Review of Delta Air Lines flight from New Orleans to Atlanta in Economy

My New Orleans stopover is over, and it’s now time to make my way back to Paris.

Given my departure point, connecting via ATL is the obvious option, which also means a domestic Delta flight.

A perfect opportunity to see how it compares with AA.

First, a quick reminder of the routing.

MSY

Getting to MSY requires no complicated thinking: Uber it is.
And, of course, with a healthy margin of extra time.
Why? Because I’m slightly paranoid about facing a massive queue, thanks to the combination of a partial government shutdown affecting TSA staffing (at this time) and the end of the Easter holiday weekend on this Easter Monday.
My accommodation was near the Smoothie King Center, and here I am again with a fare of around $50 for a roughly twenty-minute ride.
Traffic is remarkably smooth.
My comfortable buffer is rapidly turning into a gigantic one….

The drop-off area is far from crowded.
As a reminder, US airports are entirely smoke-free, and you should not expect to find any smoking lounges or booths inside.
So if you need a final nicotine fix, you’ll have to make your way to one of the outdoor ends of the terminal before heading in.
After that, all is over.

Enough practical information for now. It's time to make my way to the check-in counters with my faithful rolling companion.
The counters are already in sight, but it would be a shame not to take a moment to admire this modern and rather impressive hall. 

At the check-in counters, there is hardly any queue, and even less in the Sky Priority lane.
The check-in process is quick and efficient.
I am reminded that my luggage is tagged all the way through to Paris, meaning there is nothing else for me to worry about. 

The agent also tells me that a priority lane is available at security, conveniently marked by a small yellow flag at the entrance.
So, off we go into the unknown world of the TSA.
At first glance, the situation looks fairly reassuring.
Was I worrying for nothing?
We'll find out soon enough. Until then, it's “no photo” mode. 

AIRSIDE AND LOUNGE

The answer is quite clear: yes!
Less than ten minutes later, I am airside, having been checked by an ICE officer rather than a TSA agent.
At the screening point, there is also no need to take anything out of your bag.
My comfortable buffer, which had already become a giant one, is now bordering on indecent, as it is only 09:05…
That leaves me with a good two hours on my hands. 

I head towards the C gates to see what the airport has to offer.

A challenger that will definitely need to be tried one day.

But for now, it’s back to Skyteam home.

The C concourse stretches out in a long corridor.
I stroll through the shops looking for a few local treats, very much centred around pecan-based sweets.

On the screens, no worries: I’m still comfortably early.

So I retrace my steps back to the lounge.

DELTA SKY CLUB

Here is the entrance vestibule, with the lounge located upstairs.
The process is a bit lengthy, as the agent has to manually input all my details and those of my onward AF flight before letting me in.
Nothing major. 

The small arrival lobby looks quite nice (the elevator is located behind the Sky Club sign).

Turning around, I see that the lounge is long and narrow, andfairly busy.
Finding a seat might be a small challenge.

At the opposite end of the buffet, a long counter is fortunately still free.
It would have been perfect without the frosted film, as it looks directly out onto the runways. 

After dropping my things, I head to the buffet to assemble a proper breakfast, as my departure “meal” was limited to a coffee.
With the lounge quite busy, I can only take two reasonably decent photos, one of which is the bar … (hardly useful to me before 10:00 AM.). 

The buffet doesn’t look huge, but there is still enough to choose from.
PS: the straw hat you might notice comes from Sunday night’s NBA game (Pelicans vs Orlando Magic). 

And to think that without this frosted film, I would actually have a clear view of it…

BOARDING, CABIN AND FLIGHT

Around 10:45, I leave the lounge, still quite lively, and head to gate C4, just a short walk away.
My 739 is already at the gate.
And compared to its AA counterparts, it is noticeably younger.

Clearly, this flight will be full.

Shortly before 11:00, a pre-boarding process begins.
I don’t really understand much of the announcements beyond the obvious “pre-boarding”.
As a zone 4 passenger, I assume it will still take some time before my group is called.
I am proven wrong, as at 11:05 I’m already on the jetbridge. 

Here I manage to get both a fuselage shot and a reasonably decent door shot.

I was originally assigned seat 18A.
However, as I settle in, a very elderly gentleman seated in 18B (easily 80+ years old) asks if I would be willing to give up my seat so he can sit next to his wife, who is equally senior and currently in 18E.
I hesitate for a moment, as I was looking forward to enjoying the view over the US landscape, but the request is kindly made and, judging by their reaction when I agree, I don’t regret it.
As a sweet bonus, I notice during the flight that they hold hands the entire time. Love is a beautiful thing!

For me then, the plan changes to seat 18E. For now, my seatmates have not yet arrived.
Luckily for me, they don’t look like The Rock. 

Paradoxically, this cabin feels more old-school than AA’s, making the AA retrofit quite impressive.
Seat pitch is comfortable.
On the downside, there are no visible power outlets.
Wi-Fi is available but requires a SkyMiles number, which I don’t have… so I’ll end up with a bit of a digital detox.
The complimentary biscuit also appears to come from the same supplier as AA. 

Boarding continues, and it is now just after 11:15, yet the cabin already feels like a night departure.
Most window shades have been closed by the pax. 

The captain makes his usual announcement standing in the aisle, specifying a 9-minute taxi time (a rather precise estimate).
At 11:32, pushback begins, followed by taxi at 11:36, in near darkness from my seat.
It feels unusual to go through the whole process purely by feel, almost like “seat-of-the-pants” flying.

Unlike usual, I will summarise the flight here via the FR24 track.
I cannot see anything outside, and turbulence leads the captain to cancel the inflight service.
In short, there is nothing to report on that side, and I mostly end up dozing off during the flight. 

On approach into ATL, the banking turns to line up for landing help bring me back a bit, with a few welcome sensations.

We land at 12:48 (13:48 local time), with a very smooth touchdown, and reach the gate at 13:54.
Disembarkation is rather slow, as several passengers with mobility issues are ahead of me and are met by a line of wheelchairs in the jetbridge. 

Once past this small moment of activity, I get ready to discover ATL, the world’s busiest airport by passenger traffic.
Needless to say, I expect to be impressed.
Spoiler alert: I am not… 

It is now time to head towards the international terminal, Concourse F.

Not wanting to waste time getting to the terminal, I skip the local window shopping and head straight for the SkyTrain (or rather the “Plane Train”, as it’s called here). No complaints, it’s very efficient.
At 14:11, I’m on my way. 

And it’s fair to say it’s a quick ride, as by 14:15 I’ve already arrived at Concourse F.

No additional screening, total fluidity: there’s a good chance I’ll get fairly bored.

What the FIDS doesn’t show (and what I already knew from the start) is that our aircraft to Paris is heavily delayed by at least two hours.
Departure is now scheduled for 19:00 instead of the originally announced 16:30, as confidently displayed on the FIDS. 

Entertainment better be outstanding at Concourse F!
See you soon for the next part.