Buster CT1K
May 30, 06, 10:24 am
JFK-SEA
May 27, 2006
DL 1297
sched dep 1055 arr 1346
actual dep 1130 arr 1349
Boeing 757-200 (ex-song)
The E-subway-and-Airtrain combo brought me to JFK within 1h 10min of my departure from midtown. Unfortunately the Airtrain was unairconditioned, not a major problem but slightly uncomfortable in the gathering early summer humidity.
I had checked in online the previous day, and exited the Airtrain on the upper-roadway level, where business elite passengers are usually dropped of by car. There was no wait at the small security checkpoint on this floor and the TSA staff were pleasant. I headed straight to the Crown Room Club, where my Amex Plat card allowed me entry. En route, I observed the total dump that passes for DL's terminal at JFK. The fixtures are dated, there is little natural lighting, the entire terminal is fraying at the seems. And the roof over the BusinessElite roadway is coming apart. The DL terminal was mostly deserted this Saturday.
There was to be no meal on this flight and a chat with the CRC agents confirmed this. Thus, once I saw the plane come in late from Florida (boarding was originally for 1025 but the aircraft pulled up at 1020) I had to leave early to get a bagel. Boarding was chaos. Fortunately, despite my seat 10A being in zone 7, I was able to snag overhead bin space. In fact, there was no need to gate-check any bags.
10A has to be one of the best seats on this ex-song 757. There is a good amount of leg room between 9B and the exit door, so I could stretch out. Being nimble enough, I was also able to get in and out from my seat directly forwards instead of disturbing 10BC. Also, because the video screen folds out from the expanded "armrest" to the left of 9B, 10A also has control over the window next to row 9. Thus I got two windows! I like windows.
Delta's ex-song entertainment system is far superior to jetBlue's and to any other domestic carrier's. It is touch-screen activated, meaning you have much easier access to VOD ($5), audio-on-demand (free), TV channels (free), and the all-important in-flight map.
There were two drink-and-snack services. The first snack service was in pre-packed boxes with some cheese spread, raisins and tiny bread chips that I found unappetizing. The second service was a choice of snacks from a box, including granola bars, smoked-cheese crackers and ruffle chips.
The flight crew was quite nice, except for one matron whom I asked to give me "a can of diet coke, please."
"I can't give you the can now, but I'll give it to you later."
"OK. I would also like a bottle of water please."
(FA showers me with a brief glare, and never brings me a can of diet coke.)
Nevertheless, I was my charming self throughout the flight, asking nicely for more water when necessary and clearing my own trash, so the FAs were nice back. I would say DL's service level on these two flights were way above the average that I usually find on UA domestic flights in Y.
Song's aircraft interiors are well-known to be colorful. The service is supposed to be colorful too, but of course it's all DL service now. I was hoping to hear Song's 757 safety briefing but that did not happen.
I watched a bit of TV, listened to Spamalot on audio, slept briefly from Michigan to Minnesota, and was reading a chapter of "Collapse" about the Bitteroot-area coincidentally as we flew over western Montana. A pity it was cloudy.
Overall it was a great flight, and anticipating the weekend in Seattle made it even better. We made up some time en route and touched down only a few minutes late.
I exited the aircraft into a fairly deserted SEA airport like a bolt of lighting, and was first in line at the taxi rank for a ride to the W Seattle.
W Seattle
May 27-29, 2006
This was my first time at any W, and I was treated to a warm welcome. I had booked a pre-paid stay online a month in advance and my gold status was recognized. I enquired about an upgrade and was told that I was already "upgraded" to the 26th floor. FTers had told me golds could get a corner room, and so I asked if it was a corner room. The desk agent told me the only corner available was on the 4th floor, and the 26th was better. I went up and found an accessible bathroom. So, the grass being always greener on the other side, I asked for a room change and got myself the 4th floor corner room. Unfortunately, one side faced the garage, and the other faced the Fairmont Olympic. So, no view, but this room was huge.
The decor all over the W is contemporary, and the room was no different. There were wooden blinds instead of curtains, a large free-standing flat-screen TV, lots of space, nice bathroom, Bliss toiletries, comfy bed and an edgily designed couch. the only problem was that a shelf in one cupboard had been destroyed and left unfixed.
In-room internet access is exorbitant, but wifi is free in the lobby. As a result, several guests (primarily young and cute) were in the lobby using their laptops at any given time. I had a delicous burger (by this time, it was 7pm EDT and I had only had a bagel and a few DL snacks during the day).
The W positions itself as being gay-friendly, and this certainly to be the case. There was a gay couple who was lounging and chatting on one couch one evening, and they did so for hours. Whatever, whenever. Another thing I noticed was the lack of a Bible in the room. Yes, if you're gay, you really don't need Leviticus 18:22 sitting in your bedside table drawer. Bonus points to W and Starwood! (Sometimes however, the W chain's gay friendliness feels overwrought, or at least hokey. For example, one can pay $50 over the lowest price per night, and get a copy of the Brokeback Mountain DVD and a movie poster. No thanks.)
Service was almost uniformly excellent. I was addressed as Mr. CT1K throughout my stay, except at departure.
Seattle was rainy. However, I enjoyed a couple of seafood restaurants during my memorial weekend trip, and also made a couple of new friends on Capitol Hill. I showed my room to one of my cute new friends (he was visiting from out-of-town and staying at the Sheraton); his reaction was "WOW.... WOW!" I also got caught up on sleep and did a couple of workouts at the fairly spare workout room. The workout room could certainly use some better equipment. Why spend so much effort on an edgy, contemporary lobby, but procure a treadmill comparable to an old couch for the gym? Overall, however, I'd give this stay an A grade. I'd been meaning to try a W for a while, and this one came in at the right price point.
My departure on Memorial Day, May 29, 2006, was uneventful. I wolfed down another burger in the lobby, checked my email, finalized the bill and departed by taxi on uncrowded roads for the airport.
JFK-SEA
May 29, 2006
DL 1298
sched dep 1430 arr 2256
actual dep 1425 arr 2239
Boeing 757-200 (ex-song)
I feared a long line at the airport, but there was no line for the check-in kiosk and the TSA wait was only 5 minutes. The kiosk offered me a seat change, and I gladly accepted exit row seat 17C. The walk to the Delta gates at the end of A-pier is not bad, helped along by the moving walkways. The CRC was very quiet, being a holiday Monday, and I was warmly welcomed. I love this CRC. This portion of SEA looks brand-new, and the CRC has a view of the gates, so one knows exactly when one's aircraft is boarding.
The plane boarded half an hour before departure. Despite being in zone 8, I boarded as the aircraft was boarding zones 1-7. I sat next to a Russian model on the plane, who seemed to be with her brother. Very pretty, but of course, not my type. Pushback and take off happened on time. Great view of Mt. Rainier from the right side poking up from the low clouds as we took off to the south then climbed to the east.
The IFE presented one of its limitations early in this flight - electronics are complicated! Madonna insistently blared through my Bose headphones despite the TV showing NBC. A seat reset did not work. Other passengers had no audio. Eventually, the FAs implemented a planewide reboot, which seemed to resolve the problems. I watched some news (isn't it odd to watch the evening news when it's only 3pm local time and the sun is high in the sky?), and then I watched the Apprentice.
There were the same two drink-and-snack services as before. Service was gracious, and the crew passed through the cabin often to pick up trash. Having had such a wonderful weekend in Seattle, I was positively radiating friendliness, and probably got a lot back. One crew member didn't even seem to want to charge me for my (alcoholic) drinks!
Airtrain-and-E got me back to midtown about 1h20min counting from disembarkation time. At this late hour, the E runs local, so the trip is longer than the usual 1h. Fortunately, the late hour meant there was ample place to sit, unlike during morning rush hour.
May 27, 2006
DL 1297
sched dep 1055 arr 1346
actual dep 1130 arr 1349
Boeing 757-200 (ex-song)
The E-subway-and-Airtrain combo brought me to JFK within 1h 10min of my departure from midtown. Unfortunately the Airtrain was unairconditioned, not a major problem but slightly uncomfortable in the gathering early summer humidity.
I had checked in online the previous day, and exited the Airtrain on the upper-roadway level, where business elite passengers are usually dropped of by car. There was no wait at the small security checkpoint on this floor and the TSA staff were pleasant. I headed straight to the Crown Room Club, where my Amex Plat card allowed me entry. En route, I observed the total dump that passes for DL's terminal at JFK. The fixtures are dated, there is little natural lighting, the entire terminal is fraying at the seems. And the roof over the BusinessElite roadway is coming apart. The DL terminal was mostly deserted this Saturday.
There was to be no meal on this flight and a chat with the CRC agents confirmed this. Thus, once I saw the plane come in late from Florida (boarding was originally for 1025 but the aircraft pulled up at 1020) I had to leave early to get a bagel. Boarding was chaos. Fortunately, despite my seat 10A being in zone 7, I was able to snag overhead bin space. In fact, there was no need to gate-check any bags.
10A has to be one of the best seats on this ex-song 757. There is a good amount of leg room between 9B and the exit door, so I could stretch out. Being nimble enough, I was also able to get in and out from my seat directly forwards instead of disturbing 10BC. Also, because the video screen folds out from the expanded "armrest" to the left of 9B, 10A also has control over the window next to row 9. Thus I got two windows! I like windows.
Delta's ex-song entertainment system is far superior to jetBlue's and to any other domestic carrier's. It is touch-screen activated, meaning you have much easier access to VOD ($5), audio-on-demand (free), TV channels (free), and the all-important in-flight map.
There were two drink-and-snack services. The first snack service was in pre-packed boxes with some cheese spread, raisins and tiny bread chips that I found unappetizing. The second service was a choice of snacks from a box, including granola bars, smoked-cheese crackers and ruffle chips.
The flight crew was quite nice, except for one matron whom I asked to give me "a can of diet coke, please."
"I can't give you the can now, but I'll give it to you later."
"OK. I would also like a bottle of water please."
(FA showers me with a brief glare, and never brings me a can of diet coke.)
Nevertheless, I was my charming self throughout the flight, asking nicely for more water when necessary and clearing my own trash, so the FAs were nice back. I would say DL's service level on these two flights were way above the average that I usually find on UA domestic flights in Y.
Song's aircraft interiors are well-known to be colorful. The service is supposed to be colorful too, but of course it's all DL service now. I was hoping to hear Song's 757 safety briefing but that did not happen.
I watched a bit of TV, listened to Spamalot on audio, slept briefly from Michigan to Minnesota, and was reading a chapter of "Collapse" about the Bitteroot-area coincidentally as we flew over western Montana. A pity it was cloudy.
Overall it was a great flight, and anticipating the weekend in Seattle made it even better. We made up some time en route and touched down only a few minutes late.
I exited the aircraft into a fairly deserted SEA airport like a bolt of lighting, and was first in line at the taxi rank for a ride to the W Seattle.
W Seattle
May 27-29, 2006
This was my first time at any W, and I was treated to a warm welcome. I had booked a pre-paid stay online a month in advance and my gold status was recognized. I enquired about an upgrade and was told that I was already "upgraded" to the 26th floor. FTers had told me golds could get a corner room, and so I asked if it was a corner room. The desk agent told me the only corner available was on the 4th floor, and the 26th was better. I went up and found an accessible bathroom. So, the grass being always greener on the other side, I asked for a room change and got myself the 4th floor corner room. Unfortunately, one side faced the garage, and the other faced the Fairmont Olympic. So, no view, but this room was huge.
The decor all over the W is contemporary, and the room was no different. There were wooden blinds instead of curtains, a large free-standing flat-screen TV, lots of space, nice bathroom, Bliss toiletries, comfy bed and an edgily designed couch. the only problem was that a shelf in one cupboard had been destroyed and left unfixed.
In-room internet access is exorbitant, but wifi is free in the lobby. As a result, several guests (primarily young and cute) were in the lobby using their laptops at any given time. I had a delicous burger (by this time, it was 7pm EDT and I had only had a bagel and a few DL snacks during the day).
The W positions itself as being gay-friendly, and this certainly to be the case. There was a gay couple who was lounging and chatting on one couch one evening, and they did so for hours. Whatever, whenever. Another thing I noticed was the lack of a Bible in the room. Yes, if you're gay, you really don't need Leviticus 18:22 sitting in your bedside table drawer. Bonus points to W and Starwood! (Sometimes however, the W chain's gay friendliness feels overwrought, or at least hokey. For example, one can pay $50 over the lowest price per night, and get a copy of the Brokeback Mountain DVD and a movie poster. No thanks.)
Service was almost uniformly excellent. I was addressed as Mr. CT1K throughout my stay, except at departure.
Seattle was rainy. However, I enjoyed a couple of seafood restaurants during my memorial weekend trip, and also made a couple of new friends on Capitol Hill. I showed my room to one of my cute new friends (he was visiting from out-of-town and staying at the Sheraton); his reaction was "WOW.... WOW!" I also got caught up on sleep and did a couple of workouts at the fairly spare workout room. The workout room could certainly use some better equipment. Why spend so much effort on an edgy, contemporary lobby, but procure a treadmill comparable to an old couch for the gym? Overall, however, I'd give this stay an A grade. I'd been meaning to try a W for a while, and this one came in at the right price point.
My departure on Memorial Day, May 29, 2006, was uneventful. I wolfed down another burger in the lobby, checked my email, finalized the bill and departed by taxi on uncrowded roads for the airport.
JFK-SEA
May 29, 2006
DL 1298
sched dep 1430 arr 2256
actual dep 1425 arr 2239
Boeing 757-200 (ex-song)
I feared a long line at the airport, but there was no line for the check-in kiosk and the TSA wait was only 5 minutes. The kiosk offered me a seat change, and I gladly accepted exit row seat 17C. The walk to the Delta gates at the end of A-pier is not bad, helped along by the moving walkways. The CRC was very quiet, being a holiday Monday, and I was warmly welcomed. I love this CRC. This portion of SEA looks brand-new, and the CRC has a view of the gates, so one knows exactly when one's aircraft is boarding.
The plane boarded half an hour before departure. Despite being in zone 8, I boarded as the aircraft was boarding zones 1-7. I sat next to a Russian model on the plane, who seemed to be with her brother. Very pretty, but of course, not my type. Pushback and take off happened on time. Great view of Mt. Rainier from the right side poking up from the low clouds as we took off to the south then climbed to the east.
The IFE presented one of its limitations early in this flight - electronics are complicated! Madonna insistently blared through my Bose headphones despite the TV showing NBC. A seat reset did not work. Other passengers had no audio. Eventually, the FAs implemented a planewide reboot, which seemed to resolve the problems. I watched some news (isn't it odd to watch the evening news when it's only 3pm local time and the sun is high in the sky?), and then I watched the Apprentice.
There were the same two drink-and-snack services as before. Service was gracious, and the crew passed through the cabin often to pick up trash. Having had such a wonderful weekend in Seattle, I was positively radiating friendliness, and probably got a lot back. One crew member didn't even seem to want to charge me for my (alcoholic) drinks!
Airtrain-and-E got me back to midtown about 1h20min counting from disembarkation time. At this late hour, the E runs local, so the trip is longer than the usual 1h. Fortunately, the late hour meant there was ample place to sit, unlike during morning rush hour.