Last week I was able to fly on one of Delta’s Airbus A319’s with the new interiors and it was quite nice! Though a new overhead console was in place, the vent for the Boeing 737-900 was not used!
Refit Delta A319
Category: Travel
General adventures and misadventures
Airport Information: Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport
Physical Layout
The Hartsfield-Jackson airport in Atlanta is the busiest in the world when we look at sheer volume of people, followed by Beijing, Tokyo-Haneda, and London Heathrow. Because of that, it is no surprise that the designers have gone to great lengths to ensure that the layout can both handle current volumes as well as offer room for expansion (as seen recently with the addition of Concourse F).
The airport itself is laid out in a series of parallel concourses that are labeled from A to F, with a Terminal concourse (“T”) preceding it. Domestic baggage claim is located in concourse T, while international baggage claim is found in concourse F. A few years ago, before the construction of concourse F, the international baggage claim was located in terminal E. This is known to lead to some confusion as not all the signs have been replaced – be careful!
Airlines and Routes
As this is the busiest airport in the world, it should also not come as a surprise that it is serviced by a large number of airlines from various alliances: from American to United and Southwest. It is, of course, the home for Delta, and it is not uncommon to see AirFrance and KoreanAir flights arrive and depart from Atlanta.
The routing options are similarly plentiful with options throughout Europe, the Pacific Rim, China, large portions of Africa, as well as Central and South America.
Lounges
At least one SkyClub can be found in each concourse at ATL, with some having two! Keep in mind that not all SkyClubs are created equal, however, with one of the two in a given terminal being much better than the other. The clubs at A17 and B23 are personal favorites, for example. They are roomy and the staff is always helpful.
In addition to the SkyClub options, you can find The Club in concourse F and an American Airline’s Admiral’s Club in concourse T. Access to The Club is available to members of LoungeClub, Priority Pass, or Diner’s Club International. Priority Pass is offered to all American Express Platinum and Citi Prestige cardholders, so it is the most common method of entry. My favorite thing about this lounge is that you are able to get Glenlivet 12 complimentary! Can’t beat free!
Miscellaneous
Two points of note for travel through Atlanta: they are trying a new boarding process with three parallel lanes which seems to be helping, and an annoyances were expressed with the TSA by the airport itself given absurd wait times.
Be sure to give yourself a little extra while the TSA tries to allocate additional man-power to handle the passenger volume (they certainly have the lanes…) when departing from Atlanta! This isn’t really a concern for passing through, unless you are transferring from an international flight to a domestic one.
Hotel Reviews: Sheraton Ann Arbor and Holiday Inn Tewksbury-Andover
Sheraton Ann Arbor
Location
The Ann Arbor Sheraton is located at exit 177 of I-94. Thanks to its ease of access to the interstate and location in South East Michigan, it is fairly popular for consultants in the region.
Amenities
In addition to a full-service restaurant (with room service) and bar, the Sheraton has one of the best equipped gyms that I have seen at a hotel. It has recently been upgraded with a second bench and full set of free-weights as well as a cable machine. Combined with a compliment of treadmills, ellipticals, and bikes, it is easy to stay active while on the road!
In all seriousness – the gym is one of the deciding factors when it comes to hotels for me. The other deciding factor is the internet access and stability! The hotel offers complimentary WiFi to all guests and while it can be spotty near elevators and when moving between floors, it is dependable within the room itself.
Room
I was upgraded to a Club level room this week, thanks to my status with the Starwood Preferred Guest program, and was given a room on the 6th floor. In addition to a couch, the room was furnished with a cotton robe and extra bottles of water.
Holiday Inn Tewksbury-Andover
Location
The Holiday Inn is located conveniently off of I-495 with excellent access to the interstate itself. It is roughly an hour’s drive away from BOS though it is only about 30 miles away.
Amenities
In addition to a fully equipped fitness center, the hotel offers two different dining options in-house: a full service restaurant as well as a pub. Room service is handled by the restaurant so it is not open until midnight, while the pub is.
Room
The room I was in, 524, was quite spacious with a roomy bed and comfortable couch. Best of all, all the furniture was comfortable! It is far too common to find beds and chairs that are a pain to occupy – literally!
Airport Information: Detroit Metropolitan Airport
Last week, between work and personal travel, I was bouncing between four airports – DTW, ATL, RDU, and BOS. Thanks to that, I am able to continue my series on airport information! Hopefully what I have to offer will be of some benefit to y’all.
Layout
Though difficult to tell from the picture above, the Detroit Metropolitan Airport is split into two completely independent structures: the North Terminal and the McNamara Terminal. The newer structure, the McNamara Terminal, handles Air France, Delta, and other SkyTeam code-shares (as well as the only Virgin Atlantic flight for DTW), while the older terminal handles all other airlines.
The McNamara Terminal is further divided into three concourses: A, B, and C. The larger planes arrive and depart from the A concourse while B and C handle regional jet traffic.
Lounges
There are four SkyClubs located in the McNamara Terminal: three within the A concourse alone, with the fourth between B and C. In the North terminal the only option is the Lufthansa club.
Routes
As a major international hub, DTW provides the opportunity to visit quite a few locations on a wide variety of planes. It is one of the few locations in the US where you can still fly a Delta 747-400, for example! Similarly, you can fly on Royal Jordanian’s 787 Dreamliner from the North Terminal.
The list of direct flights is quite large but some highlights include: Paris, Seoul, Tokyo, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, London, Shanghai, and Beijing!
Delta Diamond Medallion Package and A319 First Class
While I was traveling this week, I got a fun little surprise in the mail! My Diamond Medallion package arrived from Delta – complete with #BragTags. Instead of the traditional plastic luggage tag you receive with Platinum Medallion status, you get nicely machined aluminum tags at Diamond.
You also receive a handful of thank-you coupons to give particularly helpful or entertaining representatives. I wish we got more than just four, though – I frequently have excellent experiences with Delta flight attendants and phone representatives, and I wish I could acknowledge them all!
When flying this week, I managed to get upgraded for both flights on the way up to the customer site, including bulkhead on an A319. I am usually not a fan of bulkhead seats, but the A319 has a nice indentation which offers a hefty chunk of legroom!
Delta also introduced some new snacks, one of which is a fruit and nut pack by FlyFit – quite tasty!
What about you guys – come across any new snacks on your domestic flights?
Analysis of Benefits: United
Background
The “big three” airlines in the US (United, American, and Delta) are similar in many ways, but that is not to say they are all the same. There have been many changes to United over the past year, as well as some that I never knew about, that have given me hope for these airlines to break out of the rut they are in.
Upgrades
Let’s face it – the real reason we want frequent flier status, other than faster accrual rates, is to fly first class for free. Similar to Delta and American, you are given global and regional upgrade certificates upon reaching various tiers. You are also given the same option to upgrade to a higher class of service using miles – again akin to Delta and American.
The real way that United stands out from the pack is that upgrades clear based on the highest status on the reservation, not the lowest. This is huge when you travel with friends and family. Though Delta does not offer Diamond Medallion flyers premium drinks and snacks in coach, both American and United offer this to their top-tier fliers. Better yet, United now has an actual food menu.
Other Changes
United has recently brought back family boarding, as noted by MommyPoints, which is a wonderful change from a customer experience front. Forbes pointed out five other ways that they have improved over the past year as an airline, as well, and combined with the upgrade benefits versus other airlines, it is going to get very interesting going forward when comparing airlines.
Lounge and Alliance Benefits
Unlike Delta, United does not give complimentary lounge access to top-tier members. American Airlines does not offer this, either, but both United and American offer discounts based on your frequent flier status. It is far more economical to acquire a credit card to attain lounge access, however, as it is considerably cheaper.
United Club Card (not an affiliate link): $450 annual fee versus $550 if you buy the subscription outright
AAdvantage Executive Card (not an affiliate link): $450 annual fee versus $500+ if you buy the subscription outright, more for a family
As you can see, there are ways around this limitation, but it largely depends on how much time in an airport. The wireless and free alcohol are wonderful when it comes to spending hours in airports, as is a dedicated service line, but you can just as easily get access to a Priority Pass lounge using the Citi Prestige card (not an affiliate link), which also gives AAdvantage lounge access when flying on American.
Conclusion
All the changes to United are giving me hopes, to be honest. Their mileage earning rates are on-par with American and Delta, and their upgrade policy is far more generous. If nothing else, competition is always good for the consumer! What do you think?
PSA: Elephant Riding
I am generally not one to randomly bash what other people do on their vacations, I came across a very disturbing post today on Million Miler Secrets regarding a trip to India and an elephant ride. To properly understand my problem with this, it’s first important to understand some things about elephant anatomy.
Elephant Anatomy
The spine of an elephant has evolved over time to support weight that is suspended downward, not placed above onto it. Additionally the soles of their feet are not shod in any form, as you would a horse, leading to severe damage over time. This also leads to grinding against the bones on their feet.
In many parts of the world the treatment of these creatures is extremely suspect between what is known as the “crush”, forced breeding of females, and the elephants having to walk on surfaces that they are not accustomed to.
Ethical Experiences
That said, there are many ethical experiences available to you if you want to spend time with these marvelous creatures. Tiffany, over at OneMileAtATime posted of one such sanctuary in Thailand — Elephant’s World. For roughly 70 USD per day, per person, you can spend time taking care of elephants that have been rescued.
Just some food for thought!