As explained in the FR regarding my AMS-IAD flight (http://flight-report.com/fr/report-6204.html) I took advantage of being in the US to do a segment run as these are cheaper there since you can do a same day return vs. staying overnight as often required in Europe.
After FLL and LAX during my last two trips to DC, this year the search for fares revealed MIA was the cheapest option.
The routing was then going to be:
DCA-ATL (MD90): FR here ATL-MIA (757-200): FR to come MIA-ATL (757-200): FR to come ATL-DCA (757-200): no FR
I know the timing of this first flight may seem decent for some people here, but for me it was really early as I had to get up at 6:45am. Still, at about 8am I was in DCA where I collected my souvenir boarding pass.
I took the opportunity to change my seat assignment in order to get a free middle seat on the right side, as planes were taking off towards the city and it would enable views of the Mall.
The nice DCA hall, that appeared frequently on FR.Com, mostly in KevinDC's reports.
My plane, registration N922DX
Going through TSA took about 10 minutes, even though I was using the SkyPriority line.
Agents were not really nice, talking to each other and only interrupting their gossips to bark at passengers.
By the time I reached the gate, boarding was underway.
I had hoped for an upgrade, but it seems that Flying Blue Gold members are even below Skymiles in terms of priority, so I was way down the list.
I was greeted by a smiling FA upon entering the aircraft, something which is not the norm on many american carriers where FAs are often chatting with each other as passengers are boarding.
The cabin, I think a red headrest would be nice a nice touch in this sea of blue faux-leather.
This US Express E175 pushed back a little before us
The flight was really not full, maybe 60% of the seats taken.
Then it was our turn to push back, about 5 minutes before schedule
During our taxi, we passed this MD88
And the historical terminal of DCA
As we were about to enter the runway, the captain came on the microphone to inform us that due both to congestion in the DC area and bad weather in ATL, we'd have to hold for about 25 min before being cleared to take off.
We finally did take off at 9:30am or so
The US Capitol appeared
Then the Jefferson Memorial
And the Mall
The northern part of DC
An undetermined city
We then flew near Dulles, enabling a view of all four runways
And eventually the clouds prevented any views, pretty much until we reached ATL
Upon lowering my tray tables for the snack, I found it to be not so clean
Of all the FA's onboard, I was served by the only unfriendly one :-(
Coffee and Biscoff cookies, too bad they're only available on mornign flights, then it's prtzels only for the rest of the day
On the pair of two seats next to mine, a guy was trying to lie down (he had the two seats to himself), the purser saw him and kindly offered him to sit on the right side in order to have 3 seats to lie on instead of two, and brought him a blanket with a smile.
For the remaining time of the flight I just read my book.
We then started our descent in ATL
Another bank
The clouds were pretty thick and we escaped them as we were only a few hundred feet above the ground
Spoilers engaged
Taxi to our gate took a bit of time as we had to let a few aircraft take off before we could cross the runaway parallel to ours
The F gates I think
A few parked DL planes
We finally stopped next to this 737-800
See more
Verdict
Delta Air Lines
6.3/10
Cabin6.5
Cabin crew7.0
Entertainment/wifi5.0
Meal/catering6.5
Washington - DCA
5.2/10
Efficiency6.0
Access5.0
Services5.0
Cleanliness5.0
Atlanta - ATL
5.0/10
Efficiency5.0
Access5.0
Services5.0
Cleanliness5.0
Conclusion
The cabin is not bad especially when you have 3 seats to yourself, but not having a proper headrest gets uncomfortable after a while, also the dirty tray table was not really enjoyable.
The crew would deserve a 10 if it weren't for the FA who served me
Catering was ok for a 1,5h flight
As far as punctuality is concerned, we were on stand about 10 min late which shouldn't have happened considering the flight duration is well padded (2H10 according to schedule)
4 LIKESLIKE TO THANK THE AUTHORTHANKS ! FLIGHT-REPORT LIKED
Thanks for sharing. 6:45am is a bit late to wake up, isn't it ? ;) Great IAD view from the air. In fact this flight wasn't much exciting, as many US domestic ones are.
Oops...I totally missed your first segment-run FR until now! You picked the right side of the A/C to sit on to get the great views! Normally I prefer the 2-seat side, but you got lucky with a whole row to yourself. Lie-flat in coach! Mmm hmmm. Too bad for your FA...I rarely get mediocre FA's on DL; they are usually awesome.
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5 Comments
Thank you for this report and for kicking me ;)
No delicious bite to bite ? Waking up so early is not worth !
Great aerial views of Washington, but a bit foggy
Thanks for sharing!
6:45am is a bit late to wake up, isn't it ? ;)
Great IAD view from the air.
In fact this flight wasn't much exciting, as many US domestic ones are.
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