Review of Delta Air Lines flight San Jose Seattle in First

Airline Delta Air Lines
Flight DL1701
Class First
Seat 2D
Aircraft Airbus A220-100
Flight time 01:38
Take-off 19 Jan 20, 17:20
Arrival at 19 Jan 20, 19:08
DL   #33 out of 95 Airlines A minimum of 10 flight-reports within the past two years is required to appear in the rankings. 826 reviews
SeattleFlights
Published on 15th February 2020

introduction - flying home to seattle


Having just flown into SJC from Seattle, I had checked out the terminal area after landing and it was time to fly home to Seattle. This was the return leg of my mileage trip to fly the Delta A220 for the first time! On the flight down, I flew Comfort+ and was going to be flying First Class back to Seattle, as it was the same mileage cost as Comfort+, at just over 15k SkyMiles round trip for this ticket. After checking out the Baggage Claim after arriving, it was time to head back to the terminal for my flight to Seattle!


Routing


SAN JOSE - airport & Check-in


The Delta check-in area is located on the lower level of Terminal A at SJC. There were a few agents for general baggage drop and one at the Sky Priority lane. I utilized a check-in kiosk to print my boarding pass, and confirm my First Class seat, 2D.


photo img_2205

Once I was all checked in, TSA is located just above the Check-in Hall. My first class ticket came with "Priority" line access at SJC, but as there was only ONE person in front of me, I was directed to the general screening line and was through TSA in under five minutes. I did not have PreCheck yet for this trip, but I imagine this terminal could get really busy really quickly, so peak periods here could definitely be challenging.


photo img_2209

After clearing security around 245PM, I confirmed the status of my flight, as of which was on-time (for now, more on that later) departing from Gate 11, just across from TSA in Terminal A. Almost all airlines depart from Terminal A here at SJC with just Alaska and Southwest departing from Terminal B.


photo img_2228

SAN JOSE - airside & plane-spotting


One of Delta's newer A220s, N115DU, pushing back from Gate 10 for Salt Lake City. This was the craft that flew me here from Seattle! :)


photo img_2250

My best catch from SJC! BA's 787-8 arriving at Gate 15 from London-Heathrow with a beacon on top!


photo img_2345

AA A320 at Gate 8 boarding for Phoenix, AZ. Now if we could get just a glimmer of the sun like this in Seattle, I'd be happy!


photo img_2246

Alaska 737s are a frequent visitor here at SJC. Oh boy, its like we never really left Seattle! Alaska occupies the north half of Terminal B, gates 17 through 22 with Southwest occupying the south half of Terminal B, gates 23 through 36.


photo img_2210

boarding & cabin


The seating are at Gate 11. Turns out, the inbound aircraft left from Salt Lake City about an hour late, so our boarding process was delayed from 4:20pm to 4:55pm.


photo img_2383

Delta has rebranded their boarding process recently and I definitely have seen improvements on various flights recently. Passengers are grouped by aircraft class (with SkyMiles Medallion Members scattered throughout) and are now color-coded to match the group of cabin. *photo courtesy of The Points Guy*


photo delta-branded-boarding-colors

I was traveling in First Class for this flight, and was in the first group to board with Diamond Medallions boarding with the First Class group as well. The First Class cabin on the A220 is setup in a 2-2 configuration, each seat offering 36" of pitch and 21" of seat width.


photo img_2385

My seat, 2D, was ready with a pillow, blanket and bottle of water located in the seat console. If sitting in First Class on Delta's A220, I would recommend window seats in row 2, 2A or 2D, as you will have access to two windows in the row, as compared to just one in Row 1 and Row 3.


photo img_2386

The windows on this plane are absolutely HUGE and the view definitely sold me on flying this plane again. The engines are REALLY big compared to the rest of the plane, and it just put the whole thing in perspective. Its hard to tell, but you can see how much smaller the engine is on the E175 at the next gate over. I think we have the better plane :). 


photo img_2388

The legroom in this seat was pretty decent, but the TV's in First Class are so large. They feature Delta's new Wireless Entertainment system, so there are no entertainment boxes anywhere throughout the aircraft. USB ports are built into the monitor, while the 120VAC power plugs are located ahead of the seats in the middle.


photo img_2390

The tray table featured a folded up position, as well as the fully opened position, allowing for half of the space to be used if needed.


photo img_2401

The tray table folded out to be a pretty stable surface (I do not know where the water came from :\)


photo img_2402

Today, we would be flying on N101DU, Delta's first Airbus A220-100 aircraft, delivered new in October 2018. Everything appeared to still be brand new, despite the one-year age tag.


photo img_2409

PUSHBACK, TAKEOFF & THE REST OF THE FLIGHT


Getting decent pictures later on in the flight was kind of hard, so pardon the reflections in some of my photos. Boarding was completed about 15 minutes late, pushing back from the gate around 5:10PST and we were first in line for takeoff, so off we went.


photo img_2423

The SJC departure pattern involves flying over the city then the airport as we climb to avoid the SFO arrivals so it offered some really great views of downtown and the suburbs as we flew over.


photo img_2436

We flew right over the airport (SFO in the background) and it is really apparent how locked into the city this airport is and that the surrounding area is just built up right around the airport.


photo img_2445

The IFE was definitely the most modern component of this aircraft, and the flight tracker had my attention the entire flight. There were SO many features to explore; I was definitely sad that this flight was only 2 hours long.


photo img_2452

in-flight services


Dinner on this flight back was Italian Pork Meatballs with cheese, kale, spinach and a vodka buffalo sauce. It didn't look very appetizing, and I was expecting pasta with this dish, but there was none and was graciously disappointing.


photo img_2449

The diner service lasted just over an hour, starting about 20 minutes after takeoff, and ended just about mid-flight. I found it to be rather quick, given that the cabin only offered 12 seats total and there was one lead FA working our cabin. He was very friendly, and was happy to chat with me and my seatmate about the features of our seat, to welcome us onboard for both being SkyMiles members, and to let him know if we had any other questions throughout the flight. Very attentive service, indeed. Props to Delta.


Snacks were distributed from the basket about 30 minutes after meal service was completed and it was at this point we only had about 45 minutes left in the flight. Cookies, crackers, and various fruit were available for snacks. There was no second drink service following dinner.


photo img_2456

The IFE was probably the best part of the "in-flight services" of this flight and I enjoyed the amazing features in the Airshow program. This module showed a 3D model of the plane with our altitude, heading, speed with cockpit-like indicators in the bottom right. Delta has really stepped up their game with these new Satellite IFEs.


photo img_2463

arrival - descent, terminal & baggage claim


Getting approach photos here were really difficult. Downtown Seattle and the lights glimmer on our approach, we approached SeaTac from the south, flew past the airport on the west side and flew right over downtown. Being from Seattle, it truly is a beauty to see your city all lit up at night.


photo img_2469

We landed just about on time right at 7PM on runway 16R, our shortest, western-most, newest runway at SeaTac. The approach was really smooth, but man, did our crew put that plane down hard! I heard a bunch of water bottles and phones go flying onto the floor as we kept on down the runway, it was pretty intense!

Arriving at Gate A3 just a few minutes early, we didn't have a gate crew yet, so we had to wait for them to show up from the next gate over and then they'd open up the doors. This flight was 100% full, so I am glad to have been sitting up front, but for those in coach, it definitely doesn't seem as bad as sitting in the back of a full 757-300, so the small mainline jet experience is definitely something to think about when you're on a long, full flight.


photo img_2475

The SeaTac terminal is always admirable and today was no different. A short walk from Gate A3 to baggage claim, I didn't have any bags to claim so it was straight to pickup for me. Baggage claim is located on the lower level, down the escalators in the background and a short walk to Delta. Way to be back home, and extra thanks to Delta for providing such a memorable, welcoming experience onboard their newest jet.


photo img_2481
See more

Verdict

Delta Air Lines

8.9/10
Cabin10.0
Cabin crew10.0
Entertainment/wifi8.5
Meal/catering7.0

San Jose - SJC

8.8/10
Efficiency8.5
Access9.0
Services8.5
Cleanliness9.0

Seattle - SEA

8.2/10
Efficiency8.5
Access8.0
Services8.0
Cleanliness8.5

Conclusion

The Delta A220 is truly a modern marvel. The cabin experience throughout the aircraft, the aircraft itself feels modern, open and welcoming. Featuring the signature Delta blue and red cabin colors, its familiar to any frequent flyers and I enjoyed it just as much. One of the best additions to Delta's fleet, the A220 has stepped up to fill a regional role from Seattle to replace many services previously operated by the Boeing 717, from which the A220 is a huge step above. I enjoyed this product way more than I thought I would, the IFE and welcoming crew helped me feel so much more welcome and able to enjoy myself on this quick flight. Offering all the same amenities as most other mainline jets like the 737 and the A320, I would 100% go out of my way to fly the A220 if I could. Once again, I extend an offer to all you aviation enthusiasts out there to try this product, and I can guarantee it will be every bit worth trying! Finally, props to Delta for introducing such a beautiful aircraft to their fleet, and I cannot wait to see expanded A220 service to Seattle in this future; moreover, I cannot wait to fly this aircraft again! Happy flying everyone!

Related

9 Comments

If you liked this review or if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to post a comment below !
  • Comment 542284 by
    airberlin GOLD 1872 Comments
    Thanks for sharing. The A220 looks awesome in Delta's configuration. Looking forwarding to taking it for one of my next flights. Glad to see as well that you had dinner and not just the food basket on this flight. I though Delta is starting only this kind of service from 1000nm flight length.
    Thanks again for sharing.
  • Comment 542335 by
    hometoyyz 539 Comments
    Hello Seattleflyer, and thanks for sharing this unique look at the A220.

    The cabin looks great — it hadn’t occurred to me that the A220 F seat is basically the same as the Premium Select seat. And that’s a good choice.

    The C-series is a remarkable aircraft in my limited exposure to it. I look forward to flying it a lot more in the future.

    I have to agree with AirBerlin’s surprise at the dinner service on this flight. I believe the Delta standard is that flights short of 800 miles don’t get meals. Although I guess SEA-SJC is an exception route, probably because it’s premium-heavy?

    As a data point — SEA-SJC is 696 miles, compared to YYZ-MSP at 678 or YYZ-ATL at 739, both of which unfortunately get just the snack basket.

    But Toronto is notoriously premium-light. And probably even more so on anything that’s not AC.

    Cheers!
    • Comment 542346 by
      SeattleFlights AUTHOR 8 Comments
      Hello!

      Thank you for the kind words. I do really admire what Delta has done with the A220. Its to my understanding that all flights on the A220 to SFO, SLC, SJC, etc. get meals in first class. Not sure, but that's what I think.
      Thanks!
  • Comment 542388 by
    NewYorker 194 Comments
    Hey SeattleFlights, thanks for the great report! The A220 looks great - especially the way Delta has made it! Their catering also seems to be pretty good. I'm glad the DL is putting the A220 on ex-Seattle flights. Any idea where else they go? Again, thanks for sharing. It's nice to see someone here from my former home base (SEA) :-)
  • Comment 542834 by
    socalnow 976 Comments
    Thank you for sharing this flight SeattleFlights. Excellent pictures as well.

    I will echo the sentiment of others' and sing the A220 praises. I've only flown with Delta's once but it was a nice ride.

    Dinner on this flight back was Italian Pork Meatballs with cheese, kale, spinach and a vodka buffalo sauce. It didn't look very appetizing, and I was expecting pasta with this dish, but there was none and was graciously disappointing.

    -The hot meal is a surprise on this stage length. I suppose Delta declaring SJC a "focus city" and the competition in SEA they are trying to differentiate. Way to compete.

    Happy flying.
  • Comment 543430 by
    KévinDC TEAM SILVER 6668 Comments
    Nice report! SJC is really popular this past week or so with a bunch of reports in and out of SJC (did 2 myself).

    The F cabin of the new A220 is beautiful. The only criticisms I would have is that the pitch seems a bit tight at 36" vs the more common 32" and I don't like that so many DL a/c don't have a wall divider between F and Y. Aside from that seems like a great experience--expecially for a 1.5 hr flight. Can't beat a cabin with IFE, power & usb outlets on such a short flight.

    Thanks for sharing!
  • Comment 543447 by
    BigBert10 4 Comments
    Very nice report! And yes, SJC can get really crowded during the busier times. Just a few small corrections: BA sends a B789 to SJC, so the BA Dreamliner you saw was actually a B789 not a B788.

    And I see that you were on N101DU! That was the same plane I was on for SEA-SJC on June 15, the third day that Delta began mainline A220 service for this route!

    Thanks for flying SJC!

Login to post a comment.