intro
Flight routing
- 15102 - Domestic First - Baltimore —> New York - CRJ-900
- 21917 - Domestic First - New York —> Santo Domingo - Boeing 737-900ER
- 3
- 42590 - Domestic First - Atlanta —> Baltimore - Airbus A321
Welcome to a new report. Today I’m traveling to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, from the DC Area, specifically from BWI.
Out of the 3 DC Metro airports, BWI is the furthest one from my house, but in terms of time, the trip is only 5 minutes longer than DCA or IAD, so for a weekend trip it makes sense to leave the car at BWI as the parking is much cheaper than the other two airports.
flight connection
Arrived from BWI at the higher B gates, which is one of the two regional jet gate complexes at JFK T4.
As I had a little bit over an hour, went to the B30 SkyClub to grab something to eat. Surprisingly, there was no queue outside.
I was warmly welcomed at the club, as always. Delta has been testing new gadgets, like the virtual queue for the shower without the need to see an agent.
Some spotting with a bonus of the new “Terminal One”…
…and an amazing sunrise on the horizon.
Breakfast choices were good. Not a large variety but much better than AA or UA domestic lounges and even many intl’, third-party independent contractor lounges.
The bar already had some tenants at 7:20 am. I was one of them, and got a mimosa to wake me up.
The lounge was surprisingly empty, despite being a Friday morning.
Back to the terminal and heading to the gate.
boarding
Flight was already pre-boarding.
Boarding priority very well respected
Down to the jetbridge
Esteban moment
the flight
Our seats this morning, the usual 5A/5B.
A small water bottle and headphones were waiting for us.
I love the big screens on the 739s
Seat pitch, excellent
On-time departure. Security video and pushback
A lot of traffic this morning. It took us about 20 minutes to take off
Away we go, Caribbean bound
Broad Channel and JFK from the air
The snack baskets was passed around, my usual choices:
Also had an espresso martini while waiting for the breakfast and enjoying the view
My breakfast choices. As usual, Delta sent an email 7 days in advance for meal selection. I love this particular one, even though it is not aesthetically pleasing: Baked French toast with blueberries and lemon ricotta.
Some clouds (not sure if AWS or Azure) and a view of the FC cabin.
The rest of the flight went uneventful. Descent into Santo Domingo in the middle of a storm.
Final Approach
arrival
Arrival on time, pouring rain. The airport was hectic, but we had the Premium Meet & Greet service so we were driven to the VIP terminal. Unfortunately, the only picture I have post flight is my arrival beer at the lounge while waiting for my baggage to be delivered. My next report to SDQ will include arrival pictures, I promise.
Solid DL Domestic F experience again.
I agree that BWI can be easier to fly out of from the DC area, especially if you life in the MD Suburbs where it's about the same time/distance to the 3 airports. It's also less delay prone than DCA by far, though IAD was always my favourite to fly out of when I lived in MoCo.
That is surprising! I'm so used to seeing reviews with huge lines to get in. The food options are definitely better than AA and UA standard lounges, as you mention (not Flagship and Polaris).
I like when you can get on the waitlist for showers online---BA have that in LHR and it saves a lot of time having to walk back and forth to see an agent.
I agree that visually it does not look appealing, but it sounds tasty and it's a nice change from boring omelettes and chicken sausage.
Thanks for sharing!
IAD is also my favorite, but I have nearly missed a flight twice, because lately there has been a traffic build up a mile away from the entrance, mainly because cars picking up arriving passengers are double and triple parking and this creates a cascade effect all the way to the airport entrance. Last time I had to call BA and they called the check-in counter to allow us check-in beyond the deadline, they only did it because the crew was also stuck in traffic. Lounges at IAD are phenomenal.
The Delta SkyClub is a solid option, they recently open another one in Concourse A and it's even better because it is less crowded and the outdoor terrace is great. I have an upcoming report where I took some pictures. I am also trying to book an itinerary that includes the recently opened Delta One lounge.
The new digital agent kiosks are very helpful and offer other options, this is indeed a great addition.
Delta has been rotating the menu more frequently now. Sadly, the Santo Domingo flights are now operated with A321Neo which are a challenge because the oven only takes 16 meals, so no pre-order is available and 4 passengers will always get a cold option. The upside is that the new seats on the A321Neo are great (report coming up soon).