Elite status: none
Aircraft type:
B737-900ER
Seat: 20D (exit row aisle) and changed to 19D
Padding:
Padding in the seat was soft and adequate. Based on my own recent flying experience this was softer than other seats I have flown in new interiors.
Recline:
My seats did not recline due to its position in the exit row. This would only be OK for a short flight such as this one.
Pitch:
Pitch in the exit row had slightly more room than a standard seat. I had 4 inches of space between my knee and the seat in front.
There were 17.25 inches between the arm rests. The living space was 29 inches from seat back to seat in front.
MSY-ATL
December 15, 2019
Distance: 425 miles
Schedule:
Depart: 7:10PM
Arrive: 9:35PM
Scheduled: 1h 25m
Push back: 7:06PM (4 minutes early)
Touch down: 9:16PM (19 minutes early)
Arrived at gate 10m later
Actual duration: 1h 10m
Cost:
Paid with: miles
Prices at time of booking:
Miles:
Cash:
Payment method reasoning: I don’t chase airline status.
Boarding:
Boarding was smooth and done by zone. I was early to board since I had an exit row seat. Being a popular tourist city the amount of inexperienced flyers took longer than normal to board.
That said boarding did complete a little early since the flight was not completely full. I got lucky and was able to move one seat forward to the extra leg room exit row all to my self!
Service:
Flight attendants did a good job of helping passengers to their seats and stow bags in the overhead bins.
After pushback the captain announce an air traffic control delay of about 10 minutes and said we would still arrive early. Our delay was only a couple of minutes in the end.
Soon after takeoff the combined drink and snack service started. They were able to serve the entire cabin very quickly.
Near the end of the flight a flight attendant came through and told each connecting passenger their connecting gate which was a nice touch.
IFE and power:
Touch screen IFE and in seat power were both available on this aircraft. Each seat had its own USB port and each row had 2 power outlets below the seat in front.
The touch screen worked well. Entertainment options included Movies, Tv shows, Live TV, kids options, music, games, and the flight tracking app.
WiFi:
WiFi was available on this aircraft. I did not purchase the WiFi but used the in flight messaging which is free and worked well once above 10,000 feet.
Food:
Because of the short flight only Biscoff cookies or Cheezit crackers were offered. I had the crackers.
Food aside from the free snack options was not available on this flight. The photos of the menu are provided for reference.
Drinks:
Full drink service was offered on our flight. Options included soft drinks, water, juices, coffee, and tea. Alcoholic beverages were also available for purchase in economy class.
I had a Coke and a water.
The alcoholic drink menu is shown here for reference.
Best seats:
Bulkhead and recline exit row seats are best. Comfort plus are the best best option. Otherwise any aisle or window seat would be good.
Pros:
The new IFE and better onboard WiFi are great for longer flights. The abundance of charging ports was also good. I got lucky to have the exit row all to myself on this flight also.
Cons:
The non reclining seat would be bad for a longer flight. The newer aircraft has less pitch than older configurations.
Would I fly again?
Yes! Delta generally has good onboard service, comfortable seats, and a reliable on time record above other domestic airlines. Convenience for my travel needs also helps.
