National Championship Trip
Here is the first homebound leg of my last-minute trip to the NCAA Men's National Championship game.
Delta, AUS-MSP, A319, Economy (Click Here)
Delta, MSP-ATL, Boeing 757-300, Economy (You are here.)
Delta, ATL-AUS, A321, Economy, Minute Suites (Click Here)
Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport
I arrived at MSP at around 5:20AM, very short asleep (went to bed at around 3:00AM earlier), but still running high on adrenaline.
MSP had a large number of volunteers spread out all over the check-in areas directing us to where we needed to be (they are the ones in the light green shirts). I imagine these volunteers are just there for the Final Four. There are TSA-Pre lines on both ends. One volunteer pointed me in the direction closest to my gate. Despite big lines already forming, TSA-Pre, as usual, was very efficient.
The gate area was already packed and gate agents were already asking for volunteers, offering a number of different gift cards (including Amex ones). I would have considered it had I more flexibility. One thing to note: United always offers vouchers for future travel, which can be a pain to use. I find Delta's offer significantly more generous even if the actual number tends to be much lower.
Here is the plane: a 17-year old Boeing 757-300 (N581NW).
Pre-boarding began at 5:48 AM, 8 minutes after the scheduled boarding was to start. It seemed like ~85% of the plane boarded before me. Ah the struggles of no-status economy! As with the previous flight, the plane was 100% packed.
Here is a legroom shot - the seats felt narrower than on the A319. I did not measure the seats, but can report that being in the middle I was constantly hit by the passenger to my left as he shuffled and moved in his seat.
The IFE was the same as the previous flight. Unfortunately, it was this flight that I realized the pair of cheap headphones I brought with me (to save space) were broken. Guess it'll be just the flight map!
The overhead panel was different on Delta's 757-300.
Boarding was complete around 6:17 AM. We pushed back at exactly 6:20 AM, on schedule. After holding for a few minutes, it was a quick taxi to the run way and we began our takeoff roll at 6:29 AM.
Service began around 6:55 AM. Snacks and drinks were offered, same as the previous flight. My order was taken at 7:10 AM since I was towards the back. I went for the granola bar this time, which was a nice little snack.
As we were getting ready to land, I tried to take this shot of the condensation on the wing, but the picture didn't turn out so well.
We landed shortly and was parked at the gate at 9:38 AM. I was off the plane at 9:47 AM.
