Review: Delta One 757 Washington DCA To Los Angeles

Wait, you were freaked out by a single cockroach in your vacation rental in Palm Springs, but completely nonchalant about that disgusting Q-Tip. Somethings off here. If there was ever a time to throw a fit and look for compensation, I'd vote for Q-tip over cockroach any day.

Great! But are you planning a review for the Skyclub at DCA? It got renovated a few months ago, and there aren’t many reviews online currently of the renovated skyclub.

JetBlue will never fly transcons out of DCA because the short runway there means you’d need a 757 to do it (high thrust to weight ratio). Also DCA (and LGA) have perimeter rule restrictions meaning flights over ~3-4 hours need special exemptions to operate. Exemptions are more lenient in DCA than LGA.

The Q-tip is f'n gross. I'd emailed Delta customer service about that and surely they'll throw some Skypesos your way to compensate you for that nasty sh*t.

No use of the wifi? Wonder what the price on board is versus the $16 charged at booking.

Seems like a decent flight but wow, that food looks... sad.

Food looks pretty decent to me - not sure what @Alpha is expecting. Particularly the beef. Chicken looks kind of meh.

Also, who the f*ck cleans their ears while sitting in their seat on a plane!?! That is just weird. The Qtip is gross.

Nice review! Cute pic too...

@Andrew
It's been along time since I last flew into DCA. So do they still go through the special DCA security procedure introduced after 9/11-- everyone must remained seated for the last half hour before landing
Thanks

do you have a boyfriend?

that q tip on the plane is worse than a bug in a hotel room... did you dispute the charge for the flight before or after you landed?

@neil - they havent done that landing procedure at DCA for YEARS.

Just curious, did they serve ketchup with the shrimp appetizer? That did not look like cocktail sauce lol.

@neil DCA is my home airport. I didn't fly regularly after 9/11 as I was in high school at the time but the approach protocol seems normal to me. Could still be the case, though.

Qtip is beyond disgusting both being used at the seat and left behind. I mean that's seriously gross.

Regular DCA flyer. The formal approach protocol is gone. But I do feel they turn on the fasten-seat belt sign earlier than a lot of other flights.

I'm an AA flyer who routinely goes to LAX on the 737 MAX. If Delta ever improved their SkyPescos redemption, people like me would flock in a heart beat to DL.

@Jason
Thanks for the update. I always thought that was a bit of extreme security theater. Glad to hear that it was abandoned years ago

I must have been on the inbound flight from LAX on the same day, because that's my q-tip from seat 4A! Glad you enjoyed it.

I really enjoyed this review!

Loved the review and your cheeky comments! Hope you and your boyfriend had a great trip! Enjoy hearing about him a little bit as I think it adds some personality to the review! keep it up!

Thanks for your brave stance against oatmeal raisin cookies - people like us need to keep fighting the good fight #TeamChocolateChip

"For dinner I had pre-ordered the chicken"

said no one ever

Too cheap to spend $175 for an AU card so your boyfriend (+2 others) can access SkyClub?

Thanks for this review. I always fly the 757 United PS service to EWR from SFO. I also fly frequently into Washington area. It appears that the seat & service on the Delta One 757 is almost exactly as the seating & service of the UA PS 757 seats & service.
Thanks.

Unfortunately, if you had notified the crew re the used q-Tip, they probably would have shrugged it off!

It appears the Qtip was on the small tray that slides into the armrest area. The obviously tacky previous passenger apparently placed it there then secured the tray. Those trays are not touched unless the aircraft has numerous hours between flights. Crass people are everywhere. Airlines cannot discriminate, waxy ears and tacky behavior is not a reason to deny any passenger. Yes it was gross. Blame the culprit.

I lost track of the number of times you mentioned your boyfriend. Congrats on sharing what must be an apparently new experience for you. I do not bother with social media - speaking only for me viewing pictures of anyone's food seems a total waste of time. Everyone eats food. Enough said. Moving on - just as I did once I saw pix of a tray of airline food. I should have exited with the first ramekin of nuts appeared. Seriously?!? It was just nuts in a tiny container.

This highlights part of AA's problems. DCA-LAX flies between two of AA's hubs and yet they offer plain old 737s with recliner seats (and even the MAX on some flights). While Delta can seemingly offer a much higher end product and has found a market of people willing to pay for it.

AA needs to pay attention. DCA is their market to lose. If they would just up their game, there are plenty of people here willing to pay for it.

AA also needs to figure out what to do about the capacity constraints of DCA. They have a big base of elites here but not enough flights. Maybe start offering at least a little more capacity out of IAD. They don't even fly to some of their biggest hubs (ORD, MIA, PHL, JFK) out of Dulles yet someone like Delta manages to fly to DTW, MSP, JFK (and of course ATL). What is wrong with AA?

A part of me doesn't believe you. I've been DM/PM in Delta for a couple years and I've never been able to apply certificates towards a flight bought with the BOGO AmEx Delta Platinum card.

It is against their rules, and no exceptions (I have tried HUCA a couple times) yet somehow you got it applied in your first call no problem. Hm.

I guess I'm just mad at Delta, sorry.

Were the nuts warmed?

Did you use the SkyClub in LAX? Where are the pics?

You complain about the red and blue cabin color palette while wearing a solid red sweater and solid blue jeans.

@Alonzo: It was cocktail sauce, I promise!

@Joe Chivas: You seem to be producing a *lot* of ear wax. See a doctor! 😉

@Scott: Totally agree with your points on AA.

@Tom: Their rules seem to explicitly allow it -- see https://www.delta.com/content/www/en_US/skymiles/medallion-program/medallion-upgrades.html#certificate ("Upgrade Certificates can be used on most paid tickets, Pay with Miles tickets, and Companion Certificates.")

@Peter: I'm not an aircraft interior. (Also the pants were black!)

New drinking game...take a sip every time you see the word "boyfriend" 😉

Nice review overall, but it would have been nice to see a few pics of the lounge as well, since it isn't a lounge you see featured in many trip reports.

Thanks for the TUMI discount code in one of the images!

So wait, lie-flat seats and both legs are daytime flights?

Where's the consistency, DL? No used cotton swab on the return trip??? Sheesh!

Nice report about Delta One from DCA-LAX. Looks like you had a great flight!

What about SKy Club? where r the pics bro

Did you get the Tumi amenity kit on the daytime flight back to DCA?

@Lan: Yes!

@Tom: The upgrade certificate which accompanies the Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express only began allowing upgrades in 2018. Prior to that, you stayed in main cabin regardless of your status. On a recent flight we were both upgraded on two of our four segments using this companion certificate. I'm only a lowly Silver Medallion, so I was pleasantly surprised. (PHX-MSP and OMA-DTW).

Eastbound departure @ LAX. In 2018 delta claimed they would entirely rebuild terminal 3 The SkyWay Still waiting. ... nothing ... t2/3 need to be integrated t2 with a nice new sky club Not the awful one they presently have there When ? Meanwhile AA is redeveloping t4/5 But t3 remains the worst at LAX.

By all accounts DL does everything right.

So why oh why do they leave me so cold unlike any other carrier?? There is something off, something below the surface that is not quite right. Their interiors are hideous and look like they belong on a LLC in China.!!

@scott most AA customers fly out of DCA. Also, AA doesn't have the right aircraft for lie flat seat service. They few 757 left are used for international flights. Like Lima and AMS out of phl. They are not going to put a larger aicraft / and they are not willing to remove any 321t out of New York.

Great review, wished you included the lounge though!

I am taking the flight tomorrow morning. I hate transcon flights, so I paid for the Delta One seat, even though work will not reimburse me for the full fare. But my sanity comes first. Great review hopefully my SAN to LAX flight is on time so I don’t miss my connecting flight.
Cheers

I really appreciate your commentary I live in Annapolis Maryland now and any flight to LA out of Baltimore is pretty awful you have to go through Atlanta or far worse Salt Lake City look it up you’ll see what I mean if you have to fly through Salt Lake City make sure you go to the gym at least one straight month, you’ll need to be in perfect cardio shape! I was not… Anyway thanks for the comment I’m definitely going to book the 757 direct to Los Angeles from DC. Just before the pandemic I flew from JFK to Seattle on a refitted 757 is nearly as nice as the pictures that you put here.