Delta Airlines Review

We took 2 roundtrip trips using Delta in 2007 and experienced many new things.  Overall, I found Delta to be enjoyable compared to airlines I've taken in the past, but they do have some downsides.  If someone out there finds a 5 star, always perfect airline, please let me know!  Otherwise, I'll continue flying Delta when I can.

Our First Airline Rewards Program
Before booking, I registered of us for the Skymiles program.  It's free, so what the heck.  After 2 trips, we both have approximately 8000 points.  However, you need 35000 to get any kind of ticket.  I don't see why you can't use points towards a discounted ticket.  In addition, the miles are expire in 2009.  We will never acquire 35000 points by 2009 even if we only fly Delta.  This reward program is only beneficial to people who fly dozens of times a year.  I'll still enter my Skymiles number when I use Delta, and just hope that someday we will benefit.

My Husband's First Flight
My husband had never been on a plane, so I thought it would be best if we stay in the United States for our Honeymoon.  Flying to Florida from Detroit took two short flights.  On the way there, we were up and down in no time.  The flights to Florida were both enjoyable, friendly service, and comfy seats.  My husband was starting to enjoy flying.

My First Non-Family Flight
Every trip I've taken before was family-related, so I had never booked flights before.  The Delta website was easy to use and full of reliable information.  I booked early and was able to see when some of my flight times changed.  At the airport, we enjoyed the self-service computers!  You can check in, print tickets, and then a person comes to check your bags.  It was nice to skip the line and go to the computers.  My first booking experience was very easy and pleasant. 

My First Small Plane
Since 2 of our flights were short, we got to ride on a smaller plane once each way.  These planes had about 14 rows.  One plane had only 3 seats across and the other had 4 seats.  The seats were bigger than I'm used to and comfortable enough for us to sleep.  I LOVED both these flights and wish every flight was this comfy and spacious.  Too bad these small planes don't fly for long distances.

My First Weather Related Delay
On the way home from Florida, we got stuck circling Atlanta due to a storm, no flights were allowed in.  Eventually we were diverted for an hour to refuel.  We were stuck in the plane for 5 hours... not fun.  I wish they would have let us out to stretch our legs.  I don't understand why, if you are landed and not moving, they can't let people off just for 10 minutes to stretch. 

The pilot did keep us informed, however I he gave information too quickly.  Example "we are stopping in Birmingham for 10 minutes to refuel"... then 1 minute later "I've just been told we are 5th in line to refuel"... then 1 minute later "I've just been told they need to get another truck because they used all the fuel so it will be about 30 minutes".  I know it's nice to keep us informed, but I felt like he should have collected more information each time rather than just sharing every single thing he was told.  We were getting excited by his news, then quickly disappointed.

We had a 6 hour layover so we thought we'd had time to make our flight. Then we found there were no available gates!  We sat on the plane for another 30 minutes while our flight to Detroit flew away.  It felt like they could have let us out.  By the time they let us off, our plane was gone and we were rebooked to the next morning.  That was one good thing, they automatically rebooked us on the next available flight.

Delta gave us a voucher for a hotel and a bag of crap that no one needs.  We weren't given much information on how to use the voucher, just directed outside to the buses.  There were TONS of people at the buses.  By the time we got there is was almost 1 AM and we had to be back by 6 AM, so we went back and slept... I mean sat up all night... at the airport.  Delta didn't even give blankets and it was freezing. They should have a better system for these situations because it felt like we were thrown our "essentials" pack and that's it.  The only good thing was that our flight from Atlanta to Detroit was a small comfy plane so we got 45 minutes of sleep.

My First Delayed Luggage
Due to the flight mishap, we had a luggage mishap.  Make sure you save your luggage sticker they give you when you check in because if you don't have that they are almost unable to help you.  Luckily I kept these stickers.  They wrote down our info and said we'd receive it at home within 24 hours or so.  We received it the next morning delivered to our house.  It sucked that it was delayed, but it's nice how easy it was to get it.

My First Snack Pack
Prior to my Honeymoon in May 2007, I had not been on a plane since 2000.  In the past, I got a meal.  Imagine my surprise when I find out you only get snacks. We got a Snack Pack that had 3-4 small items which were yummy but not filling.  On long flights, we got one more snack.  Make sure you bring your own snacks in your carryon.

My First Overnight Flight
Finally, I booked an overnight flight for the trip home from Vegas because I didn't want to waste a whole day of vacation.  I will never do this again because my husband won't let me... and I also just wouldn't.  I had learned from our airport sleepover that I should pack my own blanket, but they did give us two thin, individually wrapped, Delta blankets.  I let my husband have both.  It was exciting to look out at the dark and lights.  However, the excitement faded when I could not get comfy!  We were both exhausted, and both incredibly uncomfortable.  The seats were small and cramped.  If only we could have taken a flight in one of those smaller planes. 

The End!
It's hard to judge an airline for the problems I had because I don't know how other airlines would handle these issues.  I have to give them 4 stars because the ticketing process is easy, the service was great, they show movies, the flights all left on time, the small planes were perfect, and I didn't have any nervous breakdowns!  Some may think my rating is generous, but in the end the good flights outweigh the bad experiences.  Plus, I've learned from my experiences and I hope you do too!!  Thanks for reading!