Meanderings of a Traveler
Just recently, a good friend of mine in San Diego returned from a vacation in Italy and had a very interesting picture to share with me. While at the Bologna airport, he noticed planes being led by a Lamborghini on the tarmac.
Apparently this is a common occurrence because of Lamborghini’s relationship with the region and the city of Bologna in particular. I think I’m going to have to move Italy a little higher on my bucket list, now!
Even though there is reason to be worried about flying (Ultra) Low Cost Carriers like Ryan Air and Monarch, particularly with the news of late, there isn’t reason to rule them out altogether. Norwegian is running quite a nice deal for those living on the East Coast who are looking to get to Europe. This flash sale is only open through tonight (Oct 2, 2017) just before midnight (23:59). Flights start at $99 per person, each way, and though the airports you fly from aren’t the bigger ones (Boston/Providence versus Boston Logan, and New York/Newburgh, for example), you can see some pretty amazing cities.
Though a low cost carrier (technically), Norwegian has a very young fleet including many Dreamliners and 737 MAXes with orders for A321LRes placed. Though the 737s flown by Norwegian don’t have premium seats (akin to Southwest), the Dreamliners do have premium seats with additional recline.
For a full breakdown of Norwegian’s fare-structure, head over to their website. One thing to keep in mind is that while the fares show that you can only have one carry on item, you are still permitted one personal item. The combined weight limit varies based on your fare, though.
The simplest part of all of this is the frequent flier program: NorwegianReward. At its essence, it is a cash-back program which makes it very easy to understand. You, naturally, earn more when you book flexible fares versus more restrictive fares, and you have the option of earning points through other avenues as well (hotels, rental cars, even Groupon).
Though it’s unlikely I’ll be taking advantage of the sale this time around, I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for future offers!
It seems there will be a change with the way the MQD (Medallion Qualifying Dollar) waiver will be factored in for the 2019 Medallion year. Instead of needing the $25,000 spend on your Delta-branded American Express card, you will now need $250,000. As most of my MQD are accrued by flight purchases thanks to work I am not too worried, but this is a pretty big jump in qualification criteria from past years.
I’m kind of curious to see if/how other airlines update their policies in kind.
Schedule changes are really no surprise in the travel game, but they are decidedly not fun. A few days ago I received an automated call from Delta to let me know that there was a schedule change that would make one of my connections in an upcoming trip illegal. Taking a deep breath, I logged in and started poking around to see what had happened.
Alas, it was what I had feared – the flight from JFK to Mexico City had been shifted. While it involved a huge upgrade on the equipment involved (a 787-800 with 2x2x2 seating to a 787-900 with 1x2x1 seating), it led to only an hour and a half to make my way through Immigration and Customs, and then manage to board my next flight. With the flight having a history of 30+ minute delays, this was clearly not going to work.
Thankfully, a Delta agent was happy to get things sorted out and rebook me with legal connections. Unfortunately, I won’t be flying on a Dreamliner this year after all. 🙁
Recently I had the opportunity to fly on what I like to refer to (affectionately, of course) as a narrow wide-body. Delta has a handful of Boeing 767-300 (not ER or LR, mind you) that have their first class in a 2x2x2 configuration. These seats are standard recline only, not angled or lie-flat as other 767s you might encounter, so don’t get too excited when you see what you’ll be flying!
As it is a 767, it is configured with two aisles going down the length of the plane, so it is by definition a wide-body. The “narrow” part comes down to the seats in first class. Let’s look at a few different planes, shall we? Pay attention to the seat width and pitch between first class in all of them.
We’ll start with a few smaller planes… the CRJ-900, ERJ-175, and MD-88.
As you can see, all three feature a 37 inch pitch (how far you can recline), with nearly 20 inch wide seats in first class.
Next, we’ll look at a couple of larger planes: B737-900ER and the B757-300. Both of these can be used for transcontinental routes, so it isn’t any surprise that they have wider seats.
Finally, we come to the 767-300 that Delta uses for domestic non-DeltaOne routes.
That’s right – it has narrower seats than the CRJ-900. The pitch is certainly appreciated, but don’t expect as roomy of a seat as any of the planes mentioned above.
When you step onto the plane, your first thought might be “is this from the 80s?” And personally, I don’t think you’d be far off. From the seats…
To the in-flight entertainment…
To the over-head controls…
To the storage bins.
The storage bins on the outsides of the aisles could only fit a standard roll-aboard bag rotated length-wise. Travel light if you find yourself on one of these birds!
Now, I don’t want to make it sound like I didn’t enjoy myself on this flight, because in all honesty I did. That is a testament to the attitude and attentiveness of the Delta flight crew, no two ways about it. The crew is 80% of why I fly Delta, and this flight was no exception in that regard.
We were greeted with smiles and the crew made sure everyone was able to get settled in with minimal issues. Once in the air, the captain let us know that thanks to a nice tailwind, we would be arriving early (the other part of why I love flying Delta – I’m always at least on time, and often early) in Atlanta.
We were given options between a salmon salad and mushroom lasagna for our lunches, and I opted for the salmon salad.
The salmon was served on a bed of baby spinach and accompanied by purple potatoes (which happen to be my favorite) and cabbage “pasta” with small peppers. The balance between acidity and spice was perfect for eating in a pressurized cabin in the sky, and it would have gone perfectly with a nice Chardonnay.
Dessert was a delicious fruit/cheese medley. I opted not for the sweeter dessert that was offered, though, so I can’t comment on that.
The remainder of the flight proved to be uneventful. There was a little turbulence through the northern part of Texas, but we landed early as promised by the pilot! Overall, it was quite an enjoyable trip.
Cheers!
On a recent trip from JFK to San Diego, I had a chance to see Delta’s new menu for their complimentary meals. What I found interesting was that the offerings were different from their Flight Fuel menu. Additionally, in addition to splitting it up into “Eastbound” and “Westbound”, it is further divided into three distinct meals.
I thought it was a nice touch to also have the routes that the menu applied to. Certainly makes it easier to find out exactly what your offerings will be!
I opted for the cheese plate (I can never say no to cheese!), and was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the cheese, even if it was a little broken. 😉
I’m really looking forward to being able to take a ride on Aeromexico’s 787 service from New York-JFK to Mexico City, on my way to Cabo San Lucas. Thanks to stockpiled Citi ThankYou and Chase Ultimate Rewards points, I was able to book two business class tickets for half the price I would spend, otherwise.
The -800 variant is arranged in a 2x2x2 configuration in business class, which means there’s limited aisle access, so getting in and out might get a little tricky. Shouldn’t be any more awkward than the Club World seating on British Airways 777s! 😉 Note that the -900 variant, also flown by Aeromexico, has a 1x2x1 configuration with aisle access for all! Aeromexico is also known for having an excellent in-flight experience, so I’m quite looking forward to seeing just how it stacks up, in person!
For those not aware, the 787’s cabin is pressurized to 6,000 feet as opposed to the standard 8,000 feet on most aircraft. This means the body is able to absorb oxygen more easily. What’s not to love about that? The Dreamliner also has an advanced air filtration system that also increases cabin humidity – moist tissues are happy tissues! As someone who spends (what some might consider) an obscene amount of time in the air, I am really looking forward to this experience. Check out all the tech that goes into this amazing plane!
