Review of Delta Air Lines flight Tokyo → Detroit in Business

Welcome, dear reader, to the continuation of this flight-report series on a trip to Tokyo in Delta’s Delta One business class.

Here’s the rundown and the story so far.

DL1822 YYZ-DTW 9/18/2016 - Here
DL275 DTW-NRT 9/18/2016 - Here
DL276 NRT-DTW 9/22/2016 - You are here
DL1806 DTW-YYZ 9/22/2016 - Coming soon

I spent a rainy couple of days in Tokyo at the conference. It was a good enough event, but not terribly notable. The organizers were kind enough to arrange a half-day trip out to Mt. Fuji for us out-of-towners. Here’s my view of the peak of Fuji from the fifth station.



Wow. Impressive, huh?

I was all set to compliment Delta on its excellent app and generally very good IT offerings (at least compared to what I’m used to from Air Canada), and then I went to check in on my phone 24 hours before my return flight, and this happened:



Yeah, Delta. I can see why you’d be unsure if a Canadian citizen traveling on a Canadian passport to Canada would be allowed to stay in Canada. Totally makes sense.

Unable to check in beforehand, I arrived at Narita by Limousine Bus about three hours before my departure.



Inside, the SkyTeam area was not terribly busy.



Not many of the Sky Priority check-in posts were open, but it didn’t take very long to get my boarding pass from a very friendly agent. I think this is the first time I’ve been thanked for my status at check-in, which I thought was a nice note.



No lineup at all for Sky Priority security check. I was airside a matter of minutes after arriving at Narita. I had hoped to spend some time on the observation deck, but the delightful combination of cold and rainy caused me to change my plans, and seek out the comfort of a lounge early.



After getting airside, one of the first aircraft I see is a Delta 747 parked in the distance. Could it be my ride back to Detroit? I guess I’ll find out soon enough.



It’s a short walk to the Sky Club, which is on a mezannine level above the gates we’ll be using this afternoon. I know there’s another Sky Club as well, and I’ve gathered there might be additional food options at the other lounge, but I’m not feeling that ambitious this afternoon, and the location is good. I’m offered a friendly welcome in, and when I arrive, the lounge is all but empty, which makes it very nice to explore.



I like much of the aesthetic of this lounge — it feels fairly fresh and new, and doesn’t seem too dark despite the grungy weather outside. Seating is about par for the course for a Sky Club.



This wooden semi-enclosed area kind of dominates the lounge, but it’s a nice accent.



Very simple workstations with aging iMacs.



The windows are not huge, but the lounge is well positioned to watch the aircraft below. Here’s a KE 777 waiting to load up for Incheon.



And a China Southern A321.



I grab a seat overlooking the gate we’re supposed to be using for my flight (as near as I can tell), and decide to check out the buffet.

It’s not a huge or extensive buffet, but there are some interesting offerings.



Fountain drinks for soda and juices.



A limited self-serve bar.



Some teas and coffee.



Something I always like to see, and usually see in lounges in Japan and Korea — beer auto-pourers.



My first snack — some rice porridge with the fixings. Not bad.



I follow it up with a couple of chicken skewers, and some pretty tasty shrimp curry, as well as a beer — Suntory Premium Malt. Oh, and…. although it’s not really in keeping with the movie quote: For relaxing times, make it Suntory time.



I spend the next little while snacking and watching goings-on on the always-busy Narita apron. This AeroMexico 787 is one of the first to go. There was a lovely older couple from Mexico on the same Limousine Bus as me. I hope they made their flight, if they were on this one, because it’s been less than an hour since I was dropped off at the terminal.



Another Korean 777 arriving.



Another quick snack — a few Pringles.



WiFi in the lounge was fast and easy to connect to. Of course, it’s time for a gratuitous corporate shot.



Awwwww… it’s a little baby Korean Boeing.



And it’s big sibling, also heading over to Korea.



Alitalita bird.



Goodbye, my China Southern friend. In the background, notice the Delta 747 is on the move.



In short order, it’s moved over to the gate we’re using to board for Detroit — it turns out my ride today with by N670US, which was also my ride over to Tokyo a few days ago. In the meantime, it’s just done a reutrn NRT-SEA-NRT. I guess they’re scheduling these big aging birds fairly lightly before they ship them off to the desert next year.



By this time, the buffet is skewing more towards lunch, so I have a couple of meatballs and a couple of pretty mediocre pieces of sushi.



And some simple desserts.



Meanwhile, a DL 767 has pulled in beneath my seat, with a 772 arriving. Things are getting busy at the diminished Delta-land here at Narita, and the lounge is, as expected, filling up.



Oh look, another 763!



With just a few minutes before boarding is scheduled to begin, I pack up and head downstairs to gate 17, from which we shall be departing. I hang around for a while, and eventually am joined by more fellow gate lice, but soon enough, they start boarding with wheelchairs and those needing extra time, then families with kids younger than two, and then the Premium Zone is called, and I’m officially on my way home.



Flight: DL276
From: Tokyo Narita (NRT)
To: Detroit Wayne (DTW)
Date: 9/22/2016
Aircraft: Boeing 747-400
Registration: N670US
Seat: 1A
ATD (STD): 16:09 (15:30)
ATA (STA): 14:15 (14:00)

Having enjoyed the upstairs Delta One experience on the westbound trip, I decided to try riding in the nose on my way home, selecting seat 1A — in First Class territory for most carriers that still do F. I really do like the way these suites fit on the 747, even if they’re not exactly cutting edge anymore.



I don’t know why I bother with legroom shots on a lay-flat beds. But here one is anyway.



I had kind of expected these suites to be situated similarly to the front of TG’s 747 fleet, with the closet flat in the bulkhead in front. But on Delta’s configuration, the closet sticks out between the row one seats, and because of the angle the’re on, the first-row seats are very close to each other — these would be a good choice for passengers traveling together, I think. That said, although I did “notice” my rowmate more than I did upstairs on the flight over, I still felt I had pretty good privacy, and didn’t find the presence of the other person in the row distracting or annoying.



Pre-departure beverages are offered, and I choose champagne. It’s served along with some rice crackers. The purser, Michael, makes his way around, greets everyone personally, asks about my time in Japan, and thanks me both for my status and for flying Delta today. The Japanese gentleman across the aisle from me was similarly greeted, but asked about his destination in the U.S.



With a break in the service before departure, time to quickly explore my seat. Seat controls, IFE, and swing-out display screen are located in the angled front wall.



The seat is pre-equipped with earphones (which are decent but not great) and slippers (which are actually pretty good) along this back wall, which also hosts all your ports — USB, power, and headphones.



A bottle of Evian is provided, and on this flight, was located in the little bin beside the aisle-side armrest (which, of course, must be stowed for takeoff and landing.)



Here’s a look at the contents of the black, soft-sided amenity kit Delta provides on the eastbound flight. I preferred the hard-sided westbound kid, but I do like that DL provides different cases (in container if not in contents) in each direction.



And finally, a look out the window as this rainy boarding continues.



Michael appears again with the menu, and notes that I’ve pre-ordered the Japanese meal, although I’m welcome to order something else, should I feel so inclined. He says that (unsurprisingly) it’s not too hard to find a taker for the Japanese meal. I, however, will stick to my order, and tell him I’ve heard the Japanese meal ex-Japan is very good. He says I’ve heard correctly. Nice.



Interesting that the “red meat” offering here is a stewed/braised lamb offering, similar in theme if not identical in execution to the lamb pavé offered on the westbound flight.

Fairly soon, we’re pushing back, and I notice that our twin is parked next to us.



It’s a fairly short taxi by Narita standards, and soon we’re on our way back to North America.



Literally a few seconds off the ground, we’re into the clouds and leaving rainy Japan behind.



Shortly after departure, the IFE is activated, and I choose to start with Neighors 2. I watched the first one on a plane, and didn’t think too much of it, and this one about lived up to expectations. It passed the time.



Soon enough, we break through the thick cloud layer, and it’s a much nicer afternoon up here.



Service begins quickly once we pass 10,000 feet, with a hot towel.



Then the table is set, and the amuse bouche is presented along with a beverage of choice. I stick with the champagne for this. The smoked salmon dish presented isn’t exactly as described, but it’s still pretty good.



The crew is very quick with taking away the used plate once I’m done, and presents the appetizers portion of the Japanese meal, along with some sake at my request.



Starters in detail. Thespring onion in beef and sanma fish were very good, but the salmon with whole grain mustard may have been the most delicious thing I’ve eaten in a long time. Seriously, so good. It was worth getting the Japanese meal just for this. Yum.



The main is then presented, accompanied by rice, miso soup, and Japanese pickles.



I’m not familiar with alfonsino as a fish, but I quite enjoyed this simple main dish. The pickles were okay, but not nearly as fantastic as the Japanese pickles offered on ANA.



Dessert comes by on the card, and I’m free to choose whatever I’d like. I go with a sundae and some cheese. It’s all very good, although again, the little details of the wrappered crackers is a bit of a step down from the rest of the Delta One dining experience.



Dinner is done very quickly, and my movie is coming to an end as we start to head out over the Pacific. I choose my next movie, and get ready to hunker down in “bed” with my pillow and duvet to watch it.



But first, a quick visit to the downstairs lav. Much like the upstairs lav, it’s not terribly exciting.



I catch about the first 20 minutes of the movie or so, which was interesting if odd, and then drift off to sleep. Apparently, I slept pretty well, waking up about 3:15 out of Detroit. I choose The Nice Guys as my next movie, and — you guessed it! I get about 20 minutes in, and then drift back to sleep. Only this time, I wake up in time for the ending of the movie, so there’s not much point in me watching it again.



About 90 minutes out, of Detroit, I’m awakened by the lights coming up. Pre-arrival service begins with a hot towel.



Needing something to watch for the rest of the flight — but something I won’t mind if it’s cut off by us arriving a few minutes early, I stumble upon a favorite that will fit the bill very nicely.



Breakfast is then served all together. I chose the eggs. I was impressed that the poached eggs — presented reheated on a plane — were actually runny and reasonably tasty. The polenta was also okay. I didn’t care for this particular mix of fruit, though, and the croissant wasn’t very good. I’m surprised that of the three major U.S. airlines, Delta with its southern roots is the one that doesn’t include a biscuit in the breakfast bread basket most of the time.



With breakfast over, Michael appears again with a chocolate, and once again, his thanks for joining Delta for this flight.



Soon enough, we’re on our descent into Detroit.



Getting closer.



Almost there.



Just about on the ground.



And then we’re not! With a surge of power, the jets roar to full thrust, and we’re suddenly climbing. Oh boy! A go-around!



Farewell again, DTW!



The pilot comes on, and offers his apologies for the surprise go-around, saying landing had to be aborted because there was an “unauthorized truck on the runway.” So it’s good that we didn’t land. But I’m left to wonder — had it been an authorized truck on the runway, would we have just landed on top of it?

We climb up and circle back around to take another run at it.



And this time, the mission was accomplished — we set down onto the runway, and taxiied around to the McNamara Terminal.



We arrive at our gate, and the flight ends as it began — right next to our twin sibling. We would have arrived right on time, were it not for that pesky unauthorized truck. Sadly, it's still not quite long enough for my movie, and I'm forced to give up on my entertainment just as Dr. Strangelove launches into his plan to repopulate the world post-armageddon. Pity.



We’re quickly let off the plane, and make our way into the arrivals process. With Global Entry, I’m through in no time. There’s a transit security checkpoint off the luggage hall, but Pre Chek isn’t offered, and I figure I’ve got enough time to make it upstairs and get through the regular Pre security, so I do just that. And we’ll pick up the finale of this trip from there, next time around.

Thanks for joining me for this flight!