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.

c) Arrival:
Good evening everyone and hope you all had a Happy Passover, Happy Easter, or Ramadan Mubarak whatever you may celebrate! Sorry for the delay in posting the next installment of my TR, but I was busy with Passover and work. When I left off from my TR, I had just arrived at Harry Reid International Airport (formerly known as McCarran International Airport) in Las Vegas, NV on Delta 660 from Atlanta. Both Delta 2124 from West Palm Beach to Atlanta, followed by Delta 660 to LAS, were excellent! I arrived at LAS at 12:03PM, six minutes ahead of our scheduled 12:09PM arrival time. I disembarked N581NW, the Delta Boeing 757-300 that operated my flight via Doorway 2L. Once off of the plane, I found myself at the mouth of Gate D41, which is at the end of the D40s gates at LAS.

From what I could tell, the gate areas were fairly busy, but not overly so, as there were plenty of unoccupied seats nearest the gates. As I was making my way towards the Baggage Claim, I then called my Mom to let her know I landed. Mom picked up and was very happy for me and agreed to have me call her just a bit later, so I would be able to focus on getting my bag and getting a ride to the hotel. As I was walking to get the tram connecting the D-Gates to Terminal 1, I took in my surroundings. Compared to when I last used Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport (LAS), which was formerly known as McCarran International Airport prior to December 2021, it looked more modern than when I last used it in July 2001. If I remember correctly, some of the gate areas were carpeted and in the D-Gates, there was harder flooring instead. In addition the signage was modernized. The airport was also very bright, with a lot of ceiling light as well as many windows to let in natural light. Unfortunately, either from being too young to remember or being short staffed as a result of COVID-19, the airport was not as clean as I recall, at least by the D-Gates, mainly evident through multiple overflowing trash cans, as depicted below.

It was a shame as I remember the airport being cleaner in the past and other large airports, like Atlanta, where I departed from on this same day and was larger, was cleaner than LAS. I also found even JFK and FLL, other large airports I have used recently to be a bit cleaner. Anyway, one thing that did not change were many slot machines near the gates!


In addition, as I walked to the center of the D-Gates where I would get the tram that runs from the D-Gates to Terminal 1, I could also see that there was a selection of different shops, such as luxury retailers like Brooks Brothers intermingled with a souvenir store of Las Vegas merchandise and restaurants, which were mixed between chains like Baja Fresh and Ruby's Diner as well as some local restaurants, like an offshoot of Metro Pizza, a popular pizzeria in Las Vegas. All in all, it reminded me of how many airports have become like shopping malls with gates, as the late George Carlin once said. At this time, I could see I was nearing Gate D32 and Brooks Brothers after passing Metro Pizza and Red Mango

Although my impression of Harry Reid's cleanliness was a bit marred by the gate areas near where I arrived looking not as clean as they could be, I am pleased to report that changed as I got closer to the center of the D-Gates, which looked much cleaner. Just like the first part of the terminal where I arrived, it was bright and modern in appearance. In addition, throughout the terminal, I found the signage to be clear and I loved the plethora of restaurants and shops, which would be an excellent way to pass the time before a flight.

I then reached the center of the D-Gates, where a vivid and colorful sign over the escalators, stairs, and elevators to the tram station for Terminals 1 and 3 read "Welcome to Las Vegas." I did notice that for unknown reasons, the McCarran International Airport of the sign was not updated to Harry Reid International Airport.

Naturally, it caught my eye and of course, I had to take a selfie under the sign.

After that, I then descended on the escalator down one level to where trams for Terminals 1 and 3 would depart. As I was making my way downstairs, I could see a large window towards the ceiling which let in a lot of natural light and beneath that, advertisements for various attractions in Las Vegas. If that visual stimulation was not enough, on the multicolored concrete floor below, I could see a couple of shops as well as an eye popping stylized map of Las Vegas and vicinity. With all the eyecandy scattered throughout the airport, it made me think of the famous street artist Banksy's documentary "Exit Through the Gift Shop," which examined his methods and pieces of street art, which I watched in one of my Sociology classes during my Junior year of college in 2013. However, in my case, I was exiting through the airport haha!

Once downstairs, I then followed the signs for the tram to Terminal 1/A, B, & C Gates, Ground Transportation, and the Baggage Claims for American, Delta, Advanced Air, and Southern Airways.

At the platform, I waited a few minutes for the tram to Terminal 1.

While I was waiting and checking Baggage Claim information on the FlyDelta app at 12:17PM, Delta sent some simulated confetti celebrating our early arrival and to welcome us to Las Vegas!

About a couple of minutes later, I boarded the tram for Terminal 1. It reminded me of the monorail I used at Orlando International Airport (MCO) the many times I used to fly there or even the one I used earlier in the day at ATL. After a less than five minute ride to Terminal 1, I disembarked the tram and made my way down to the Baggage Claim.

After another escalator ride down to the First Floor, I found myself on the Baggage Claim Level. The eye candy did not stop there as on the floor, a replica of the "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Nevada" was etched into the floor adjacent to the escalator landing.

This led me to the cavernous and brightly lit Baggage Claim area, with neon lighting in spots, even more slot machines scattered among the baggage carousels, and what appeared to be shiny chrome ceilings.


Thanks to the information board that listed baggage claim information, I found the luggage for Delta Flight 660 from Atlanta would be coming out at Carousel 16, towards the opposite end of the Arrivals Level. Once I arrived there, I was greeted by plenty of natural light from the floor to ceiling windows and a view of the South Strip. Carousel 16 also would have luggage coming from Delta 2760, which arrived from Seattle.

While I was waiting for my suitcase, I took in the view of the Southern Strip and from left to right, I could see: New York New York, Park MGM, MGM Grand, Aria, Vdara, and the Cosmopolitan.

I had my suitcase in less than five minutes, which is very impressive considering how busy Harry Reid International Airport is. With all of my bags in tow and the time not even being 12:40PM, all I had to do was wait for my Walmart order to be fulfilled for the 1:00PM-2:00PM slot. Unfortunately, not knowing that my flight would get in early as well as not knowing that Walmart would
hold my order until later in the day, I decided to order from Walmart for a slot later than my arriving flight for a buffer. This turned out to be unnecessary, as when I took a minute to call the Walmart on Eastern Avenue closest to the airport, the helpful lady on the phone told me that I could have picked up an order placed earlier in the day up until closing. In addition,when I inquired about the status of my order, she said it was almost ready, as they were just looking for my final item. Thankful for her help, I ended the call and waited a few minutes for my Walmart order to come through. Five minutes later, it came through, so I was ready to go! Beginning to make my way towards where Ubers and Lyfts pick up, I made my way towards the other end of the Baggage Claim Level, not far from the elevator bank leading to the Departures Level. Based on videos I have watched on how to get to the Uber/Lyft staging area on Level 2, I used N9172B, a 1958 Cessna 172 in Hacienda Hotel livery to find my way.

However, as I was making my way towards the elevators, a photo op of a black arch with purple stripes from the middle to the bottom of the legs of the arch with "What Happens Here," towards the top left side of the arch in white font and "Only Happens Here towards the top right side of the arch in purple font. Naturally, I had to take advantage .

Before leaving the terminal to get my rideshare to the Walmart on Eastern Avenue followed by the Conrad at Resorts World, I then used the restroom closest to the elevator bank leading to Level 2, which leads to the pedestrian bridge connecting Terminal 1 to the parking garage where Ubers/Lyfts pick up. Unfortunately, the cleanliness issues that I found nearest my arrival gate reared their ugly head once again in the restrooms I used, as I found these restrooms to be not as clean as restrooms I had used at other large airports recently, like at ATL and JFK. I found this to be the case as I found the floors to be not as clean as they could be, a smell indicative of the restrooms needing to be cleaned, and one of the paper towel dispensers to be understocked. It is a shame, as with a little cleaning in spots, Harry Reid International Airport could be a close to, if not perfect airport. I believe the cause of the less than clean restrooms on this day may be short staffing due to lingering effects of COVID-19 on employment? Once I used the restroom, I could feel the heat from outside since I was near the exit to limousine pick up and this made me thirsty, so I purchased a bottle of water at Hudson News for about $4 in change. Finally, I made my way across the center of the Baggage Claim Level to the elevator bank, where many fellow travelers were waiting for the elevator as well.


Luckily, I did not have to wait long for an elevator and in no time, I was on Level 2. Thanks to the clear and concise signage, I found the pedestrian bridge connecting Terminal 1 to the parking garage instantly. Although the bridge is covered from the top, the sides of the bridge are exposed to the elements, so being that the temperatures were over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, I was caught by surprise. While I am used to hot temperatures in Florida, with the heat in Vegas being a dry heat, I felt like I was baking in an oven! On the bright side, I could see The Strip in the distance!


After making my way across the pedestrian bridge, I then walked towards the right side of the garage where the Uber/Lyft staging area was located. As depicted below, it was fairly busy.

Once there, I then checked my Uber and Lyft apps to see which was cheaper to get to the Conrad at Resorts World with a stop at the Walmart on Eastern Avenue. Uber won slightly with a lower price than Lyft, as the cost was $19 in change, which was not bad at all!

After I requested my Uber, I then received instructions to wait for my driver to text me the stall number of where he/she would park. I then found out my driver was Marc, who would be picking me up in a red Buick Regal. I would not have to wait long, as he was only 1.5-miles from the airport and 7-minutes away. The time was 12:52PM, so I made excellent time on my arrival with everything going very efficiently! Less than ten minutes later, I received a notification from Uber to meet Marc at a nearby parking space. We found each other instantly and he greeted me in a warm and polite manner. He also acted with a sense of urgency as he had his trunk popped open and immediately loaded my suitcase and backpack into his trunk. He then held the door to the rear seat and I was in! All in all, I feel other airports could take a lesson on rideshare pickups, as LAS is able to have a location that is convenient for the passengers due to its close proximity to the terminal and reduces wait times and traffic, since the Ubers/Lyfts are all in one area as opposed to clogging airport roadways. This contrasts to other airports I have used/know of. For example, at LAX, which my Mother used in June 2022, although there is a staging area for rideshares, it is very inconvenient on arrivals as in order to get to it, you have to use a shuttle from the various terminals in order to get to the staging area, which could take up to 15-minutes! Compared to FLL, while the Uber/Lyft pickup areas are close to the terminals, the lack of a staging area like at LAS makes it more time consuming, as in order to reach the pick up areas, the Ubers/Lyfts have to wait on airport roadways, leading to congestion. I experienced this after returning from JFK in May 2021, as I had to wait close to an hour for my Lyft to reach the pick up area! LAS's method of getting a rideshare does an excellent job at balancing convenience and efficiency and more airports should incorporate it. Now ready to go, we exited the parking garage and made our way out of the airport. We first passed an interchange leading to I-15/I-215.

After traveling northbound to leave the airport, we then used a ramp to leave the airport in an eastbound direction. By 1:04PM, we were traveling eastbound on Russell Road.

As he was driving, we talked about my trip as well as ourselves. I learned that he had been living in Vegas for a little over 20-years, having lived in Minnesota before. I revealed that I had never been to Minnesota, but was from Florida originally from New York. He said that he had not been to Florida yet, but was hoping to come and visit. I told him that he would love it and that hopefully, he could be a guest at my hotel. This caused us to hit it off even further, as he had mentioned he had been in the hospitality industry for years in front-facing customer service, like me! The ride was off to an amazing start and as we passed the perimeter of the airport, I took in the desert scenery.

Although the palm trees scattered about reminded me of South Florida, it was clear I was not in South Florida anymore, as the ground was sandy and rocky in spots and it was not quite as lush plantwise in spots. Still, it was beautiful and I was glad to be back in the Vegas area! A minute later, we were at the intersection of Russell Road and Maryland Parkway.

In the distance, the land appeared just to be a bit lusher, as I could see trees. Only a minute later at 1:06PM, we were approaching the McCarran Marketplace (a fitting name thanks to this suburban shopping center being so close to the airport), where the Walmart on Eastern Avenue is located.

Since we were entering the Walmart's parking lot, I then opened the Walmart app and let them know we were arriving. Per the instructions of the app, we then parked at Pickup Space #1, where a Walmart associate would deliver my order.

I then got out of the car, so I could assist Marc and the associate with loading my order into the trunk. While I was waiting, I caught a glimpse of the exterior of this Walmart.

Since it was Labor Day Weekend, I had to wait a bit longer than expected, but I was not fussed, as I knew that Walmart would be busy. I took in more scenery and saw some tall palms. If it were not for the fact that I was in the desert, this shopping center would not have looked out of place in suburban South Florida.

At 1:14PM, about eight minutes after we arrived at Walmart, a helpful and efficient associate arrived with my order.

Before loading everything, the associate showed me my order to make sure he had everything and once we checked to make sure all of my items were fulfilled, me, the associate, and Marc worked quickly to get everything loaded into Marc's trunk. With everything loaded in Marc's trunk and now back in his Buick Regal, we then turned out of McCarran Marketplace onto Eastern Avenue northbound. Immediately after, we made the left turn from Eastern Avenue northbound onto Russell Road westbound. As we were turning, I took notice of the gas prices at a Conoco station, which was $4.21 for a gallon of Regular (+$0.10 for using a credit card), which was about $1 more per gallon than what I am used to paying in South Florida on average.

After turning onto Russell Road, we continued westbound, passing the perimeter of Harry Reid International Airport on one side and on the other side, I saw some trees and a neighborhood consisting of smaller, older homes.

As we continued further west down Russell Road, I could see The Strip closer and closer into my line of sight. About ten minutes after we left Walmart, we turned onto Paradise Road northbound, as since we were heading to the northern portion of The Strip, Marc wanted to avoid Las Vegas Boulevard or I-15 northbound, due to heavier traffic. I did not mind this at all, as this road is where the now defunct Hard Rock Hotel was located. At this same time, my Mother called to check on me. I asked Marc if he would mind me speaking on the phone and he had no issue. When I told my Mother that we were on Paradise Road, she remembered it immediately, as we used to use it getting to/from The Hard Rock. My Mother was also curious about what Vegas was like now and if it was safer than New York or Los Angeles, which both have crime and issues with homelessness more than they used to. Marc invited me to put her on speakerphone and I was glad to do so. He said that while the heavily visited areas of Vegas like The Strip and Downtown are mostly safe, he said that Vegas was experiencing more issues with homelessness than they used to, mainly due to COVID-19. He reassured us not to worry, as I would be fine as long as I stayed in the tourist areas. As we were talking, we passed the former Hard Rock Hotel, which was now Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, Curio Collection by Hilton.


Driving further north up Paradise Road, Marc pointed out a homeless encampment in an empty lot, which was a shame up until this point, there have not been as many issues with homelessness in Las Vegas. I will add as a spoiler alert, while I did see homeless people even in the heavily visited areas, at no time did I feel unsafe and I had no issues Baruch Hashem (Thank G-d in Hebrew). Even still, I hope that The State of Nevada and City of Las Vegas take corrective action, as I would hate to see Vegas become like LA or New York. After conversing with Mom, we then ended the call and I agreed to call her later, as Marc continued northbound on Paradise Road. With traffic being light, we made excellent timing as about ten minutes after we left Walmart, we were closer to the northern portion of the Strip, which will open in September 2023 and have U2 as the opening act (https://www.thespherevegas.com) as well as The Palazzo adjacent to the corner of Paradise Road and Sands Avenue.

Looking northbound, I could see we were closer to the larger than life Strip, as I could see The Strat in the distance and towards the foreground, I could see a Renaissance Hotel by Marriott, an Embassy Suites, and a trestle carrying the Las Vegas Monorail.

Two minutes later at 1:36PM, we were approaching the intersection of Desert Inn Road. Towards the foreground, I could see a portion of the Las Vegas Convention Center and in the background, I could see the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino, which was once the Las Vegas Hilton.

We continued passing the convention center and the tracks for the Las Vegas Monorail overhead. If I am not mistaken, I read somewhere that the Las Vegas Convention Center is one of the largest, if not the largest of any U.S. city.



Less than a minute later, we then turned left onto Convention Center Drive, to head west towards Las Vegas Boulevard and as we were turning, I could see one of the massive buildings comprising the convention center. In the distance, I could even see the red and black Resorts World tower.

As Resorts World came closer into my line of sight, I could also see Siegel's Bagelmania, a well regarded kosher-style deli/bagel shop.

Less than a minute after turning from Paradise Road onto Convention Center Drive, we were about to make a right turn onto Las Vegas Boulevard. My excitement grew, as I knew I would be in for a treat staying at the Conrad at Resorts World and getting my vacation off to an amazing start!

As we briefly drove north up Las Vegas Boulevard, I could see the westernmost side of the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Finally, we were about to arrive at Resorts World, as Marc turned left onto Resorts World Avenue, which is one of the streets that leads into the hotels making up the Resorts World complex. As we turned, I could see McDonald's and Circus Circus towards the foreground and in the background, I could see what would be the towering and ornate looking Fontainebleau Resort & Casino, related to the famous Fontainebleau Miami Beach. It has been under construction since 2007 but went through a series of ups and downs that caused its construction to take much longer than expected, like different owners buying and selling it and world events, like the real estate crashes in the late 2000s. From what I have learned, it is slated to open towards the end of 2023 (Fontainebleau on Las Vegas Strip is biggest hotel project in U.S. | Las Vegas Review-Journal (reviewjournal.com)).

Now in front of Resorts World, we followed the signs for the Conrad section of the building. We then followed the few cars in front of us to the port cochere, which was simple yet ornate, with Asian style hanging lanterns.

As Marc pulled up in front of the entrance, Daniel, one of the Bellhops, opened the passenger side door on the right hand side of Marc's Buick Regal, closest to where I was sitting. He proved to be welcoming and engaging, making for a great start to my stay at a luxury hotel. Daniel offered to unload my luggage and groceries and he was also informative, offering to store my luggage until my room was ready and even giving me some suggestions on places to eat within the resort, with his favorite eatery being Famous Foods, the Resorts World's food hall with a variety of quick service vendors serving pan-Asian foods and Western foods too. Daniel got to work unloading my suitcase, backpack, and groceries right away! As Daniel held the door of my Uber, I thanked Marc for a wonderful ride and he wished me a great trip! With my baggage and groceries unloaded, Daniel issued me a ticket to hand to Bell Services once I had my room ready and he escorted me inside to the Conrad's lobby, where I would check in and start my trip in Vegas!

d) DL660 Impressions and Ratings:
Overall, Delta 660 was another excellent Delta flight! Once again, the Flight Attendants on this flight were excellent thanks to their warmth and excellence at their jobs. N581NW, the Boeing 757-300 that operated my flight, although one of Delta's older models of aircraft thanks to their merger with Northwest back in 2008, was in near perfect condition thanks to what appeared to be a recent refresh. It was also very clean. Seat 17A, although not as good as the bulkhead seat of 10F I had on my DL2124 from PBI to ATL or other Delta bulkhead seats in Comfort+, was still very good thanks to better than average legroom and generous width. What's more, the selection and amount of free snacks were ample and the full featured and intuitive IFE system made the flight go by quickly. All in all, these factors make Delta one of my airlines of choice when available.

Service: 20/20 (Flight attendants were warm, professional, and engaging.)
Plane Cleanliness/Condition: 19/20 (N581NW was very clean and in very good condition, benefitting from a recent refresh of the cabin.)
Snacks: 20/20 (Excellent selection of complimentary snacks and beverages.)
Seat Comfort: 18/20 (Legroom, although not as good as most bulkhead seats in C+, was still very good and seat width was generous!)
IFE: 20/20 (DL has one of the best IFE systems thanks to robust content and an intuitive user interface.)

**Overall Grade: 97/100 (A)