I just got back from traveling JFK – DUB and DUB – ATL in BE. Since there has been a lot of chat about this on the forum and I said that I'd give some thoughts when i got back - here goes!

First of all the service on both flights was top notch – everything from being welcomed on board, to thanking me for my patronage just prior to landing and everything in between was professional. The FAs were polite, warm and friendly and this didn’t seem forced. The food service was great; it was efficient and seemed to be timely. The food itself was enjoyable – the meat was a tad overcooked but over all no complaints. I didn't notice the crew having any particular problems serving with the reduced galley size on the 757 - seem like they managed just fine.

Throughout the flights I had no problems getting a drink or a cup of coffee or a snack – I just love those warm nuts!

So on to the comparison – the 757 was nice, seats are comfortable and while it is roomy, I think it feels a little cramped. The AVOD unit is a little hard to get to and use and I think it could use a little bit more flexibility. When you are reclined it’s a pain to reach the touch screen. The seats were very obviously new and had a nice look and smell. The plane itself was really clean. The 767 by comparison feels much more roomy and didn’t have the cramped feel of the 757 – interior was it was a little more “used’ looking but very comfortable and was still clean. Although the seats on the 757 are a tad wider, I’d easily give that up for the extra recline, which is noticeable. BTW I much preferred the foot rest on the 757 to the one on the 767. I’m 6’ 4” and the “step” that flips up on the 767 is unusable for me, whereas the bar on the 757 actually helped extend the length of the seat making it more comfortable.

It may be just my imagination or the fact that in general the 767 has a much more roomer feel to it (it’s bigger!) but I think the 767 has a bigger space between the seats.

So in general, I have no complaints with either the 757 or the 767 – although given the choice I’d take the 767 every time. Thumbs up to Delta on the service, food and amenities (a real pillow, warm comfy duvet, nice toiletry kit and good comfortable headphones) make for a very pleasant flying experience. They have really upped the standard all around in the past 18-12 months.

BTW on a completely separate note, I’ve been flying DUB – ATL for a long time and the flight last week took 8 hours and 52 minutes, by far the longest I’ve every been on (never longer than 8 hours prior to this flight). This I’m sure was partly due to some very strong headwinds over the north Atlantic but also made me think that the pilot may have been slowing down for fuel conservation, especially since we never crossed 500 mph on the southward trek from Canada, even with some tailwind – is this becoming more common?