Hello and welcome to another series of flight reports! This series will cover another trip I took to Minneapolis over Labor Day weekend, this time with Delta.
Washington, DC to Minneapolis, MN (DCA - MSP) | Delta | A320 [REPORT HERE] Minneapolis, MN to Detroit, MI (MSP - DTW) | Delta | 757-200 [REPORT HERE] Detroit, MI to Washington, DC (DTW - DCA) | Delta | A319 [THIS REPORT]
Detroit
My flight from MSP arrived at gate A36, right near the center of the A concourse – N540US would next be flying up to Seattle. Flight 1540 was due to depart on time from gate A75, at the far northern end of the McNamara A Concourse. I took advantage of the remaining 45 minutes before boarding to walk through Concourse A and, since it was just before the debut of the A350 into Delta's fleet, do some A350 spotting.
Of course, the infamous DTW window dots made taking photos difficult, but both N501DN and N502DN were in Detroit, 502 being delivered just a day or two prior. The queen resting next to her replacement.
N502DN arriving after a training flight around Ohio, if I'm not mistaken.
Boarding
After getting my first in-person view of an A350, I went and sat near gate A75 as boarding got closer. As I was sitting there, I was reminded just how great the McNamara terminal is – lots of natural light and amenities.
My phone then buzzed. Delta has started sending specific push notifications for flights with Go-Go's new 2Ku Wi-Fi service available.
Like MSP, DTW has yet to receive Delta's new boarding procedure, so boarding was done via the traditional zones – I boarded with zone 2. Just like every other time I've flown into DCA, I took my left-side window seat in row 26.
The Delta A319 fleet has recently been refurbished to feature seatback IFE, Go-Go 2Ku satellite Wi-Fi (which I did not purchase on this short flight), and larger overhead bins. The legroom was on the tight side, but unfortunately that seems to be pretty standard these days.
A look at the seat-back screen, tuned to the flight information page. Somewhere in the system the flight must've been entered incorrectly as the time remaining never updated, and DTW-DCA is only 406 miles.
The window view, including DTW tower and a CRJ-700 heading for Elmira, NY.
We pushed back from A75 right about on time.
I managed to catch a 747 arrive from Asia on runway 22R between hangars.
Heading for runway 21R for departure.
Departure
Despite our completely full flight, we were quickly airborne.
In Flight
Because this flight was only about an hour in the air, I took the opportunity to finish an episode of Silicon Valley from my earlier flight. Service was the typical Delta offering of (mostly) complimentary beverages and a small snack.
Descent
We started the initial descent shortly after the service had been completed.
Dulles (along with the western-DC suburbs) visible in the distance.
Passing by Reston and Tysons, Virginia.
Turning back to the north … Finally, I'd get to experience the famous DCA river visual approach.
Looking up the Dulles Toll Road, with IAD visible in the distance.
The River Visual
Joining the Potomac River – I'll let the pictures do most of the talking.
And the best views of them all …
Quite a few people on the National Mall on this Labor Day holiday.
Short final for runway 19 over Gravelly point.
A relatively smooth landing following the fantastic River Visual.
Taxiing to gate 15.
We arrived on stand a few minutes before STA.
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Verdict
Delta Air Lines
8.4/10
Cabin8.5
Cabin crew8.0
Entertainment/wifi10.0
Meal/catering7.0
Detroit - DTW
8.8/10
Efficiency9.0
Access8.0
Services9.0
Cleanliness9.0
Washington - DCA
8.9/10
Efficiency9.0
Access9.5
Services8.5
Cleanliness8.5
Conclusion
This was quite a good flight with Delta. Beyond finally getting to experience the River Visual into DCA, The refurbished A319 product is pretty great with excellent seat-back IFE and fast satellite Wi-Fi access available for purchase.
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Thank you for your flight. The river visual approach was great. How close you fly near the iconic and famous structure!! It was a very exciting moment for AVgeeks.
Wow, the DL 319 is looking good. RIght after the merger, the cabins were such a dump. I used to avoid flying them, but since the refurb they look like new!
Gotta love the River Approach, especially with the beautiful weather you had! I always pick a window on the left side when flying home into DCA in case we do the river approach and the past 4 flights into DCA we're always landed from the south, doh!
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2 Comments
The river visual approach was great. How close you fly near the iconic and famous structure!! It was a very exciting moment for AVgeeks.
Gotta love the River Approach, especially with the beautiful weather you had! I always pick a window on the left side when flying home into DCA in case we do the river approach and the past 4 flights into DCA we're always landed from the south, doh!
Thanks for sharing!
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