Trip Report: Delta Airlines first class San Diego to Detroit

01. Introduction
02. Delta SkyClub San Diego
03. Delta Airlines first class San Diego to Detroit
04. Delta SkyClub Detroit
05. Westin Hotel Detroit Metropolitan Airport
06. Delta Airlines first class Detroit to San Diego

Today’s flight to DTW would be departing out of gate 48 at SAN, which just so happened to be the same gate used for my last DL flight out of here. Not a very interesting fact, I know, but I was looking forward to trying out some of the other Delta gate areas in this new terminal. Hey – we aviation geeks like this sort of stuff!

DL833
San Diego (SAN) – Detroit (DTW)
Sunday January 19 2014
Aircraft: Boeing 757-200
Seat: 4A (first)

N681DA delta 757 — Delta 757-200 N681DA side view illustration

Boarding was called right on time, and I got in the queue as soon as they called for first class. Luckily I didn’t have to fight my way through the crowds this time, which was a nice difference from my last few flights.

Once on board, I quickly found my seat (4A) and got settled in. A bottle of water and a fresh blanket was waiting on my seat, and the flight attendant quickly came by to ask if I wanted anything else to drink. Being that I had a window seat on this 4 hour flight today, I declined so that I could minimize trips to the lavatory. The guy sitting next to me in 4B didn’t waste any time, however – he drank a full can of beer before we even departed. He also spent the entire boarding process on the phone, which was another reminder to me how much I hate the thought of using cell phones on flights. I really (really) hope the airlines never allow voice calls!

Lunch orders were taken before takeoff, with the choice of pizza or a beef salad. I’ve heard horror stories over on flyertalk about how greasy that pizza can be, so I went with the salad. My hopes were that it would be a healthy option. Fingers crossed…

pushing back from the gate — Pushing back from gate 48 at SAN

runway 27 at SAN — Looking straight down runway 27 as we line up for departure

Departure and climb out were completely uneventful, and I did manage to get a few decent pics along the way.

terminal 2 east at SAN — Lifting off of with a great view of the old terminal 2 – and the daily JAL 787 to NRT!

view during departure — View of North Island Naval Air Station and Point Loma as we depart SAN

view of point loma from the air — A better view of Point Loma before we make the turn east

san diego from the air — Awesome view out the window of San Diego on a (typical) clear day

Hot towels were handed out about 10 minutes into the flight, followed quickly by the meal service. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much that was healthy about the salad – it had very little salad in it, and it consisted mostly of beef and roasted potatoes covered in some sort of cream sauce. I don’t deny that it was tasty, but I really wasn’t in the mood for something heavy. I ate about 1/4 of I then sent it back.

Delta Airlines first class beef salad — Beef salad in Delta Airlines first class

There weren’t any seat-back in flight entertainment screens on this aircraft, so I spent the remainder of the flight alternating between napping and taking pics out the window. The skies were amazingly clear all the way across the country today, and it didn’t become overcast until reaching the west coast of Michigan. Typical. I spent the first 22 years of my life in Michigan, and I always hated how it was seemingly permanently cloudy from December through April. Today wasn’t any different.