For the second segment of my Allegris round the world journey, I flew Delta Air Lines’ Airbus A319 first class on the 3hr25min flight from Minneapolis (MSP) to Vancouver (YVR).
All-in-all, this was a perfectly fine flight, though not as good as the Delta Boeing 737 first class flight from Miami (MIA) that I had just come off of. While Delta’s A319s have a comfortable first class cabin with great entertainment and Wi-Fi, the snack on this flight left a bit to be desired. There was also a pretty funny situation in the cabin, which I’ll get into a bit later…
How I booked my Delta first class ticket
I decided to fly Delta from Miami to Vancouver via Minneapolis, given that the airline had the best first class fare and schedule for my last minute booking. Specifically, I booked the following in first class for $762:
5/01 DL1565 Miami to Minneapolis departing 6:00AM arriving 8:51AM
5/01 DL2489 Minneapolis to Vancouver departing 10:05AM arriving 11:56AM
In this installment I’m reviewing Delta’s A319 first class from the second segment, and in the previous installment I reviewed Delta’s 737 first class from the first segment.
Delta first class lounge & boarding
I had a roughly 75-minute connection in Minneapolis, but due to a delay on my inbound flight, I ended up getting to the departure gate for my Vancouver flight the second boarding started.
My boarding pass indicated that boarding would start at 9:10AM, 55 minutes before departure, which sure seems aggressive for an A319 (though I recognize that early boarding is because this is an international flight). Boarding actually started at 9:25AM.
While I didn’t have time to visit the lounge, there’s a fairly new Delta Sky Club in Minneapolis, which I’ve heard great things about. I hope to check it out next time.
Delta A319 first class cabin & seats
Delta’s Airbus A319s feature a total of 12 first class seats, spread across three rows in a 2-2 configuration. Seats have 37″ of pitch and 21″ of width, so that’s pretty standard for domestic first class within the United States.
Delta does an incredible job with keeping its cabins modern, even when aircraft aren’t. For example, the A319 I was flying on was 22 years old, but you wouldn’t have known it based on the interior. I also like how Delta’s seats are stitched and have some accent lines and the Delta widget, as it makes it a bit more interesting than American’s first class seat, for example.
I assigned myself seat 3B, the aisle seat on the left side in the last row of first class. I’m usually a window seat guy, but this was the last available seat when I booked.
The seats as such were basically the same as on the 737, with a seat back television, and three separate seat back pockets.
In addition to the USB-A outlet underneath the personal entertainment monitor, there were also two AC power outlets underneath the center seat console.
The tray table extended from the center console as well, and could be folded over in half, and was quite flimsy.
My one frustration with Delta’s first class seats is that it seems like the seats recline quite a bit. When the person in front of you reclines, you almost have to recline as well, or else the seat will basically be in your face.
Delta’s A319s have larger overhead bins that let you store bags on their sides, to maximize the amount of space. However, it seems people really struggle with using these, since they automatically close, so it’s hard to lift your bag while also keeping the bin open.
Lastly, I really like the personal consoles above the seats, with reading lights and individual air nozzles, which feel quite modern.
Delta first class amenities
There was a bottle of water waiting at each first class seat upon boarding. On top of that, the flight attendant offered pre-departure drinks of choice, and I decided to order a sparkling water.
Earbuds were also distributed, not just in first class, but throughout the cabin.
Delta doesn’t offer pillows and blankets in standard domestic first class, with the exception of redeye flights.
Delta A319 first class entertainment & Wi-Fi
Delta has among the best inflight entertainment of any airline in the world, in terms of both seat back programming and Wi-Fi.
Delta Studio is the name of Delta’s seat back entertainment, which includes a huge selection of programming, from movies, to TV shows, to live TV, to audio. The selection is impressive in terms of quantity and quality, and just about everyone should have no issues staying occupied throughout the flight.
Delta also offers free inflight Wi-Fi for all SkyMiles members. You just have to log-in with your SkyMiles account information, and then you can connect with one click. Delta uses Viasat for its inflight Wi-Fi on A319s.
I found the speeds to be reasonably good, though not as good as on American. That makes sense, when you consider there’s a lot more demand for Wi-Fi when it’s free, and ultimately bandwidth is a limited resource in the sky.
Thanks to Delta Sync, there’s all kinds of streaming entertainment you can watch through your own device, though I can’t imagine that’s used all that much, given the seat back entertainment options.
Delta’s entertainment is tough to beat, so kudos to the airline for that.
Delta A319 departure from Minneapolis
Boarding was reasonably efficient, and by 9:55AM (30 minutes after boarding began), the main cabin door was closed. At this point the captain made his welcome aboard announcement, informing us of our flight time of 3hr25min, and our cruising altitude of 34,000 feet. Moments later, the safety video was screened.
At 10:05AM we began our pushback, and then at 10:10AM we began our taxi. It was only a short distance to the departure runway, and we were airborne by 10:15AM. Since I wasn’t in a window seat, I couldn’t really take pictures outside.
Delta first class snack service
After takeoff, the flight attendant came through the cabin to take drink orders. I decided to order a Diet Coke, served in proper glassware.
After that, the flight attendant passed through the cabin with a basic snack basket, containing Biscoffs and roasted almonds.
This is where it gets weird, though. Prior to my flight, I noticed that I couldn’t pre-order my meal, as is usually possible when flying in Delta first class. I figured that was just a glitch for some reason, but nope. As it turns out, Delta just served a boxed snack on this flight.
The choices were described as a chicken breast salad and grain bowl with balsamic vinaigrette, or a fruit and cheese plate. By the time they got to the third row, they only had the former available, so that’s what I had.
This was served in a disposable box. I mean, at least the presentation was pretty decent as far as boxed snacks go, but still…
The main portion of the snack looked tasty, but I found it to taste bland. Nothing had much flavor, everything was mushy, and the dish was also room temperature.
This was served with some packaged sourdough flatbread, plus a chocolate chunk cookie.
I’m a little confused by this, so does anyone understand why Delta would serve this on a 3hr25min flight departing at around 10AM and arriving at around 12PM, not accounting for a two hour time change?
Delta’s website indicates that the airline serves meals on flights of at least 900 miles over “select departure times,” and notes that a “limited number of flights may serve fresh meal boxes.” Here’s my confusion:
- Is there no full meal service because Delta considers this flight to be between standard meal times? That seems really cheap if so, since this flight leaves at 10AM and arrives at 2PM based on where the traveler departed from, so a meal seems appropriate
- Even if Delta views this as a snack flight, why serve it in a disposable box, rather than have it properly plated?
- Is this because Delta roundtrip caters the flight to & from Vancouver, and gallery space is limited? But even if that’s the case, why isn’t there enough room in the galley? There are plenty of routes that are roundtrip catered with proper plating
Anyway, the whole thing just felt cheap and disappointing, especially when departing a hub, and given the excellent meal I had on the previous flight.
Delta A319 first class lavatory
Delta’s Airbus A319s have a first class lavatory located at the front of the cabin, by the cockpit. The lavatory is a bit bigger than on the 737, and like the rest of the cabin, felt modern.
An interesting seat mate situation in the cabin
The most memorable part of this flight wasn’t even anything having to do with the airline, but rather a couple of the people seated in front of me. Honestly, it almost felt like this was a plot from a movie.
There were two surgeons seated in front of me (a younger woman, and a middle aged man), who were going to some sort of surgeon conference in Vancouver, or something. A few minutes after settling in, it became clear that they actually knew one another.
Let’s just say that there was some noticeable “energy” between the two, to put it mildly. You could cut the tension with a (surgical) knife. And I wasn’t even eavesdropping, or anything, it was just literally evident to anyone within a couple of rows of them. Heck, the flight attendant even said “are you two single, because if so…”
When the flight attendant later found out they were both surgeons, she seemed to basically view the flight as a medical consultation, and started asking them about what kind of procedures she should get done, if they think her doctor is doing a good job with botox, etc.
Delta A319 arrival in Vancouver
I spent most of the flight working, and before I knew it, we were getting close to Vancouver.
At 11:10AM Vancouver time, the captain was back on the PA to announce that we’d be landing in around 30 minutes. At that point the seatbelt sign was immediately turned on, and flight attendants were told to prepare the cabin for landing.
Our descent was smooth, and the views on the approach were breathtaking, as it was a beautiful day in Vancouver. This is definitely an approach where you want a window seat, if possible.
Sure enough, we had a smooth touchdown in Vancouver at 11:40AM. We then taxied to the ramp, but our gate was still occupied, so we had to wait for around 10 minutes. We finally arrived at 11:55AM, just a minute ahead of schedule.
Bottom line
My Delta A319 first class flight was a mixed bag. On the plus side, Delta has modern cabins (despite the older plane), extensive seat back entertainment, free Wi-Fi, and power ports. At the same time, I was confused by the service on this flight. Not only wasn’t there a full meal, but it was served in disposable packaging. That just just feels cheap, and I’m curious why that kind of service is offered on this flight.
What do you make of Delta’s Airbus A319 first class?
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