- Euroairport- Amsterdam KL / J E90: [http://flight-report.com/en/report-7476.html]HERE
- Amsterdam - Atlanta DL / J A330-300: [http://flight-report.com/en/report-8074.html]HERE
- Atlanta - Key West DL / F B737-700: Here we are
- Key West - Atlanta DL / F B737-700: Later
- Atlanta - Paris CDG DL / J B767-400: Later
- Paris CDG - Euroairport AF / Y ATR72-500: Won't be published.
As I breezed through immigration, customs and security I had plenty of time to pay a visit to the lounge to get a moment of serenity as the gates B are quite crowded.
This should have warned me, lots of people in the gates could mean lots of people in the lounge. I thought the lounge would cater it, I was wrong. It was a really small place, overcrowded, loud and hot. The welcome was indifferent at best and once in, I don't spot any free seat. I was almost on my way out when two people vacated a table. I literally jumped on it :)
At that moment I decided not to take any pictures as there were ways too much people inside. I headed for a drink, and as I had enough alcohol on my long haul flight, I looked for the soft drinks. Apart from the water, all drinks needed to be ordered at the bar. I asked for an apple juice and got it very fast, but without any smile but a don't forget the tip from the bar tender. I was shocked about what I heard.
I have absolutely no problems with tipping and usually I am quite generous. But there is something I don't like, is when people ask for their tips, and worse when they ask and the service is poor. I gave her a black look and answered I don't tip for soft drinks and left.
I get back to my seat and the lady at the table next to me began to chat with me about something I don't remember. She had six empty glasses of chardonnay in front of her and was not that coherent in what she was saying. As was not in the mood of socializing with drunken people, I politely told her I wanted to watch the soccer at the TV and invited her to watch with me. (It was the day of the semifinal of the word cup). After five minutes, she eventually left the lounge, together with a vast majority of the people (seemed it was the end of the rush hour).
As there is now room to breathe, I took this opportunity to take some pictures:
The only thing that was different from the usual DL snacks was the Nutella. I only had some sweet pretzels, apple juice and water:
I thought that I would begin to write my flight report, but the Wi-Fi was so weak that it would have taken the night to do it:
As the boarding time neared, I headed to the gate, a concourse picture on the go:
And a bit of spotting while walking:
My 737-700:
On time boarding, I like those screens in the jetty:
My views for the next two hours:
New kind of tray table:
I needed to put my glass on the left armrest as my neighbor was using all the space of the middle one.
After being soft at the lounge, I needed a baileys on the rocks! On time push back and again, some spotting:
Safety movie:
And this MD80 in its whole landing sequence while we were taking-off:
As there was live TV I was able to see the end of the Netherlands - Brazil soccer game, great!
But the best movie is outside:
DL classic snacks. The purser offered us so many times drinks and snacks that I stopped counting:
PSU:
We travelled along the West edge of Florida, passed Fort Myers, Naples and Marco Island. Three towns I know pretty well as I used to rent houses in Marco.
Nearing Key West:
Very hard landing and even harder braking, the runway length is around 1'400 meters, absolute minimum for a 737-700 which is the largest aircraft to land there.
As I exited the plane, I was able to take some shoots of my seat:
No jet bridges in EYW, only stairs. That's great to take pictures of the plane:
Evening arrivals:
My luggage arrived first in ATL, but last in EYW. But I did not care, Key West spirit :)
I'll bonus Key West with the return leg, here a hotel bonus with the Marriott Beachside, which had amazing apartments. Thanks to my platinum status, I have been upgraded to a gulf view apartment that was absolutely fantastic. Stunning views, and beautiful room.
The staff was perfect, the food and service excellent. Although the hotel is beachfront, there is no real beach at the hotel. There is some sand to sunbath, and a little sand next to the water but as the water is not deep at all, you can't swim. It's nice for paddle though. The hotel is not downtown, but there is a shuttle on the hour to downtown and every half an hour to the airport. You can rent bikes free of charge.
Here's my suite, the view and the resort:
Thanks for the report.
US domestic lounges are great, aren't they? Really old bird, but not surprising given the leisure route; could use a painting touch up on those reactors. A good crew and beautiful water views sure make up for that. The sandy beaches of the Gulf/Caribbean are much nicer than Hawaii (I'll exclude the tar covered beaches back home in Texas from that statement).
What's the frequency of the ATL-EYW route?
PS - That looks like Netherlands vs. Argentina (not Brazil).
Great trip report to the Conch Republic! Hope you had time to stroll around Old Town, there isn't a downtown. See the turtle races, go spa hopping, sip locally roasted Baby's Coffee, have a freshly caught Pompano at Seven Fish, watch the fishermen bring their loads of pink shrimp, tuna and Hog Snapper. The French bakery in town has outstanding baguettes and viennoseries. Taking a snorkeling tour reveals the most intricately beautiful scenery around.
In ATL there are domestic lounges and international ones. The basic offers in the domestic lounges reflect the culture of preferring branded fast foods instead of gourmet items. Ah, you stumbled unto the perennial lounge lizard! The most effective technique to put a swift end to the unintended therapy session is by proclaiming you are unemployed living with your mother ;).
What a rude bartender, I've never had anyone ask me for a tip ever, anywhere. I always do when it's appropriate, but it's so tacky to ask for a tip for giving a little soda. And I also hate that you have to ask for soft drinks at the bar; so inconvenient. I like the DTW Sky Clubs because you can serve yourself everything including alcohol. The flight to Key West is really scenic and the landings are always a thrill on that short runway lol. Looks like you enjoyed your stay in Key West! Thanks for sharing!