*Flight Information:
Airline and Flight Number: Delta Air Lines 2071
Departure Airport: Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC), Salt Lake City, UT
Arrival Airport: Harry Reid International Airport (LAS), Las Vegas, NV
Departure Airport Terminal, Gate: Concourse A, Gate A20
Arrival Airport Terminal, Gate: Terminal 1, Gate D36
Aircraft Type, Registration: Boeing 757-200, N6704Z
Class of Service, Seat: First, 4A (originally 3A but we switched seats with other passengers)
Scheduled Departure Time/Actual Departure Time: 11:55AM/12:06PM (MT)
Scheduled Arrival Time/Actual Arrival Time: 12:20PM (PST)/12:06PM (PST)

*SPECIAL NOTES:
-Second time flying from SLC (The first time I flew from SLC was in November 1998, when I flew from JFK to LAS via SLC with my parents.)
-Second time in Utah (see above)
-Second time flying between SLC and LAS
-First time in SLC's new terminal.
-First time flying First Class in many years (I last flew First Class, also on Delta a very long time ago between NYC and South Florida with my parents and on America West (now defunct due to merging with US Airways and later American) in July 2001 between LAS and JFK due to an operational upgrade as the result of a severely delayed flight.). Usually, I fly Economy or sometimes, an Economy Comfort product so this was a treat!
-Fifth 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.)
-Eighth time visiting Las Vegas (I previously visited Vegas in June-July 1997, November 1998, June-July 1999, June-July 2000, October 2000, June-July 2001, and September 2022)
-Second time visiting Las Vegas as an adult.
-Second time flying between SLC and LAS.
-First time staying at the Crockfords Las Vegas, LXR Hotels & Resorts at Resorts World
-Second time staying in the Resorts World complex.

b)DL2071: SLC-LAS:
After an excellent flight from FLL-SLC aboard DL745 as well as a smooth and fulfilling connection in SLC thanks to some fabulous plane spotting opportunities and getting to see a beautiful and mostly user-friendly airport (especially compared to ATL and JFK), the time was just past 11:15AM MT and me and my Mother were boarding Delta 2071 to Las Vegas. We made our way down the jetway, entering N6704Z via Doorway 2L, comparable to how I have entered other members of the 757 family I have flown on. Once we entered the plane, Jennifer, one of the Flight Attendants, greeted us warmly and inspected our boarding passes, directing us to turn left into the First Class cabin, where our seats, 3A and 3B would be located. As we entered First Class, we saw that other passengers, being a young couple with an infant, had occupied those seats. They were confused, but apologetic, and offered to swap seats right away. However, neither me nor my Mother were fussed, as seats 4B and 4A, the seats right behind our chosen seats, were comparable. Everyone was pleased and wasting no time, we took our seats. We settled and found the seats to be excellent, as they had ample legroom, good cushioning, and good width. In addition, first impressions of the aircraft were that it was very clean and well maintained, with little to no wear and tear.

In addition, as seems to be the case with most of Delta's mainline aircraft, it had Delta's comprehensive and intuitive IFE system.

As we were settling in, we were greeted by Patricia, the Lead Flight Attendant of this flight. Right away, her warmth and charm won us over! In addition to those facts, she came off very experienced and perhaps a bit folksy, addressing us by first names and being eager to make conversation. She offered us headphones, however, since I already had a pair of Delta headphones (I had put my Bose headphones away and did not want to bother taking them out of my backpack, especially since it would be a quick flight to Vegas.), I politely declined. Patricia told us to just give her holler if we needed anything as she went towards the front of the cabin to check on other passengers and prepare for our departure. By 11:30AM, boarding was completed and the flight crew closed the doors. At this time, our Captain gave us a briefing of the flight, including that flight time would be 1:08, but with the possibility of an earlier arrival thanks to some turbulence enroute. As we taxied, we had to wait a bit as there were some planes in front of us. However, we did not have to wait too long as by 11:54AM, we were preparing for take off. Of course, the picturesque mountain vistas did not stop in the terminal.

Plus, I even got a view of the Salt Lake City skyline.

We wasted no time and at 11:55AM, I felt the immediate thrust of the 757-200s engines and we were off! As we began our flight path to LAS, we flew west of the airport and according to my iPhone's geotags, we were flying over Jordan Meadows, which added a healthy dose of greenery in the foreground of the photo with the brownish mountains in the background, which were split by what appeared to be a salt lake.


Our plane then made a left turn, as we would fly on a mostly southbound path down to LAS. A couple of minutes later, I spotted even more mountains!

Since I did not want to watch a movie, I checked out the Spotify playlists that Delta had on tap. The "Feel Good Summer Mixtape" caught my eye and in addition to having an excellent selection of older music from artists such as Fleetwood Mac, Elton John, and Natalie Cole among others, this playlist lived up to its name. I started the playlist by listening to "Everywhere" by Fleetwood Mac and it put me in a positive frame of mind right off of the bat, thanks to its bassline that had a psychedelic rock sound to it as well as the melding of Christie McVie's lead vocals.

As we continued down our flightpath, save for the salt lakes, the landscape became more arid and desert-like.


I continued to listen to "The Feel Good Summer Mixtape" and discovered more hits as I was listening to "Tiny Dancer" by Elton John.

At 12:26PM MT, about 30-minutes after our flight left Salt Lake City, we were flying over Utah somewhere north of St. George, UT with just 231 miles to go!

At this same time, Patricia began snack service for our cabin and at this time, since SLC-LAS is one of Delta's shorter routes, only the First Class cabin gets a full snack service. Patricia kindly offered to me and my Mother to take as much as we wanted and we took a few bags of Miss Vickie's potato chips as well as pistachios. I saved some for later, but enjoyed a bag each of Miss Vickie's and pistachios along with a Diet Coke to wash them down.

As I ate my snacks, Patricia then concluded her snack service and at this time, the Captain then turned on the "Fasten Seatbelt Sign," as we were beginning our descent into LAS. With the time being 12:55PM MT, an hour since we had left SLC, we were only 9-minutes away from landing in Las Vegas, which meant we would arrive at about 12:03PM PST, almost 20-minutes ahead of our scheduled arrival time.

Sometime after that, we turned for our final approach into Las Vegas's Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) and at 12:06PM PT, we made a smooth landing and had arrived 14-minutes ahead of schedule! After getting a warm welcome into LAS, we wasted no time taxiing to the D-Gates and a few minutes later, we parked at Terminal 1, Gate D36. A few minutes later, the doors to the jetway were opened and we were cleared to disembark N6704Z. We turned right, making our way back to Doorway 2L and as we left the plane, Patricia thanked us for flying Delta and bid us a fond farewell, wishing us a wonderful time in Vegas! We then exited the plane, disembarking via Doorway 2L and making our way down the jetway to Gate D36.

c) Arrival:
After two fabulous flights on Delta 745 from FLL-SLC as well as on DL2071 from SLC-LAS, myself and my Mother had now arrived in Las Vegas! We arrived at 12:06PM PT, 14-minutes ahead of our scheduled 12:20PM arrival time. We disembarked N6704Z, the Boeing 757-200 that operated DL2071 from SLC via Doorway 2L Once off of the plane, we found ourselves at Gate D36, which is midway between the center of the D-Gates and the end of the D30s-D40s gates. From what we could see, the terminal and its surrounding gates were busy, with most of the seating occupied and overall, more travelers than I remembered from my Las Vegas trip in September 2022. I was hoping the terminal would be in better shape and/or cleaner than my last trip, but alas, this was not the case, as it looked kind of dirty and dingy still. Nonetheless, on our way to the Baggage Claim, my Mother needed to use the restroom, so I sat nearby, not far from where the airport outpost of Metro Pizza, Chilis Too, and Red Mango are located. As you can see below, it was packed!

While I was waiting for my Mother, I called Crockfords, as I wanted to see if they would have a room ready for us? The lady who answered the phone was very helpful, informed us that thanks to a convention at the property, there were a higher than average number of late check outs, which would make an early check in tricky, but that she would do her best nonetheless. After I ended the call, my Mother returned from the restroom and agreed with my assessment from the terminal, as she found the restrooms to be dirty and poorly stocked. It is a shame that a city like Las Vegas doesn't have that clean or well maintained airport, as other airports I have used recently, like SLC, ATL, JFK, FLL, and PBI are far cleaner! Just like my previous trip to LAS, we saw a plethora of slot machines as well as more shops and restaurants. A few minutes later, we got a tram to Terminal 1, where we then went downstairs to its immense Baggage Claim area. Thankfully, we had our bags less than five minutes after the belt started, which is impressive for a large airport! We then made our way to the McCarran Ride Share area, but not without stopping at a Hudson News, where we purchased a couple of bottles of waters. If I remember correctly, they were pricier than SLC and South Florida, but a little less than JFK. We then headed upstairs one level in the elevator to the pedestrian bridge, which connects Terminal 1 with its parking garage and Ride Share staging area. As we traversed the bridge, we found that although we were used to the heat in South Florida, the Vegas heat hit was even more intense, thanks to it being dry and akin to opening an oven door when taking something out. Once we entered the ride share staging area, we found it to be fairly busy.

Once there, I checked the Uber and Lyft apps to see which was cheaper for a trip to Crockfords along with a stop at the Walmart on Eastern to pick up our groceries and although both were pricier than normal, thanks to a convention in town, Uber won, although it was $39 if I am not mistaken!

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 Larry, who would be picking us up in a silver Kia EV6, which marked the second time in Vegas I have been in an EV rideshare. The time was 12:59PM and Larry was only 1.4-miles away from the airport, so I knew we would be underway shortly. And indeed that was the case as less than ten minutes later, Larry pulled up in his silver Kia EV6, a Midsize Two Row SUV that has an all electric powertrain. In addition to its intriguing powertrain, it was also sleek and shiny as far as looks go!

Larry made an excellent first impression, as he was warm, polite, and aimed to please! Immediately, he opened the rear passenger door of his Kia so we could make ourselves comfortable and popped open his trunk, loading our luggage right away! A couple of minutes later, me, my Mother, and all of our belongings were good to go! I mentioned this in my previous Vegas TR, but I feel that 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. In fact, I think JFK in New York, which is undergoing a major renovation, is moving to model similar to LAS for rideshare pickups, which will be beneficial to arriving passengers. Anyway, I digress. Two minutes after me and my Mother got in our Uber, we left the parking garage and were about to leave the airport, as we reached an interchange leading to I-15/I-215.

We were heading east to leave the airport, as we were going to the Walmart on Eastern Avenue and Russell Road to pick up some supplies for the room and it is 2-miles east of LAS. As we drove on the airport roadway, the rocky and sandy grounds reinforced the fact that we were no longer in South Florida.

As we continued to drive along the airport roadways, we passed Terminal 3. To the left of Terminal 3, it was incredible to see some more mountain vistas!

And to our right, Terminal 3, which opened in the 2010s and handles many of the international carriers that fly into LAS.

As we drove, we then exited Harry Reid International Airport, following Russell Road eastbound for about 2-miles to Eastern Avenue, to the McCarran Marketplace, where the Walmart we would be picking up our supplies from was located. For the course of our ride, we had the pleasure of taking in the Kia EV6, which was a very nice car! In fact, it doesn't hurt that my main car, a Kia Forte, is also very nice, which may have influenced my feelings about this car. Me and my Mother found that we enjoyed this car as we found the rear seat to be very roomy, the cabin to be quiet, the air conditioning to be very powerful which was perfect for the 100 degree temperatures in Las Vegas, and the car to have a solid feel overall. In addition, I also noticed that the infotainment system was very similar to the one on my Forte. In addition, we found Larry to be a pleasure thanks to his kind and engaging personality. He told us that some time ago, he had moved from California, but moved to Vegas for work and does rideshare driving on the side, as he likes driving and being able to meet people. He added that although it was his first rodeo, he enjoys using the EV6 for ridesharing, as he does not have to worry about gassing it up like a car powered by an internal combustion engine or a hybrid. Speaking of the EV6's electric engine, both myself and my Mother were impressed by its speed and quietness, although for now, we are not ready for an electric car. Anyway, about ten minutes after we left Harry Reid International Airport, we arrived at the McCarran Marketplace, where the Walmart is located. As Larry pulled in, I opened the Walmart app and per its instructions, we parked at Pickup Space #5 at 1:18PM, where a Walmart associate would deliver our order.

We did not have to wait long once I let the Walmart app know we had arrived and two minutes later, a Walmart associate arrived with our order. Me, Larry, and the Walmart associate loaded the belongings into Larry's trunk and once that was done, Larry had us on our way to Crockfords by LXR at Resorts World. He turned right onto Eastern Avenue southbound, passing the southeastern perimeter of Harry Reid International Airport until we reached the intersection of Sunset Road. Once we reached Sunset Road, we turned right to head westbound towards The Strip. After heading westbound along the southern perimeter of the airport for a little bit, we then reached the Airport Connector, where we would get I-215.

And this proved to be the case, as we followed the Southern Terminus of the Airport Connector for the exit leading for I-215 westbound towards Las Vegas as well access to Hidden Well Rd/Gilesepie St/Rental Car Return.

We followed I-215 westbound, which forms a clockwise belt around the Las Vegas area. At its eastern end, it begins in the Henderson suburb of Las Vegas at the interchange of I-11/US 93/US 95/NV-564, running in a westbound direction passing through the southern suburbs of Las Vegas such as Henderson, Enterprise, and Spring Valley. After I-215 is well west of its interchange with Las Vegas Boulevard and Interstate 15, it then curves to run northbound along the western outskirts of Vegas, mainly through the affluent suburb of Summerlin and past the mountains. Finally, coming towards its western end, the interstate then curves to run eastbound, ending at I-15/US 93 in North Las Vegas a bit north of Downtown Las Vegas. A minute after we entered I-215 westbound, we passed Exit 11: Las Vegas Blvd.

And two minutes later at 1:32PM, we were leaving I-215 westbound for Exit 12A: I-15 North: Las Vegas. Traffic was light and a minute after we entered I-15, we were already passing Mandalay Bay and Delano.

On the opposite side of the interstate, I could see Allegiant Stadium, home of the Las Vegas (formerly Oakland) Raiders NFL team as well as the home of Super Bowl LVIII in February 2024.

At 1:37PM, we had then passed Exit 37: Tropicana Avenue (NV-593)/Frank Sinatra Drive and on the southbound side of the highway, I spotted a Homewood Suites by Hilton as well as what appeared to be two mixed used towers with curved rooflines.

Two minutes later, we left Interstate 15 at Exit 39: Spring Mountain Road, where we turned right to head east of I-15 to get towards The Strip. Shortly after, we turned left to head northbound on Sammy Davis Jr. Drive, a street that runs parallel the northern portion of The Strip. We knew that we were not far from Resorts World as we were passing the western side of the Fashion Show Mall as well as Wilbur Clark Drive. Less than five minutes after we left I-15, we turned right onto Resorts World Drive, one of the streets leading into the Resorts World complex. At the time we stayed at Crockfords, all of the reservations there that were staying in standard rooms of Crockfords checked in at the Conrad's lobby for some reason prior to the Summer of 2024 (although Crockfords guests could still visit the lobby otherwise), so with that in mind, Larry followed the signs for the Conrad tower of Resorts World. After we pulled up to the Conrad's port cochere, which was decorated in a simple, yet ornate look with Asian style hanging lanterns, a Bellman immediately got to work getting our luggage and Walmart purchases unloaded. Sadly, I did not get his name, but he was 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. Once our luggage was unloaded, me and my Mom got out of the Uber, thanking Larry for a wonderful ride! Our Bellman then issued us a ticket to hand into Bell Services once our room was ready and directed us to the Front Desk, where we would start our trip in Vegas!

d) DL2071 Impressions and Ratings:
Once again, Delta did not disappoint, especially on the second leg of our trip to Las Vegas, DL2071 from SLC to LAS. The Flight Attendants on this flight did a wonderful job, especially Patricia, who impressed with her professionalism and folksy demeanor! N6704Z, the Boeing 757-200 that operated our flight, was in very good to excellent condition and very clean. In addition, Seat 4B was an excellent First Class seat thanks to its ample legroom and width. In addition, Delta's full-featured and intuitive IFE and free snacks only added to the experience, even though it was a less than an hour flight.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. Patricia, the Lead FA, was a standout!)
Plane Cleanliness/Condition: 20/20 (The plane was in near, if not perfect condition and immaculate, impressive given the 757-200 is not a new plane.)
Snacks: 20/20 (Excellent selection of complimentary snacks and beverages.)
Seat Comfort: 20/20 (Ample legroom and width.)
IFE: 20/20 (DL has one of the best IFE systems thanks to robust content and an intuitive user interface.)

**Overall Grade: 100/100 (A)