Review of Delta Air Lines flight Atlanta Bogota in Economy

Airline Delta Air Lines
Flight DL 981
Class Economy
Seat --
Aircraft Boeing 757-200
Flight time 04:50
Take-off 01 Nov 14, 17:50
Arrival at 01 Nov 14, 21:40
DL   #34 out of 95 Airlines A minimum of 10 flight-reports within the past two years is required to appear in the rankings. 826 reviews
Chibcha
By SILVER 4177
Published on 25th November 2014
Hello everyone, this is the final part of a trip I took to California last autumn.

The flights I took where
BOG-ATL [Report Here]
ATL-LAX [Report Here]
SFO-DTW [Report Here]
DTW-ATL [Will not be covered in a full FR, photos at the end of the SFO-DTW report]
ATL-BOG: You are here
———————–
I chose my itinerary in such a way I could fly all 737s types DL has on its fleet. But the cherry on top of it was that I could fly one of my favorite planes to my hometown: the 757.

When DL began flying to Bogotá back in year 2000, they began with 757s. Other American airlines, such as AA and CO were also sending 757s from Miami and Newark. Somewhere around 2010 DL switched to 737 700, flying them from its hubs in JFK and ATL. UA (who absorbed CO's ops in Colombia) switched to the same type. Thus the only 757 service to Colombia was the AA 757 to MIA. Because of the better economy, more people are flying to the States, and the 757s are back to BOG. DL now only sends 757s both from JFK and ATL, and UA has placed another 757 in one of its daily flights to IAH.

So, after my redeye between SFO and DTW, I took one of Delta's newest jets down to ATL in order to catch my flight to BOG. I had a dilemma, either stay resting in ATL or head to town and re-explore Atlanta. I chose to stay, I felt battered, and the idea of going through security again didn't sound great for me.

(These pics are from the DTW inbound)
photo IMG_6828
Something that caught my eye this time was the sheer amount of MDs still flying in ATL. They used to be the workhorse for AV, thus very recurrent in Colombia, now replaced by A320s.

photo IMG_6829
We parked by a 757 very alike to the one I would fly to Bogotá.

I find the majority of ATL's concourses crowded and uncomfortable due to the low ceilings. While Concourse E is better than the others, it wasn't as nice as the newest one in house: Concourse F. High ceilings, big windows…the whole shebang. So I picked a lonely corner by a window and let myself go to sleep.

When my tummy felt like it, I headed to the food court. I had a pre-chosen food option: The Varsity. I would have gone to the same place had I gone to Atlanta's Downtown anyway.
photo IMG_6831

One can use this very fun machine for our soft drinks.
photo IMG_6830

After eating I headed to the duty free and bought a pair of bottles of booze ( I love Jack Daniel's and it is dirt cheap in the US compared to Colombia), then off to my gate. When I got there I had a huge disappointment our gate wouldn't let me see the plane. I planned to stay the while looking at the plane all the while before boarding, but with nothing better to do I spent the time reading my book.

photo IMG_6832

I had chosen my seat strategically, as I had learned that DL wasn't really organised at boarding and didn't enforce boarding order.

The flight was packed, but I managed to get to my seat before the rest of my row, so I could take a shot at the seats, headrests are a great feature.
photo IMG_6833

Pitch was OK
photo IMG_6834

PTVs were alright…my book for size comparison
photo IMG_6835

The crew was nice and pleasant, I can recall a beautiful Puerto Rican woman and a pretty blonde, whom I overheard telling someone that it was her first international flight. Both of them looked gorgeous in DLs uniform.

I was called to the gate to receive my booze. When back to my seat it was taken by some jerk, he had appropriated himself of the pillow and blanket, and moved my junk to the middle seat and all. I wasn't going to yield my window by no chances, and told him to move. Fortunately he obliged without any opposition.

Soon enough we were taxying to the runway, I managed to get some nice views:


Info regarding our flight:
photo IMG_6842

I like DLs IFE a lot, it provides us geeks with useful info such as Tail No. in order to keep track of the planes we've flown.

We took off to a nice sunset…very calmed flight overall.
photo IMG_6843photo IMG_6844

I reckon this is Orlando
photo IMG_6846

By the time we were over Miami food was given:
photo IMG_6847

I consider DL gives loads of food (compared to other airlines flying to Latin America), the quality was OK, nothing extraordinary either for good or bad.

Night set in and I watched two movies on the way, there were a lot of options, I chose Guardians of the Galaxy and the one in which Tom Cruise keeps dying all the time… Not the best I say. There were constant water rounds by the crew.

We landed in Bogotá and then I went to Immigration, which took its fair time. I was disgusted with some compatriots who thought a great idea to skip line, and no one from the authorities said a thing to them. I hate that about Colombians, no one says anything for breaking the rules.

Baggage claim took ages (they haven't figured a way to make it quicker….so I expect BOG to be mediocre for ever in this aspect), and then I was off to my house. The cab charged me the same price an Uber could have charged me…I was furious but so tired I wasn't going to fight with the jackass.

—-
BONUS TRACK: Photos from California
See more

Verdict

Delta Air Lines

8.9/10
Cabin8.5
Cabin crew8.5
Entertainment/wifi10.0
Meal/catering8.5

Atlanta - ATL

6.5/10
Efficiency5.0
Access5.0
Services6.5
Cleanliness9.5

Bogota - BOG

6.6/10
Efficiency9.0
Access3.5
Services5.0
Cleanliness9.0

Conclusion

A very nice flight that marked the unnoticed return of DL 757s to Bogotá. Delta performed as expected. I consider them to be the best choice to the US.

ATL is a great airport for immediate connections. Otherwise is a very boring place I must say. Not even plane watching is amusing as it is very monotonous.

BOG...OK nothing awesome. It does its job. I hate that the only way home is via Taxi, who may rip you off.

Thanks for reading,

Saludos!

Related

5 Comments

If you liked this review or if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to post a comment below !
  • Comment 135997 by
    Mathieu 2067 Comments
    Hi,
    Thank you for sharing this report.
    This is a very good flight.
    I agree with, the PTV is very good.
    Catering is better than other US airlines.
    See you,
  • Comment 136035 by
    jetsetpanda 2283 Comments
    Hola Chibcha. Una vez más gracias por compartir este reporte final de tu aventura estadounidense.

    Something that caught my eye this time was the sheer amount of MDs still flying in ATL.
    - It seems that AV has a more modern fleet than DL for a change.

    I headed to the food court. I had a pre-chosen food option: The Varsity.
    - Food is a major attraction in the South. ;) Last time I was in ATL I had my fill of collard greens, black eye peas and fried chicken.

    One can use this very fun machine for our soft drinks.
    - It's fun until it breaks down. I came across one of those one time at a Burger King and the drink it dispensed was so watered down and slightly mixed with other flavors.

    I can recall a beautiful Puerto Rican woman and a pretty blonde, whom I overheard telling someone that it was her first international flight. Both of them looked gorgeous in DLs uniform
    - The dress uniform can look stunning on the right person. DL will redesign the uniforms soon so we'll see how much of an improvement (or deterioration) will prove to be.

    When back to my seat it was taken by some jerk, he had appropriated himself of the pillow and blanket, and moved my junk to the middle seat and all.
    - I hate seat poachers and I appreciate that I have priority boarding with UA and AA whenever I fly with them. Good thing that you were able to tell him to get out of your seat without resistance.

    I am not a fan of US and ex-HP, but the old America West livery was one of my favorites. It really reflected its Southwestern roots and cultural heritage brilliantly.

    I consider DL gives loads of food (compared to other airlines flying to Latin America), the quality was OK, nothing extraordinary either for good or bad.
    - When it comes to inflight catering DL tends to be more generous than the other two big competitors, even on short flights.

    Beautiful bonus of California. Just don't mix Northern and Southern California together. There is a rivalry between North and South, and it is not just geographical. The ideologies can be the complete opposite. I'm sure you have noticed some of that by now.
  • Comment 136082 by
    NGO85 SILVER 1963 Comments
    Thank you for sharing this last part of your journey with us. Overall, it looks like DL gave you a good experience with these sets of flights.

    the sheer amount of MDs still flying in ATL
    - Looks like the DFW of yore, but now AA has purged that aspect of their fleet and only kept a few.

    Concourse F. High ceilings, big windows...the whole shebang.
    - Can't say that I've ever been a fan of ATL, always had bad experiences transiting through there on DL flights.

    When back to my seat it was taken by some jerk, he had appropriated himself of the pillow and blanket, and moved my junk to the middle seat and all.
    I was disgusted with some compatriots who thought a great idea to skip line
    The cab charged me the same price an Uber could have charged me...I was furious
    - Man, you sure had a rough trip. Glad you kept your cool and didn't make things any worse for yourself.

    I like the US plane in HP-retro livery. As jetsetpanda said, airlines I don't ever want to fly again, but a nice livery.

    I was going to comment on the meal size, but then remembered how short flights are to the northern side of S. America are. I like the folded in half cheese. PTV looks slightly smaller than what you'd get on a wide-body with new cabin, but for an older 757, the PTV and cabin look acceptable.

    the one in which Tom Cruise keeps dying all the time...
    - Does he have this problem in real life too?
  • Comment 136258 by
    KévinDC TEAM SILVER 6668 Comments
    Haha...and I thought it took me a long time to post reports :-)

    Your experience in ATL reminded me of so many times that I've been stuck in ATL for hours and hours with nothing to do and I would just ride the train to different terminals and go to the food court in E, then do some planespotting there, or in the new F concourse (once it was built)--before that I stuck to concourse E. But yeah, you are so right...ATL is great for a quick connection, but if you're stuck there for hours with no access to a lounge it's sooooo boring. Depending on how much time you had in ATL, it may have been worth shelling out the $50 for a Sky Club day pass to take a shower etc. Plus you would have had access to Sky Clubs at all points on your itinerary--from departure in SFO, to connections in DTW and ATL.

    The 757 is such a beautiful bird. I'm so glad that DL decided to keep many of them in the fleet and refurbish the cabins. Though it looks like you got a non-refurbished 75E (757 International configuration). I'm glad I got to fly on a refurbished 757-300 before I divorced DL, but I wish I could have flown on a refurbished 75E (now 75S I believe) with the flatbeds in Business class.

    That meal looks really decent for a relatively short flight to South America. It looks on par with meals that are served on longer Transatlantic flights. I think as far as Economy class catering goes, DL has been the best of the Big 3 U.S. carriers--though we will see what happens when UA introduces their new improved International Y class catering.

    Ever since I switched to AA, I haven't flown all that much in Y, but the few flights I took in Y, I can definitely say that DL was better. In Domestic F, I think AA might be a bit better. Seeing reports on DL makes me nostalgic :-P

  • Comment 150914 by
    drvannostren 3 Comments
    Oh man, I laughed so hard. You must know better than most in Colombia, lines mean nothing. It seems like before the plane is even parked there's 3-4 people, including abuelas, rushing to the front of the plane. I love Colombia, but this is probably one of the most annoying things, nice to see I'm not the only one who notices it.

Login to post a comment.