Hello Aviation Fans & Travelers,
welcome to another flight review! This one is from two years ago, but I still love looking at these pictures and it almost feels like it was yesterday. This report is from my flight on Delta Air Lines from Atlanta, Georgia, home-bound to Düsseldorf, Germany. It's one of the most frequent routes that I fly when traveling between the U.S. and Europe. Hope you enjoy! :)
I connected from Kansas City, just outside from where my parents live. I flew on Delta's Airbus A320, also one of my personal favorites. We landed in Atlanta a few minutes ahead of schedule, so I had plenty of time to get to my connecting flight, departing from Concourse E.
If you're interested, I have inserted a YouTube video of the landing in ATL. Enjoy! ;)
Upon arrival at Concourse E, I found a gallery of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "Legacy of a Dream." MLK will always be remembered as a great inspiration to millions of people around the world as well as the symbol of equality for all.
And there she is! My ride home for the night was, as usual, the beautiful Boeing 767-400 (I know it says '-300ER' on top of the page, but for some reason it won't let me select the right version. Please let me know if you can help me with this). Such a legendary aircraft with such a great record! Too bad many airlines have given up on the 767, but we all have to acknowledge that the world is changing around us, and so is the aviation industry. Pretty soon it'll all be about the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, the Airbus A350, and what not…
I probably hadn't chosen the absolute perfect date for this flight, as this was the time frame when a hurricane struck the east coast of the United States, and Georgia was affected as well. At first, the airline wasn't sure if flights could be continued normally, but I was relieved to find that the weather had calmed down right at the time when I flew down to Atlanta. And we even departed early, so that was lucky!
As I mentioned before, I had lots of time to get to the International Concourse after arriving from MCI. When I got there, the Boeing 767 had just pulled into the gate after a 9.5-hour flight from Munich, so first things first, the catering had to be done as well as cleaning and the jet had to be fueled up again. Didn't take long though…
Not too long after the pilots and the cabin crew had made it onto the plane, the boarding process began.
I booked my favorite seat, behind the wing, where I love to watch the aerodynamics (flaps, ailerons and spoilers) operating. :)
Did you know that Atlanta's control tower is the highest one in the U.S. and the third-tallest in the world? It measures 398 ft (121.31m) in height and was commissioned in 2006, having supported an average of 2,500 arrivals and departures daily ever since!
Click below to watch the full takeoff and climb video and please take the time to check out the rest of my channel as well and like, subscribe & share! :)
Inflight service as always started with snacks and beverages. I was determined to avoid caffeine from this point on as I wanted to get some sleep right after dinner, so I could get into the new time zone and overcome the jet lag better. I wonder if I could sleep well in First or Business Class?! I definitely have to try it out one day (once I can afford it :D).
The sun sets early in the late summer season, and it got dark outside just after we had passed Philadelphia at an altitude of 33,000 ft. Time to get some sleep…zzz
I woke up to some heavy turbulence over the Atlantic, and the pilot turned on the seatbelt sign. From that point on, I couldn't sleep anymore, so I decided to spend the rest of the flight watching movies and surfing the Internet with Delta's inflight WiFi. Still about 4 hours from Düsseldorf.
As we entered European airspace over the southern tip of Ireland, the flight attendants served breakfast. I have to say I really love those snackboxes, which Delta started doing not too long ago. It used to be just plain croissants and a banana. Now it's more like a "surprise box," with a yoghurt, a breakfast roll, some cheese, and a mint. Very creative! :)
…And not to forget: coffee (with cream & sugar, please! :)).
I do apologize for the low quality on some of the pictures! When it's bumpy in the air and you try to hold the camera at one particular point, it sometimes doesn't work out very well…
As the sun came up and we started crossing the English Channel, the Captain announced our descent into Düsseldorf. He said that we would land 30 minutes ahead of schedule (as Delta typically does :)), and that the weather was mostly cloudy, as it usually is in Germany. At least it didn't rain, so even below the ceiling, I had some pretty good views on Home sweet Home! :)
Not much to see down there yet, but I was able to spot our famous windmills, of which we have plenty in Europe. Of course, there are some in the States as well, but not enough, in my personal opinion… Anyways, now you can see the spoilers coming up on top of the wing. They help reducing lift once the aircraft is at a level where the air is thicker and provides more lift. In order to avoid this, the spoilers are very effective in getting the airplane down.
Making a left turn and lowering the flaps as we approach Runway RWY 05R.
And what would a trip report be without a video of the landing?! Enjoy! ;)
We pulled into the gate at Terminal A, which is where Delta operates from at DUS during the summer. I believe in the rest of the year it switches to Terminal C. Everything else went just as smoothly and fluently as the flight itself did. I made it through passport control without any problems, and claimed my luggage before meeting up with my cousin, who was so kind to pick me up from the airport.
