to T5. Who did they bribe for this award and what is this based on?

photo 22

We briefly stopped by the Delta SkyClub at T5, which was nicer than the KAL Lounge, but also too crowded to be relaxing. We stayed in the SkyClub for 15-20 minutes before heading down to our gate where boarding was about to begin.

photo 23



————————-

Delta Airlines, DL 185
Equipment: Boeing B777-200ER [N865DA, delivered December 1999]
Departure: 12:39 (ATD: 12:44)
Arrival: 18:55 (ATA: 17:53)
Flight time: 13:09


After DeltaOne boarded, we joined the SkyPriority queue. The only view of my plane that I could get was from the jetbridge where the backend was poking out.

photo 24

Entering the plane, the FAs greeted passengers. After passing through the mini-J cabin, here is the view of Y.

photo 25photo 27

The Delta Comfort+ seats have the quilted material and red accents, which distinguish them from the rest of Y.

photo 26

View forward from my seat. The load on this flight would be >95% in Y with only a hand full of empty seats.

photo 28

Legroom is 35”, which only puts Comfort+ an inch more than most of their Asian competitors that still offer 34” in Y. The normal 31” seat pitch on DL looks very painful and would feel like a prison sentence on a 13+ hour flight like this.

photo 113

Pre-placed on the seat were pillow, blanket, menu, and comfort kit.

photo 29

The comfort kit contains eye mask, earplugs, and toothbrush.

photo 30

The standard pillow and blanket.

photo 31

The menu for this flight, which turned out to be useless since they changed the meal options.



The seatback contents, which also contained a menu and comfort kit from the previous HND-LAX flight. Shows that the cleaning between flights at their hub is poor.

photo 37
Since I have the menu, I’ll go ahead and show what DL serves on HND-LAX (DL 6).

photo 38photo 39

There is also a Japanese version of Sky magazine.

photo 40

The safety card on this B772.

photo 41photo 42

Not sure how many flights have stopovers these days, but an interesting repurpose of the barf bag.

photo 43

The IFE has quickly fallen behind the times and size/resolution are not competitive anymore. The content was good and both USB/AC power ports are available.

photo 44photo 45

A little pocket on the seatback pocket that can hold a phone or passport.

photo 46

As boarding wrapped up, the FAs came through and handed out headphones.

photo 47

The front door closed at 12:30 and we initiated our pushback from T5.

photo 48

Our gamble to pick the last row of Comfort+ and window/aisle worked out to our advantage since we got an empty middle seat in our row.

photo 49

The safety video played as we taxied around LAX to takeoff from 24L.

photo 51

WN B737 lifting up.

photo 52

SK A333 taxing out to takeoff to ARN.

photo 53

DL B738 in ST special livery.

photo 54

LA B789 resting before returning to SCL.

photo 55

JL B788 leaving for KIX.

photo 56

AA A321 taxing through all the orange wildflowers.

photo 57

We were #2 for takeoff behind this WN B737.

photo 58

As soon as they rumbled down the runway, we aligned onto 24L.

photo 59

Our Rolls Royce engines wind-up and we begin our run down to the coast past an AC B789, AM B788, and AV A321.

photo 60photo 61photo 62

TBIT line-up. You can see the 3U tail marking their new LAX-HGH service. They will also have a LAX-TNA route soon.

photo 63

We lift up through the low clouds and head up over the Pacific Ocean.

photo 64photo 65photo 66

As we leveled off, the FAs came through and handed out immigration cards for China.

photo 67

Service started with a hot towel.

photo 68

Aperitif service.

photo 69

About an hour into the flight, meal service started.

photo 70

Instead of 3 options like on the menu, we were given the option of chicken or beef. Very bold choice by DL not to offer a non-meat option. Vegetarians and those with dietary restrictions should be careful and pre-order special meals. I went for beef and Ms. NGO85 went for the chicken. My tray as delivered.

photo 71

Ms. NGO85’s tray, which was lacking several items on my tray. She had a different salad, didn’t get a fruit cup, and had a different dessert.

photo 72

The meal uncovered.

photo 73

Another Tsingtao with the meal.

photo 74

The beef was well seasoned, but didn’t have any heat since it was advertised as “Kung Pao Beef.”

photo 75

The salad with water chestnuts on top.

photo 76

Fruit cup.

photo 77

Condiments and cheese (no crackers).

photo 78

In addition to chopsticks, there is also a plastic cutlery set that includes a toothpick, salt, and pepper.

photo 79

I had Milano cookies on my tray, but Ms. NGO85 had this brownie for dessert.

photo 80

After the meal, trays were cleared and coffee/tea was offered.

photo 81

The meal serviced ended off the coast of the Oregon/Washington border. The lights were dimmed for the rest of the flight.

photo 82

Water bottles were handed out (500mL).

photo 83

Throughout the flight, the FAs came through often offering water. Either water bottles or hot water (this is a flight to China after all) were offered from trays as they passed through the cabin.

photo 85photo 86

The lavatory was clean midflight and had the J lotion (Malin+Goetz).

photo 87photo 88photo 89

Blurry shot, but they had a basket with snacks and water bottles outside of the rear galley. They put the extra snack bags here later in the flight if you wanted more food.

photo 90

Halfway through the flight, the FAs handed out a snack bag, which contained a ham and cheese sandwich, apple, Milano cookies, and mayonnaise.

photo 91photo 92photo 93

A drink service was done with the snack bag. I just took a glass of ginger ale to ease the stomach.

photo 94

Fast forward another 5 hours and we were crossing between Korea and Japan. The lights of the cabin came on and the pre-arrival meal was conducted 1.5 hours before arrival.

photo 95

Hot towels were offered.

photo 96

The menu was wrong again, and this time the options were pork or pasta. We both went for pork. The tray as received. It was the same roll as the first meal, but this roll was actually decent tasting for packaged bread.

photo 97

The tray uncovered along with a cup of coffee.

photo 98

The main was good and well seasoned.

photo 99

The salad was unique, but it was a lot of pickled vegetables and I could only eat a little bit of it to save my breath.

photo 100

Fruit cup.

photo 101

We were quickly descending into PVG and cabin preparations were made 30 minutes before landing.

photo 102

A rainy day in Shanghai as we come in for a smooth landing from the south.

photo 103photo 104photo 105

We have a 30-minute taxi to T1 since we landed on the other side of the airport. We followed the MU B77W that beat us in from LAX. Behind us was the UA B789 also from LAX. We were just missing the AA LAX-PVG flight to complete the full operations between these airports.

photo 106photo 107

Construction of the new terminal at PVG.

photo 108

We pull into Gate 14, since there is no Gate 13 at PVG.

photo 109

Deplaning was quick and we were ushered out through the HSBC plastered jetbridge.

photo 110

We had a short walk to immigration and I promptly took my place in the “Foreigners” line. It was ~25 minutes to clear immigration with no questions asked.

photo 111

Down to the baggage claim where the priority bags were already circulating.

photo 112

We collected our bags and then headed out to start our 3-night stay in Shanghai. I’ll leave of this series here.
See more

Verdict

Delta Air Lines

8.1/10
Cabin8.0
Cabin crew8.5
Entertainment/wifi7.0
Meal/catering9.0

Korean Air Lounge - TBIT

5.5/10
Comfort5.0
Meal/catering4.0
Entertainment/wifi7.0
Services6.0

Los Angeles - LAX

7.5/10
Efficiency8.0
Access6.0
Services8.0
Cleanliness8.0

Shanghai - PVG

7.9/10
Efficiency7.0
Access7.5
Services9.0
Cleanliness8.0

Conclusion

Delta offers the strongest TPAC service of the US legacy carriers, but is only middle of the pack compared to what the Asian carriers offer. While the catering and service was good on this flight, the IFE is outdated and the cabin comfort in Y is probably not very good (Comfort+ is acceptable). Given the fare paid, not too much to complain about.

Cabin comfort: The Comfort+ seats are of good comfort for Y standards, but only on par with what some other carriers (NH/OZ) offer as standard legroom in Y. The normal Y seats look like they would be extraordinarily cramped on a flight of this length, albeit retaining the 3-3-3 configuration. The inclusion of menus and comfort kits are ways that DL try to distinguish themselves from their competition.

Crew: A good crew on this sector. The pilot was out joking with passengers in Y before the flight and thanking passengers during deplaning. The FAs were very attentive throughout the 13-hour flight making frequent runs with water between meal services.

Meal and catering: The catering was quite good for LAX standards. I thought both meals were well seasoned and the trays were very full. The midflight snack is average, but at least they offer one. Snacks in the galley between meals. Both Ms. NGO85 and I agree this is the strongest part of DL’s offering on this leg.

Entertainment: No newspapers offered. Standard seatback content. The IFE is starting to fall behind the industry standard with small screen and average resolution. The content was good and the USB/power ports were both convenient to use. WiFi was only available along the US coast, so don’t waste your time buying GoGo inflight.

Related

16 Comments

If you liked this review or if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to post a comment below !
  • Comment 390710 by
    Razza_Pr 215 Comments
    Hello, NGO85, and thank you for this FR.

    The KAL lounge experience sounds rather displeasing what with the lav conditions, broken espresso machine, and lack of hot food. Why choose this lounge in particular?

    "Who did they bribe for this award and what is this based on?"
    -Perhaps it's based solely on the airline's profit numbers? American Airlines Group is the most profitable airline on the planet after all.. ;)

    "Condiments and cheese (no crackers)."
    -Funny, this. Maybe it's supposed to go with the roll as sliced pieces? Or perhaps you can save it to have with the Milano crackers later..

    "We followed the MU B77W that beat us in from LAX. Behind us was the UA B789 also from LAX. We were just missing the AA LAX-PVG flight to complete the full operations between these airports."
    -If only AA's flight lands after UA's.. It'd be a smooth order from largest to smallest aircraft operating LAX-PVG :D. Though AA's flight lands much earlier at 3:55 PM.

    Thanks again for sharing this FR, and I look forward to reading the remainder of this series. Cheers!
    • Comment 391031 by
      NGO85 SILVER AUTHOR 1963 Comments
      Hi Razza, thanks for stopping by and commenting!

      "Why choose this lounge in particular?" <== It's the only ST Lounge in TBIT and I wanted to try it while I can. I've already seen the SkyClub in T5 so curiosity brought me to the KAL Lounge, unfortunately curiosity also killed the cat ;)

      "American Airlines Group is the most profitable airline on the planet after all.. ;)" <== Profitability makes them the world's best at downgrading services?

      "Maybe it's supposed to go with the roll as sliced pieces?" <== Good guess. I just ate it as is. I felt like there were crackers on my last DL flight, but this time they were missing.

      "Though AA's flight lands much earlier at 3:55 PM." <== You assume on-time flights ;) Actually, most flights arrive early on this route. We landed nearly 1-hour early both directions. The same order is also true at LAX, if you are there spotting, you can normally see all 3 of these planes land in sequential order on the PVG-LAX route.
  • Comment 390740 by
    Numero_2 TEAM BRONZE 10416 Comments
    Merci Michael. ^^

    "The buffet is equally disappointing, with food on the same level as a UA Club." -> What about the UA Club at LHR ? ;)

    Nice seats for the "Y+".

    "The salad was unique, but it was a lot of pickled vegetables and I could only eat a little bit of it to save my breath." -> After a longhaul flight breath is always terrible. ;)

    "We have a 30-minute taxi to T1 since we landed on the other side of the airport." -> The worst part of the flight.
    • Comment 391030 by
      NGO85 SILVER AUTHOR 1963 Comments
      Bonjour Clement, merci pour les commentaire!

      "What about the UA Club at LHR ? ;)" <== That is the exception, not the rule ;) BKK and HKG might also fall into this category^^

      "Nice seats for the "Y+"." <== I'll have to compare to CA soon^^

      "After a longhaul flight breath is always terrible. ;)" <== Hence the comfort kit with toothbrush to make my breath minty fresh for the immigration officer ;)

      "The worst part of the flight." <== It could have been worse ;) We could have taixed for 30-minutes and then stopped at a remote stand to take a paxbus^^
  • Comment 390744 by
    KL651 TEAM 4534 Comments
    Thanks for this FR.
    Really good service on this Y+ flight, but I guess that except for the spirits and amenity kit it must have been as good in regular Y.
    • Comment 391029 by
      NGO85 SILVER AUTHOR 1963 Comments
      Hi KL651, thanks for commenting!

      "Really good service on this Y+ flight, but I guess that except for the spirits and amenity kit it must have been as good in regular Y."
      - There is an amenity kit in Y too (red pack that contains eye shade and ear plugs), it just doesn't include a toothbrush. Dental hygiene is what separates Y+ from the untoothed behind them ;) So, really it comes to just the extra little bit of booze :) That said, the only real advantage of Comfort+ is the extra 4" of legroom that are much needed on longer flights. I found the DL B764s to be very cramped in normal Y.
  • Comment 390775 by
    hometoyyz 539 Comments
    Thanks for another great FR, NGO. Looks like a pretty good Y(+ish) kind of experience on DL.

    The KAL lounge is sure a disappointment, though. It's a pretty bad sign when a foreign carrier can't match the lofty kwality experience U.S. carrier lounges. (Although there are a lot of Sky Clubs that are pretty nice, to be fair.)

    "The IFE is starting to fall behind the industry standard with small screen and average resolution."
    - Oh, I'm sure it will be brought up to industry standard when they update the cabins on the 777 fleet, which unfortunately, inevitably means the new "industry standard" of Y going to a ten-across torture tube." But hey... at least the screens will be bigger, and there'll be doors up front.

    Thanks again for an entertaining flight report.
    • Comment 391027 by
      NGO85 SILVER AUTHOR 1963 Comments
      Thanks for stopping by and commenting YYZ!

      "Looks like a pretty good Y(+ish) kind of experience on DL." <== No point calling this a W experience ;) Call a spade a spade. That said, Delta's Y+ product is better than UA's and AA's, but as a mentioned only marginally better than MU's Y product.

      "The KAL lounge is sure a disappointment, though." <== The buffet was the same size as the KAL Lounge at NGO, what were they thinking? It's the worst lounge in TBIT that I have seen (and I wouldn't expect the ones I haven't seen to be worse, lol).

      "Although there are a lot of Sky Clubs that are pretty nice, to be fair." <== JFK definitely has a nice one with hot buffet items.

      "the new "industry standard" of Y going to a ten-across torture tube." <== Then I'll just fly MU in the future and take the extra legroom ;) The 10-abreast is not bad for skinnier people, the seat pitch is where I draw the line. If MU offers 33" in Y, then why fly 31" on DL?
  • Comment 390784 by
    Rl 777 802 Comments
    Thank you for sharing this FR with us!

    “we were able to skip the long lines at T5 and were airside in less than 5 minutes.“
    - Not bad, I wonder how long it would have taken if you had been in the regular lines.

    Thanks for the information and pictures of the KE lounge.

    “I’ll go ahead and show what DL serves on HND-LAX (DL 6).“
    - Good to know, more information for us readers!

    The actual hardware of the IFE is getting old now, that particular model has seen better days, I guess the responsiveness was nothing to brag about either. Although it is good that the content was good.

    Absolutely fantastic spotting shots at LAX!

    “SK A333 taxing out to takeoff to ARN.“
    - Great catch :).

    Stunning aerial shots, especially those with the view of the RR Trent 800 unit.

    The meals look colourful, nice to hear they were good!

    I have seen a few airlines talking about how important it is to stay hydrated onboard, it seems like DL is doing good in that department.

    “but they had a basket with snacks and water bottles outside of the rear galley.“
    - It feels good to see this, after seeing that BA removed these on their long-hauls.

    “We followed the MU B77W that beat us in from LAX. Behind us was the UA B789 also from LAX.“
    - Intense competition! Beautiful shots.

    Thank you once again for this part, looking forward to the rest of the series!

    Have a good one, see you.
    • Comment 391023 by
      NGO85 SILVER AUTHOR 1963 Comments
      Thanks for stopping by and commenting RI777!

      “Not bad, I wonder how long it would have taken if you had been in the regular lines."
      - Probably at least 30 minutes judging from the length of the line, but that also verifies since they often send groups of people over to the priority lines to alleviate the build-up.

      "Good to know, more information for us readers!" <== Definitely looks lighter in quantity (only 1.5 hours shorter than PVG-LAX) since there is no option for breakfast service, just a hot roll.

      "I guess the responsiveness was nothing to brag about either." <== It was one of those systems where it required several pushes to get your desired output ;)

      "Absolutely fantastic spotting shots at LAX!"
      - It will be interesting to see how they handle all the new flight operations. OS will be coming soon and there are tons of new routes into China starting on airlines like HU, 3U, MF that will start to eat up gate space at TBIT.

      "The meals look colourful, nice to hear they were good!" <== Chinese food is rarely flashy in presentation, but the taste was at least good. None of them were overly salty or bland. The fruit cup offered with both meals is better than what AA/UA offer.

      “It feels good to see this, after seeing that BA removed these on their long-hauls." <== Even this doesn't exist on either US carriers. I hardly expect any airline to recycle the aperitif snacks of mid-flight snacks on a later flight so why not just put them in a galley for someone to eat.

      “Intense competition! Beautiful shots." <== Prices to PVG are usually only $550-600 (outside of December, February, and summer) so there is plenty of competition currently. With 5 flights a day, there are lots of seats available on this route. LAX-PEK for example is only operated by CA (3x daily) so there is much less competition and higher fares.
  • Comment 390823 by
    757Fan 632 Comments
    Hi Michael,

    As usual, you have a great report of your trip with Delta in Comfort +. It looks like you had a nice flight and I like the fact that Delta offers menus on their TPAC flights. Very nice, Delta! I stick with DL as much as I can as I think they're the best in the US for sure.

    The food looks pretty good for both meals, and when I flew DL back a few years ago from AMS-MSP in Y, I was also impressed by how much water was provided! They come around with lots of those! You definitely are well hydrated on board. Milano cookies looks a bit disappointing for a desert though ...

    Thanks for sharing! Looking forward to your next report.

    Matthew
    • Comment 391018 by
      NGO85 SILVER AUTHOR 1963 Comments
      Hi Matthew, thanks for stopping by!

      "It looks like you had a nice flight and I like the fact that Delta offers menus on their TPAC flights. Very nice, Delta!"
      - Yes, their TPAC service is very good, but the TATL service is much more lacking in comparison. I don't see why printed menus aren't universally deployed on long-haul flights. It can't cost that much more than a paper boarding pass...

      "I was also impressed by how much water was provided! They come around with lots of those! You definitely are well hydrated on board."
      - So the weird thing is that on the return flight, there was such little water offered in comparison. I think it is related to time of day. This flight was technically a "day flight" and the return is a red-eye. I guess they assume people will sleep on red-eyes and don't make as much effort to make cabin runs.

      "Milano cookies looks a bit disappointing for a desert though ..." <== Definitely a weakness of both AA and DL. UA offers the best desserts. The Milano cookies are better than normal brownie though (we had this brownie on both JFK-MAD and MAD-ATL as well).
  • Comment 390885 by
    aussenrist 225 Comments
    Thanks for sharing this flight report with nice pictures Mr. and Ms. NGO85^^ Last chance to earn Alaska MVP Gold on Delta and bid farewell to Delta’s T5? ^^

    The KE Lounge is a bit disgusting and the seats look dirty in the photos…

    “Who did they bribe for this award and what is this based on?”
    - based on comparison with United? Lol

    A very nice Y trip on DL. I always think Delta has the best inflight services and product among those legacy carriers. The comfort kit is a nice touch for Y+! A bit sad that now DL does not use the hilarious safety videos anymore…

    The inflight meal looks visually good and tasty in Y (better than CX!). DL is also generous providing mid-flight snacks on this West Coast TPAC route. The mid-flight snack looks much better and healthier than my recently UA TPAC (DL sandwich has a piece of vegetable!!!!!) and CX cup noodles.

    Look forward to next report!
    • Comment 391013 by
      NGO85 SILVER AUTHOR 1963 Comments
      Thanks for stopping by Ashley!

      "bid farewell to Delta’s T5? ^^"
      - Yep, they had the signs up to announce the SkyClub was moving to T2 and T3. It's going to be a weird move since VX is going to get kicked out of T3 to go back with AS. They claim it is a partner move, but other than AM/VS there really aren't that many DL partners on the other side.

      "The KE Lounge is a bit disgusting and the seats look dirty in the photos…" <== The furniture was also all scratched and had paint chips. It was a very poorly maintained lounge and really didn't come close to either the *A or OW Lounges in TBIT. ST is light years behind the other alliances when it comes to lounges.

      “based on comparison with United? Lol" <== Razza proposed profitability, but that hardly makes them the best since they had to make cuts to get those earnings ;)

      "A very nice Y trip on DL. I always think Delta has the best inflight services and product among those legacy carriers."
      - DL was also the cheapest of the legacy carriers on this route. We discussed the option of taking MU, but DL's Y+ is better than MU's Y so just stuck with DL (DL Y might not be better than MU Y...).

      "DL is also generous providing mid-flight snacks on this West Coast TPAC route. The mid-flight snack looks much better and healthier than my recently UA TPAC (DL sandwich has a piece of vegetable!!!!!) and CX cup noodles." <== Yes, DL's meals are overall better, but the desserts on UA are better. The weird thing is that we got different apples in our bags. Mine was a Fiji and hers was a McIntosh^^
  • Comment 391265 by
    jetsetpanda 2283 Comments
    Hi Michael. I'm late for the party but it's never too late to make an entrance. ;)

    "We eventually got our bags tagged to PVG and were handed boarding passes after a thorough document check."
    - Boarding pass collectors rejoice! DL does not use the flimsy ones at LAX. Just for that I would have made the line too. :P

    "The KAL Lounge is located across from the OW F Lounge. The entrance is a lot more grand than what is contained inside."
    - It seems that the best alliance lounge at TBIT is Oneworld. I know some people are partial to the *A one but it failed to "wow" me, especially the catering. Yes, there is the fireplace and the outdoor seating area, but who wants a whiff of fuel when relaxing outside?

    "The buffet is equally disappointing, with food on the same level as a UA Club. Only fruits/vegetables, sandwiches, and snacks. There were no hot buffet items and the only espresso machine was broken."
    - Shocking considering that KE is an Asian carrier.

    "Who did they bribe for this award and what is this based on?"
    - it would be fun to read this on April's Food day which is coming soon.

    "We stayed in the SkyClub for 15-20 minutes before heading down to our gate where boarding was about to begin."
    - Enough time to grab a beer i'm sure. ;)

    "The Delta Comfort+ seats have the quilted material and red accents, which distinguish them from the rest of Y."
    - The quilted design is very reassuring.

    "Legroom is 35”, which only puts Comfort+ an inch more than most of their Asian competitors that still offer 34” in Y."
    - It's criminal that they charge for this when it is a standard feature with competitors. At least they throw a comfort pack and printed menus for the av geeks.

    "Our gamble to pick the last row of Comfort+ and window/aisle worked out to our advantage since we got an empty middle seat in our row."
    - It makes all the difference in the world on a long haul. I hope that I can score an empty seat next to mine when I go on UA SFO-SIN at the end of May. I can't believe that I will be flying on their longest route. :P

    "AA A321 taxing through all the orange wildflowers."
    - I feel like sneezing.

    "Service started with a hot towel."
    - Another difference from AA & UA.

    "Ms. NGO85’s tray, which was lacking several items on my tray. She had a different salad, didn’t get a fruit cup, and had a different dessert."
    - More they thought that you needed more food. :P At least when I fly UA I often get seconds.

    "Halfway through the flight, the FAs handed out a snack bag, which contained a ham and cheese sandwich, apple, Milano cookies, and mayonnaise."
    - Looks generous in quantity.

    "The tray uncovered along with a cup of coffee."
    - Pretty good for a second meal.

    Thank you Michael for sharing a new series with excellent pics as usual.

Login to post a comment.