Review of Delta Air Lines flight from Rome to New York in Economy

INTRODUCTION

Hello FlightReporters
In 2022 my parents celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary
To celebrate the event we decided to make a family trip between the end of July and the first week of August

The options were Iceland or USA
Even if Iceland seemed interesting for its breathtaking nature, USA appeared to be more suitable for me and my sister, both in our 20s

We planned to fly to Buffalo in order to see Niagara Falls, then drive to New York via Boston and Cape Cod, spending the last days in the Big Apple. We'd already visited NY in 2013 so it would have been the occasion to see new or more uncommon sights. Moreover for me, as an architecture student, it would have been to occasiont to see the city with a different perspective.

BOOKING OPTIONS

The first days of June we started to search for flights
Finding the best combination was a bit difficult. At the end the best solution appeared to be with Delta Airlines, flying to Buffalo via JFK the 25th July and going back home the 5th August

Delta Airlines offers two fares on Economy Class tickets. The cheapest one (Basic) is with carry-on baggage only while the other (Main) includes also a checked baggage. Both of them allows passengers to bring a small bag as additional baggage.
Since 4 hand luggages and 4 checked ones seemes a bit too much we decided to split the booking in two: 2 bookings with checked baggage and 2 with carry-on only.

The first one costs 2324€ while the second 2024€, for a total of 4348€, 1087€ per person
We bought the tickets through Air France website because they're a little bit cheaper than on Delta's one

ROUTING

Some stats

3rd time flying with Delta
3rd time flying into JFK
2nd time flying on an A330

before the flight

Delta Airlines allows passengers to check-in 24hrs before departure

The evening before the flight we tried to get our boarding passes through Delta website, but unfortunately we weren't able to complete the document check. By the way the system had already assigned the seats: 57A-B and 56C-D, at the far end of the cabin

Arriving to FCO and check-in

With the flight scheduled for 9:40 we decided to arrive at the airport between 6:40 and 7:00, as adviced by Delta.
This means leaving home around 5:30-5:45, in order to leave the car at the long term parking and get the shuttle to the terminal

By the way while we're about to leave Delta sent us a notification stating the flight was delayed to 10:15, allowing us to leave a bit later than planned

Around 7:00 we arrived at Rome-Leonardo Da Vinci International Airport

We left the car at the previously booked long-term parking and we got the shuttle

Our flight would depart from Terminal 3, which hosts most of the international flights at FCO

At the moment the check-in hall is undergoing a large renovation which reduces the amount of available desks
Delta Airlines and the others US carriers occupies the last 3 rows, at the far end of the terminal

Even if we were checked-in already we joined the queue to have our boarding passes printed and to check our baggages

The queue took around 40 minutes. While waiting a brief passport control was made by Delta employees

The agent checked our passports, our vaccination certificate and registered our frequent flyer's accounts (ITA Airways Volare for me)

She printed the boarding pass to New York and to Buffalo
Also the bag was tagged to BUF, even if we would have to recheck after clearing customs

Having nothing else to do we proceeded straight to the security checkpoint

The main part of the terminal was very crowded

Waiting for boarding and spotting

A separate lane for US-bound flights was available, even if the security check didn't seem different than usual
There was almost no queue, but the control itself was a bit slow due to the lack of trays on the X-Ray machine
Despite this little mess we cleared the screening in around 10 minutes

The following step was the passport control, made in a couple of minutes thanks to the eGates

We access the airside area around 8:45

Mandatory passage through the duty-free area

This part of the terminal was opened in 2016 as the main departure lounge for extra-Schenghen flights
During the Covid-19 pandemy it "switches" to domestic and Schenghen flights
Before summer '22 it was bringed back to its original porpouse

I flew a couple of times to and from Milan when this area was used as domestic departure lounge and it was a bit sad to be honest
I was really happy to see it hosting international flights again

As shown on the boarding pass our flight would board from gate E23, at the far end of pier E11-24

Time for some spotting

ITA Airways A350

When I saw ITA's livery on CGI I was a bit doubtful, but I think it looks really cool, especially on the A350
This one in particular is dedicated to Enzo Bearzot, who lead Italian Football team to victory in 1982 World Cup

ITA Airwasy A330

Qatar Airways and United Airlines birds parked at the satellite terminal

ITA Airways A330 in old Alitalia's livery

Another ITA Airways A330, this one dedicated to racing driver Tazio Nuvolari

This plane carries a sticker celebrating the 100th anniversary of Monza circuit
To mark the anniversary this A330 is expected to make a flyover before the Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix, the next 11th September

Our boarding was already set

Our ride for today:
Delta Air Lines Airbus A330-300, N808NW, delivered in April 2004 to Norwest and than kept as part of DL's fleet
It's equipped with 282 seats, 34 in J, 21 in W and 227 in Y

boarding and taxiing

Around 9:40 the gate opened
Initially some connecting passengers were invited to show up at the desk to get their passport verification
Later boarding was called by groups, but a queue was already formed and just few people seemed to consider it

The plane seen from the jetway

This glass facade offers a very nice reflection

ITA Airways A320 taking off

Door shot…

…and wing shot

I gave the flight report form to the Purser. She immediately understand its porpouse and told me she'd be very happy to bring it to the Captain.
I then made my way to the far back of the cabin

Delta Premium Select Cabin, equipped with 21 seats

Delta Main Cabin

My home for the next 9.5 hours

Each seat is equipped with a personal IFE-screen, a headrest, USB and electric plug, a table and a pocket

A blanket and a pillow were provided, both of good quality

The legroom was kinda good

The view from my seat as boarding continued

The cabin crew made some announcements and I found very funny how they use expressions likes "Good morning folks" or give a personal point of view on infos like the weather at destionation. A personal touch that can be nice, especially compared to some cold and computer-style PAs

At 10:20 boarding ended and doors were armed

We pushed back minutes later

Meanwhile the safety video was played

ITA Airwas A330 taking off

Heading to runway 25

We were the 3rd for T/O, following a Vueling A321 and a Brussels Airlines A319

Runway 25 is mainly used for departures at FCO, while the other twos handles arrivals

the flight

Aligning to the runway at 10:44, more than one hour after scheduled departure time

The two Pratt & Whitney PW4000 went full thrust with a deep noise

And in the air…

The satellite terminal with many heavies parked

Runway 16R/34L

Fiumicino town

The only two times I flew on an A330 (in 2013, on JFK-MAD and MAD-FCO, with Air Europa) it was night
I'm telling this because I felt like the plane was climbing with a low angle of climbing, less than other heavies I flew with
Maybe it was just an impression, lemme know your thoughts about

Banking over Tyrrean Sea

Approaching northern Sardinia, with Tavolara island just in front of the coastline

Olbia's gulf

Olbia's harbour, a very important gateway for ferries coming from the mainland

Olbia-Costa Smeralda Airport (IATA: OLB - ICAO: LIEO)

Sardinia's northwestern coast and Alghero

Alghero Airport (IATA: AHO - ICAO: LIEA)

Spain's coastline around Barcelona

In-Flight Enterntainment

Waiting for the meal to start I explored the In-Flight Entertainment called Delta Studio
The system is available in many languages

The main menu is quite easy to navigate and include the following categories: Movies, TV Series, Music, Flight Infos, Games and Kids

The movie selection is amazing, there were more than 100 films available and it was possible to filter them by category or language
Each passenger was provided with in-ear plugs which worked quite well

I want to take a few line to talk about Delta's onboard Wi-Fi
The system is activated at 30.000ft and there're two options: a free Wi-Fi which allows text messages only (without the possibily to send images) and a payed Wi-Fi to navigate limit-less. The last one costs 28$ for 24hrs

I decided to go for the free service and I've to admit it was really good. The log-in procedure was easy and the connection speed was fine, there were no delays in delivering or receiving messages

lunch time

One hour after leaving Rome the meal service started
I expect a snack served before to be honest, but the lunch was served directly

The service started with the delivery of water and the table set, made of a paper tablecloth and cutlery

Tomato and mozzarella salad
Followed by a choice between
Chicken meatballs with rice and peas
or
Cheese-filled pasta
To finish
Cherry ice-cream

I went for chicken meatballs
The lunch was served on this irregular-shaped tray

In my opinion, the tray looked a bit "empty", I'd expect some bread and butter or similar stuff

The tomato and mozzarella salad was good, very refreshing

Meatballs were a bit dry, but the taste fine. Rice was well-cooked and tasty

Ice-cream was definitely too sweat

Wood(?) cutlery was kinda pointless, cutting was a bit difficult and the paper tablecloth created the risk of slipping while trying to cut the food

My father took pasta and made me try it
The cheese-filling was very tasty

Meanwhile Asturias coast was scrolling below us

Avilés, one of the main town in Asturias

The food service ended while we approach the Atlantic Ocean

relax time and 2nd meal

After lunch I took a 3-hour nap
The seat was quite comfortable to sleep and the engine's noise was tolerable

I woke up in the middle of the Ocean

Most of the passengers were sleeping or enjoying the IFE

In the rear galley a food and beverage selection was available
I took a couple of snacks which were fine

Having already sleeped I watched the 2022-version of Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie

While I was watching the movie we encountered a light turbolence, but nothing serious

One hour and half before landing a second meal was served
It was made of a baked cheese and tomato bread (quite good) and a melon and grape fruit salad (fresh and tasty)

Corporate Flight-Report shot

We're flying just south of Nova Scotia

Outside there was an ocean of clouds

landing in new york

30 minutes before landing the cabin was prepared of the arrival

The first spot of US-soil, Long Island

Banking over Farmingdale

Republic Airport in Farmingdale (IATA: FRG - ICAO: KFRG - FAA: KRG)

The Captain made an announcemente stating that we needed to fly over the ocean for about 20 minutes due to bad weather at JFK

ITA Airways A350 doing the same thing…

The blue livery would be heavier, but surely it's very recognizable

After 15 minutes of banking over the sea we began our final approach to JFK

Sandy Hook

Lower New York Bay

Coney Island

Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, connecting the two boroughs of Brooklyn and Staten Island

Sheepshead Bay

Flying over Brooklyin with Manhattan visible in the distance

The Big Apple's skyline

Final moments in the air
We'd land on RWY13R

Korean Air A380 welcoming us to NY

At 14:07, 42 minutes after scheduled, we touched down at New York-John Fitzgerald Kennedy International Airport

Landing was smooth

Delta Airlines A320 with Terminal 1 in background

JetBlue A321

Delta's base, Terminal 4

Delta Airlines Boeing 767

Delta Airlines A330neo

Docking at gate B20, at the start of the pier

During the flight the Purser came to me telling that the Captain waited for me after landing to give me the flight report form
I waited to be the last to disembark

Main Cabin

Delta Premium Select cabin

Delta One business class

The Captain and his First Officer welcomed me very warmly in the cockpit
We chatted for a few minutes about the plane, the holding pattern above the ocean and the procedures in case of bad weather

The Captain invited me to take his seat and gave me his hat to take a pic
You can imagine how excited I was XD

The First Officer gave me the Flight Report form, very well filled
She also gifted me with the papers of ocean crossing's clearance, something I really appreciated

I think that a job like the pilot carries a big amount of passion, and I think they enjoy if passengers share their passion

Last view of our bird
Outside the sky was quite cloudy

Thank you!

The gate we disembark from was very close to the immigration hall
Despite the expectations there was no queue at that moment
Ithink is kinda rare considering I've always waited 1hr to clear immigration the other times I've visited USA
The passport control took around 20 minutes

We got at the baggage claim carousel and our bags were already there
After clearing customs we procedeed immediately to Delta recheck desk, located just outside the arrival hall
Since baggages were already tagged it takes no time to check them

Checking at the FIDS we discovered that our flight to Buffalo was delayed from 16:45 to 18:45. Not a big issue at first
Having more time to spare we got outside the terminal to smoke a cigarette, not imaging what was about to happen…

DELTA'S MESS - VOL.1

While spending a few moments outside the terminal I received a notification from Delta app: gate to BUF had been changed from B49 to C70, in Terminal 2
We asked a Delta's employee the best way to get there and she told us to clear the security at Terminal 4 and then get the airside shuttle to T2

We got at the departure level and passed through security in about 20 minutes. Once airside we checked the FIDS again and we got the cold shower: our flight to Buffalo had been cancelled

Heading to Delta costumer service near to gate B30 we realized many other flights had been cancelled, resulting in a long queue
It took more than one hour to get at the counter. It was around 17:00

The employee explained that the flight was cancelled due to bad weather at JFK (she was speaking like there was a thunderstorm, while actually it was just a light rain)

Having already booked a car and a 2-day hotel in Niagara Falls we asked for the fastest solution to travel to BUF. The next flight would depart around 20:30, but it was full. Later we'd discover that also this flight had been cancelled

At first she offered us a flight the day after at 20:30, 30 hours later than our original flight. This was unacceptable because we had just 2 nights in Niagara Falls and we'd have not time to visit the Falls, the only reason of our travel to BUF

She offered us to travel from LaGuardia to Buffalo at 21:15. Since baggages had been already checked we had to go to Delta baggage counter and make a claim for the day after in Buffalo. The baggages would have travel with the first available flight from JFK. While we discussed about this solution she told us that only 2 seats were available

Having two different bookings she tried another solution: my father and I would fly from LGA at 21:15, while my mother and my sister would fly to Buffalo from JFK via Detroit
We accepted this combination, by the way we noticed from the boarding passes that JFK-DTW arrival time was later than DTW-BUF departure time, meaning that my mother and my sister would have lost the connection

She tried giving us a flight from LaGuardia the day after, at lunch time. Since the flight was cancelled for weather no hotel would be payed by Delta. For unknown reason she wasn't able to book this flight for us

With the only available solution for the day after in the evening, we decided to refuse Delta's offer and drive from New York to Buffalo
The agent told us that it would be possible to request a refund for the cancelled leg

DELTA'S MESS - VOL.2

Having decided to drive to Buffalo we had to reclaim our baggages

We went to the ground floor, at the domestic baggage reclaim hall, were Delta's baggage counter is located
Making the request the agent told us that it may take up to 6 hours. It was around 18:30

The counter was full of people who had their flight cancelled and most of them were waiting since 3/4 hours

Since the wait appeared to be long we searched for something to eat. Terminal 4 had only a bar and a diner which was closed at that moment. So we went to Terminal 1 which has a landside foodcourt

After dinner we spent the rest of the time in the baggage hall, periodically getting to the counter. Obviously the employees didn't know when the baggage would have come, they kept answering with manual phrases. In the meantime we also called our hotel in Buffalo to cancel the first night of two.

Around 23:00 (exactly 24 hourse after waking up in Rome) the baggages emerged from the conveyor belt. Four hour and half of waiting and still 680 kms to Niagara Falls.

Leaving jfk

We took the AirTrain people mover to the car rental center
Our aim was to change the car pickup point from Buffalo Airport to New York-JFK

The process took a long time since our driving licences were not from USA
This mean that the Hertz agent had to cancel the previous booking and make a new one

We got inside the car around 1:00, eleven hours after touching the runway

Since we're tired as hell we just drove off New York, taking a hotel in Fairfield, NJ, and driving to Niagara Falls the morning after

Stay tuned for the return flight

BONUS: SPOTTING AT JFK