Delta 660: ATL-LAS

*Flight Information:
Airline and Flight Number: Delta Air Lines (DL) 660
Departure Airport: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), Atlanta, GA
Arrival Airport: Harry Reid International Airport (LAS), Las Vegas, NV
Departure Airport Terminal, Gate: South Terminal, Gate B3
Arrival Airport Terminal, Gate: Terminal 1, Gate D41
Aircraft type, registration: Boeing 757-300, N581NW
Class of Service, Seat: Comfort+, 17A
Scheduled Departure Time/Actual Departure Time: 11:05AM (EST)/11:31AM (EST)
Scheduled Arrival Time/Actual Arrival Time: 12:09PM (PST)/12:03PM (PST)

*SPECIAL NOTES:
-First time connecting in ATL
-Second time in Georgia (The first time I was in Georgia was when I moved to Florida with my Mother at the end of 2016, when we stopped outside of Savannah at a Kroger to use the restroom and get a coffee during our drive from NY to FL.)
-Third time connecting on a flight on the same airline (The first time I did this was in 1994 when I flew with my parents from JFK to PBI via TPA on TWA (now defunct). The second time was in November 1998 when I flew from JFK to LAS via SLC on DL with my parents. I did not count when I flew from TLV-JFK and then JFK-FLL in July 2017, since I was connecting from LY to DL respectively.)
-Fourth time connecting overall (Counting when the first two times I connected on the same airline plus when I connected at JFK in July 2017 from LY to DL.)
-Seventh time visiting Las Vegas (I previously visited Vegas in June-July 1997, November 1998, June-July 1999, June-July 2000, October 2000, and June-July 2001)
-First time visiting Las Vegas as an adult.
-First time flying between ATL and LAS.
-First time flying on a Boeing 757-300 (I have flown on the related 757-200 many times but never a 757-300.)
-First time staying at the Conrad Resorts World (All of the other times I went to Vegas I stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel (now defunct)).
-First time staying in the Resorts World complex.

b) DL660: ATL-LAS:
With my trip to Las Vegas now becoming more real, I made my way onto the jetway from Gate B3 and entered N581NW, the Boeing 757-300 operating my flight via Doorway 2L. This is similar to how I used to enter Boeing 757-200s, since they are part of the same family. Lisa, the Flight Attendant near Doorway 2L, warmly welcomed me aboard. Once I entered the aircraft, I then turned right, making my way to the Comfort+ cabin just behind Doorway 2L. Even though I know the Boeing 757-300s are older aircraft in Delta's fleet, since they were inherited from Northwest Airlines after Delta merged with them in 2008, this aircraft looked to be very clean and well maintained. I then found my way to Seat 17A, where my seatmate, a middle aged male, was already seated in Seat 17C. He got up for a minute so I was able to get into my seat and I settled in, finding the seat to be more comfortable than expected, with better than average legroom, decent width, and good cushioning. Out the window, I spotted N321US again, which was a Delta Airbus A320 at Gate B1 that had arrived from Burlington, VT as Delta 1253 and would be departing for Newark as Delta 858.

The seat looked perfect, if not close to it and had plenty of room.

I was excited to be onboard!

As I observed the cabin and then put on my mask, I could see the seat covers looked newer, with integrated headrests for extra comfort for your head. In addition, looking in front of me, I saw strips of red lining the top portion of the headrests, a dding a pop of color. Even though this is one of the older planes in Delta’s fleet, being inherited after Delta’s merger with Northwest in 2008, the plane felt in very good shape. In addition, I saw more passengers continue to board our flight and as this was occurring, the Flight Crew announced that this would be a full flight!

As I was getting settled, Jennifer, one of the other Flight Attendants on our flight, who was middle aged to slightly older, asked if I wanted headphones. She was sweet and spunky, making for a wonderful first impression! Since I already had a pair of headphones with me, I politely declined and in return, Jennifer wished me luck in Vegas! I lucked out, as my seat mate revealed to me that he bought the seat next to him for extra room and privacy, so he would be more easily able to complete work he needed to on the flight. He kindly asked me if I wanted to put my drawstring bag on the seat? I was glad to accept, as it meant I could more easily reach items needed inflight, including my headphones. As is the norm with most Delta jets, an intuitive IFE system with robust content was right at my fingertips.

Although it was a bit less roomy than the very front of the Comfort+ cabin, Seat 17A had very good legroom, good width, and better than expected cushioning, which would make for a comfortable cross country journey.

At 11:11AM EST, Doorway 2L was closed since all passengers were on board. Due to how busy ATL is, we had to wait a few minutes to push back, but even so, the Captain and the Flight Attendants gave us information about our flight. I learned that we had an Atlanta based crew, with four Flight Attendants in all and Lexi, who I did not meet yet, being our Lead Flight Attendant. He added that in addition, we would get to Vegas slightly ahead of our 12:09PM scheduled arrival time thanks to some turbulence enroute. A few minutes after the boarding door was closed, we pushed back from Gate B3 and the inflight safety video was rolled on the IFE screens. As we left our gate, I saw N542US, a Delta Boeing 757-200 once again next to us at Gate B5. It had arrived from Jacksonville, FL as Delta 2635 and would be departing for Seattle as Delta 2854.

As we were taxiing to the runway, I noticed that there were multiple exits on the 757-300. While watching the safety video, it made me think of the scene from Disney's "Aladdin" in which the Genie is helping Aladdin and his faithful monkey sidekick, Abu, escape from The Cave of Wonders. After leaving, Genie then impersonates a Flight Attendant, pointing out the infinite number of exits of the Magic Carpet. It was a funny scene and definitely relatable to seeing the multiple number of exits on the 757-300 during the safety presentation.

At Gates B7 and Gates B9, I saw N776DE, a Delta Boeing 737-800 and N896DN, a Boeing 737-900 respectively. N776DE arrived from Philadelphia as Delta 1564 and would be departing for Birmingham, AL as Delta 2900. N896DN arrived from Newark as Delta 2773 and would be departing for Philadelphia as Delta 1421.

At Gate B19, I spotted N357NW, a Delta Airbus A320 that arrived from Cedar Rapids, IA as Delta 2551 and would be departing for Sarasota, FL as Delta 2772.

Followed by N841DN, a Delta Boeing 737-900 at Gate B29 that arrived from El Paso, TX as Delta 761 and would be departing for Columbus as Delta 2110.

N333NW, a Delta Airbus A320 at Gate B31 arrived from Washington, DC-Reagan National as Delta 457 and would be departing for Pittsburgh as Delta 1728.

At the opposite end of the B-Gates, N346DN, a Delta Airbus A321 at Gate B33, was preparing for its departure to Albuquerque, NM as Delta 955.

After going straight, we then turned left to head towards the runway. From left to right, I spotted two aircraft preparing for takeoff. They included an Air Canada jet along with N921EV, a Delta Bombardier Canadair CRJ-200 preparing to take off for South Bend, IN as Delta 3580.

We followed N542US, preparing for its departure as Delta 2854 to Seattle to the runway.

We then turned left onto another taxiway.

Looking back towards the B-Gates, I could see multiple Delta jets, including N346DN in the foreground on the left side of the pier.


On the right side of the B-Gates, I spotted more Delta jets, with N814DN, a Delta Boeing 737-900 at Gate B36 in the foreground. It arrived from Detroit as Delta 502 and would be departing for Cincinnati as Delta 2280.

N367NW, a Delta Airbus A320, pushed back from Gate B34 for its departure to Portland, ME.


After passing the B-Gates, we then passed the A-Gates. From background to foreground, I spotted N712TW, a Delta Boeing 757-200 at Gate A29 along with N358DN, a Delta Airbus A321 at Gate A33. N712TW arrived from Boston as Delta 536 and would be departing for New York-JFK (my former home airport) as Delta 847. N358DN arrived from Dallas/Fort Worth as Delta 1416 and would be departing for San Diego, CA as Delta 992.

Another shot of the A-Gates.

As we lined up to take off and got closer to the runway, N813NW, a Delta Airbus A330-300 arrived from Amsterdam as Delta 71.


I then saw N503DZ, a Delta Airbus A321neo taxiing to Gate T7 after arriving from Boston as Delta 1631.

We then lined up for takeoff from Runway 8R, where I saw more Delta jets lined up as well as the Renaissance Hotel in the distance.

At 11:31AM EST, I finally felt the thrust of the 757-300s engines and we were off in no time!

We took off to the east of the airport and in the distance, I could see the Atlanta skyline in the background.

On the Eastern perimeter of the airport, I spotted a white horseshoe shaped building which I later learned was the North American headquarters for Porsche.

Continuing to fly east of the airport, I saw an interchange from Interstate 75 for Exit 91: Fulton Street/Central Avenue-Downtown Atlanta.

The IFE confirmed that we were flying east over the Atlanta area as my iPhone geotagged Atlanta-South River Gardens.

We then flew northeast over the Atlanta area, almost following the I-285 beltway. Down below, from I-285, I saw Exit 53: US 23/GA-42 (Moreland Ave)-Fort Gillem.

Another short of Exit 53.

As we made a left turn to start our westbound path across the United States, I saw a gorgeous rainbow!

Next, we flew over I-285 in Panthersville, GA.

Flying west over the eastern Atlanta area over Decatur, GA four minutes after we took off from ATL.

A minute later I knew we were over Downtown Atlanta due to recognizing some buildings piercing through the cloud cover.

A few minutes later, we were flying over the western side of Atlanta.




As we were flying west over Georgia, about fifteen minutes after we took off, the Captain announced that we had reached our 32,000 feet cruising altitude. He added that due to turbulence, we would arrive early in Las Vegas with an ETA of 12:03PM PST and for the time being, the Fasten Seatbelt sign would be turned on. About fifteen minutes after we took off, we had already left Georgia and were flying over Alabama.

A couple of minutes later, I checked out the IFE and for the long journey, I decided to watch a movie. As usual, I could tell that there would be a comprehensive selection of movies.

Although they didn’t have the 2022 version of “Top Gun: Maverick,” I decided the original “Top Gun” would be an excellent film to watch during my journey.

Naturally, I got right into “Top Gun.” I found that it was captivating and exciting, keeping me at the edge of my seat! Of course, periodically, I watched out the window to see all the different landscapes during our journey. Of course, I remember the scene below where Commander "Stinger" calls out "Maverick," "Goose," and "Cougar." He is calling out Maverick in particular for getting into trouble and has him land his plane, even though he is saving "Cougar" by guiding him back to the carrier.

After this point, Commander "Stinger" also recognizes Maverick's skill, sending him to Top Gun along with his friend "Goose," as their comrade "Cougar," shaken, decides to resign, so "Maverick" is sent by default as he is the next best performer to "Cougar." At this point, the film then panned to Naval Air Station Miramar, with amazing visuals of fighter jets.


As I was watching "Top Gun," Lisa came around with a basket of snacks for Comfort+ at 12:15PM as the other Flight Attendants began snack service and buy onboard items too as the Captain had turned off the Fasten Seatbelt sign. As this was happening, we were flying over Northeastern Arkansas.


By the time Lisa reached my row, she offered me a nice selection of snacks and invited me to take as much as I wanted, so I opted for a bag of Miss Vickie's potato chips and a couple of bags of pistachios. However, I decided to wait to eat those snacks until a little later, as while I was watching the rest of "Top Gun," I tucked into my sandwich of smoked salmon and goat cheese on gluten free bread. It made for a delicious lunch, as the smoked salmon was pleasantly salty with a silky mouthfeel and melded well with the creamy and tangy goat cheese, all held together by hearty and nutty in flavor gluten free bread. A few minutes later at 12:21PM CST, Jennifer and Lexi came around with beverages as well as Buy on Board items and at that time, I decided on a can of orange juice with no ice. Jennifer and Lexi were happy to oblige my requests and I continued to enjoy the flight as I enjoyed my snacks.

And we continued to fly over Arkansas, continuing our journey across the Southern United States.

And of course, I had fun watching “Top Gun.”

I loved this scene where Maverick, Goose, and all of the patrons in the bar woo Charlotte "Charlie" Blackwood, a Top Gun instructor by singing "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin" by The Righteous Brothers.


About 40-minutes after Beverage Service started at 1:02PM CST, we were flying over Oklahoma somewhere north of Oklahoma City.

I continued to enjoy "Top Gun," especially as Charlie and Maverick enter a romantic relationship, culminating with this scene below to "Take My Breath Away" by Berlin.

After that, I took a break from watching "Top Gun," as I needed to use the lavatory. Lucky for me, since it was near Doorways 2R and 2L, it was very close to my seat. I used the lavatory and even with the crowded flight, found it to be very clean and well stocked. Once I used the lavatory, I then saw Jennifer. We said hello to each other and she asked me about my plans for Las Vegas? I told her that I planned to take in all of the action, check out sights like Fremont Street and the various resorts along The Strip, see David Copperfield, enjoy some amazing meals, and of course, gamble a little bit! Jennifer said that my trip sounded very well rounded and I couldn't agree more, as I felt it would give me a nice taste of Las Vegas, especially because I had not been back in so long. Since Jennifer had to get back to work, she offered me another beverage as well as a bag of pistachios and Miss Vickie's potato chips before I went back to my seat and I selected a can of Diet Coke, which was very much appreciated! By the time I went back to my seat, we were already flying over the northern tip of Texas.

Save for what appeared to be a couple of lakes towards the right side of the photo below as well as some patches of grass, the light brown land was beginning to look more and more arid.

As we continued our progress west across the United States, I continued to watch "Top Gun," which kept me on the edge of my seat (no pun intended) with Maverick's blossoming relationship with Charlie, his continuing time at Top Gun, and due to Maverick and Goose flying through their rival, Lieutenant Tom "Iceman" Kazansky's jetwash (the disturbance in the atmosphere caused by the emissions from an aircraft), Maverick and Goose are forced to eject themselves from their aircraft. Sadly, Goose passes away due to the impact of slamming into the aircraft canopy. Naturally, this leaves Maverick devastated! Although Maverick is absolved of any wrongdoing, he is still shaken and as a result, his confidence is shaken severely and makes him even consider quitting Top Gun. However, after being urged by Charlie, Maverick seeks advice from Commander Mike "Viper" Meltcalf, who flew with Maverick's Father, he decides to graduate Top Gun and congratulates Iceman, his now former rival on receiving the Top Gun Trophy. As Maverick regains his confidence and settles on being the second best student at Top Gun, Maverick, Iceman, and other pilots are called to an emergency and are deployed to the Pacific Ocean near Miramar to rescue a disabled American ship. Although Maverick encounters PTSD due to encountering a jetwash similar to the one that killed Goose, he perseveres and successfully completes his mission! Back at the base, Maverick gets a hero's welcome and finally coming to peace with Goose's death, tosses Goose's dog tags into the ocean. Maverick is then rewarded with his choice of posting, choosing to return to Top Gun as an instructor. In addition, he gains a close friend in Iceman and reunites with Charlie, ending the movie on a happy note. All in all, "Top Gun" was a great film and one I would definitely watch again, as the story kept me on the edge of my seat, it tugged at my heartstrings, had excellent characters and character development (particularly for Maverick, who starts out as very cocky but matures over time), incredible visuals, and of course, had a great soundtrack especially with all of the 1980s references. After watching "Top Gun," we had covered a lot of ground and by, we were flying over Northeastern New Mexico and according to my iPhone, at 11:39AM MT, we were flying over Clayton, NM. From what I could see below, the landscape looked like desert, as the ground was brownish in color, arid looking, and had carvings through the landscape, which were fascinating to look at!


We were then flying over Springer, NM. Down below, I could see Interstate 25 southbound towards Santa Fe and Albuquerque bisecting the landscape.

A few minutes later, we were nearing Taos, NM.



I even saw the Taos Regional Airport.

With only 45-minutes until we would arrive in Las Vegas, our plane was now about to fly over the border of New Mexico and Arizona.

As I was listening to "I Want to Break Free" by Queen, I checked out the statistics of N581NW, the aircraft operating Delta 660 to Las Vegas. From these statistics, I had learned we had a total flight time of 3:21 and had traveled 1424.66 miles so far. In addition, the time was 11:07AM PST and we were not too far from Vegas, as our estimated arrival time would be 11:51AM PST, which would mean that we would arrive 18-minutes ahead of schedule! I was very excited, as I was that much closer to being in Las Vegas for the first time in over 20-years!

We crossed the border of New Mexico and Arizona, flying over what seemed to be an endless stretch of desert.

A few minutes later, we had crossed into Arizona and according to my phone, we were flying over Concho, AZ.

And we continued to fly west over Northern Arizona and down below, I could see more desert with what appeared to be fissures in the landscape.

As we flew further west over Northern Arizona, I could see multiple canyons below. I was not wrong, as my phone geotagged the fact that we were over Marble Canyon, AZ at 11:25AM PST, not far from the eastern edge of Grand Canyon National Park. See the canyons and craters in the Earth's landscape was incredible from above!



Just two minutes later at 11:31AM PST, our Captain turned on the Fasten Seatbelt Sign and announced that we were beginning our final descent into Las Vegas. As we were making our descent, I continued to watch the world go by and listened to music from the Feel Good Summer Mixtape, consisting of oldies music as well as the Today's Top Hits Mixtape until we landed. Only a minute after we began our descent, I saw what appeared to be forested land, breaking up the desert landscape. According to my iPhone, we were flying over Williams, AZ.

Only three minutes after we had flown over Williams, AZ, we were now over the mountainous and desert landscape of Valentine, AZ. We were in Northwestern Arizona, not too far from Nevada.



After flying west over Valentine, AZ, the time was now 11:41PM PST (2:41PM EST). We were now flying at an altitude of 4,105 m at a speed of 602 km/h. We were getting closer to landing, as we were only 51 miles from Las Vegas!

At this time, our plane also changed direction, as it turned right to fly north alongside Lake Mead, which meant we were flying near the border of Arizona and Nevada. Looking out my window, could see the eastern side of Lake Mead as we flew over Willow Beach, AZ.

At 11:45AM PST, we then made another left turn to fly west over the dark blue waters of Lake Meade.

A minute later, we made another left turn to fly north over Lake Mead and had crossed the Arizona-Nevada border.

We then made a slight northwestern turn to fly over the slightly lighter blue waters of Lake Meade to go over the Jimbilnan Wilderness wilderness area.

At 11:48AM PST, we were flying westbound over the mountainous landscape of the Pinto Valley Wilderness and I was able to see where Lake Meade briefly narrows before running eastbound towards the Hoover Dam.

As we flew west towards Boulder City and Henderson just east of Vegas, I could see the Black Mountains along the Nevada-Arizona border looking southbound.

By 11:50AM PST, we were a bit east of Boulder City, NV, a town next to the Hoover Dam where workers who built the Hoover Dam were housed from 1933-1947 and has become an idyllic suburb nestled between Vegas and Henderson and Lake Mead.


Since we were flying westbound towards the airport, I was able to see points south of us. At 11:52AM PST, I was able to see what appeared to be a country club on the western edge of Lake Las Vegas.

We were then flying over Henderson, NV, an affluent suburb of Las Vegas. From the air, aside from the fact that it’s a desert versus a subtropical/tropical climate (depending on region of Florida), the country club community in the foreground I was looking at below would not have looked out of place in Florida. In the background from right to left, I spotted NV-564, and east-west highway that runs from I-11/I-215/I-515/US 93/US 95 in Henderson at its western terminus and curves through the Las Vegas area to its eastern terminus in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area.

A minute later, I was able to see the more western portions of Henderson, meaning we were that much closer to Las Vegas!

Towards the foreground, I could see what appeared to be the Las Vegas Wash, a channel that drains the Las Vegas Valley’s excess water into Lake Mead. Towards the background, I could see more of Henderson.

Now further west in the Las Vegas Valley, which looked incredible with its warm looking desert landscapes, we were flying over the eastern edges of Las Vegas.

Zooming in with my iPhone, I saw what appeared to be a residential development below.

Flying further over the eastern edges of Las Vegas, I could spot more suburban sprawl along with some highways. From the top left of the photo to the right central part of the photo, I could spot Interstate 515, a spur route of Interstate 15 that starts at its northern terminus at I-15/US 93/US 95 just west of Downtown Las Vegas. I-515 runs in an eastbound direction to a point east of downtown and then curves south until it reaches its southern terminus at I-11/I-215/US 93/US 95/NV-564 in Henderson. At the right central part of the photo, I could see Exit 69: Flamingo Road (NV-592) from I-515. Running on a slant from left to right towards the center of the photo, I spotted NV-582 (Boulder Highway), a 15 mile long highway that runs from NV-159 in Downtown Las Vegas in the north to I-11/US 93/US 95 in Henderson. What could I say? I guess all roads lead to Henderson haha!

At 11:55AM PST, we were still flying over the eastern edges of Las Vegas. From the bottom center of the photo to the right center in the shape of an upside down L, I spotted Lamb Boulevard (NV-610), a north-south road that runs from I-15/US 93 in North Las Vegas near Nellis Air Force Base to Boulder Highway, the road bisecting the photo on a slant. After meeting Boulder Highway, the road then turns west to run across the Las Vegas Valley to Summerlin, an affluent suburb west of Las Vegas as Desert Inn Road. In the center of the photo, I spotted Exit 69: Flamingo Road (NV-592) from I-515 again. On the bottom right side of the photo, I also spotted the Boulder Station Hotel & Casino.

We continued flying to the west and in the distance and the background of the photo, I spotted the eastern edge of Harry Reid International Airport (LAS). Towards the bottom of the photo, I spotted Desert Inn Road again.

Next, I could see Eastern Avenue, a north-south artery that runs from NV-574 (Cheyenne Avenue) in North Las Vegas southbound to Sun City Anthem Drive near Henderson from near the bottom right to the top left of the photo. I could also see that it establishes the eastern perimeter of Harry Reid International Airport in the background and the eastern perimeter of the Las Vegas National Golf Club.

Flying west over the city of Las Vegas, I saw Desert Inn Road and the lush, green grounds of the Las Vegas National Golf Club in the foreground along with the airport and some mountains in the background.

Only a minute later at 11:56AM PST, I could feel the plane turn slightly to the southwest to begin its final approach. I could see The Boulevard, a suburban shopping mall in the foreground.

I could not believe how close we were getting to Harry Reid International Airport and my excitement continued to build!