First timer up front~
 

I just booked (via Air miles) my first Business Elite (777 – 200 LR) on Delta ATL to JNB - JNB to ATL and I have a couple of questions:

Luggage – The first leg of my trip is coach class from SNA to ATL and return - Will I be able to take the Business Elite allotted number and weight class of bags on my coach connecting flights?

Lounge: I will have time to kill in Atlanta – Will I be able to take advantage of the Business class lounge? Where is it and how do I get in? What are the amenities?

Etiquette during the flight - I am pretty much a non-demanding flyer but I would like to know the deal on drinks, food etc during the flight? I don’t want to commit a “personal error”

My only other up front/first class experience was due to a kind hearted ticketing agent helping a very tired traveler and I slept the entire 5 hours…

Thanks for any help.

First of all, welcome to FlyerTalk.

As for your first time up front, no doubt other members of FlyerTalk are here to help you make sure it's not your last. Here in the DL forum there are many members who can answer your questions and make sure you will enjoy the flight as it's a long one.

Again, welcome.

Welcome to FT!

Yes, luggage rules will apply to all segments.

Yes, you can use the Sky Club (any of them) in ATL during your layover as you'll be in Business class. If you search the forum you'll find plenty of debate over which Sky Club in ATL is better (I personally have no opinion).

As for flight etiquette, unless something has changed recently (and I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong), there are scheduled meals even in Business class - so you can't exactly ask to eat whenever you feel like it. However, drinks and snacks are free, plentiful, and on demand so feel free to request what you want whenever you wish.

Enjoy your flight!

I'll let others chime in on your questions, but I just want to say ENJOY your first flight upfront. It will be memorable. I still remember my first one :)

Welcome!

1. Yes, you will be able to check the Business Elite baggage allowance at your departure city.

2. Yes, you will have access to the Sky Club lounges in ATL. There are several of them, some better than others. To get in, you will need to provide the agent with your boarding pass and ID. Sky Clubs have small snacks, alcohol, coffee, and other beverages. In addition, TV's, Conference Rooms, small office cubes, and certain Clubs have showers.

3. Just be yourself. No real worries there. You will receive two meals and a mid flight snack on your flight. Wine, mixed drinks, coffee, etc will be available at no cost. The FA's are generally very friendly.

Enjoy your trip

I assume that you booked your entire ticket together with the SNA-ATL segments on DL? If so, you will be allotted the BE luggage amount (70 lbs each, 3 pieces checked luggage).

Upon boarding in ATL, you will be offered champagne or orange juice or you can have a mimosa. In fact, time permitting, you can have several. On a recent TATL flight, the woman sitting next to me asked for white wine and I was surprised that she was accomodated - in the past the preflight service for TATL flights included only champagne, orange juice, mimosas, or water. They generally don't want to open up a lot of different bottle of things before departure and they don't want to cut fruit for some reason (I must have a lime in my vodka and tonic).

In your seat you will find a fairly decent size pillow and duvet and there should be an ammenity kit in the seat back pocket. If not, the FAs will eventually come around and hand them out. They contain a pair of socks, eye shades, some mints, tissues, ear plugs (very valuable to me), toothbrush and toothpaste, lip balm, and some lotion.

You will have access to a personal in-flight video monitor where you can choose movies and TV shows to watch on demand; there are also some basic games on it. DL provides noise-cancelling headphones for its BE passengers.

During the flight, you will be served drinks and meals. If you have good flight crew, you will receive great attention and your glass will never be empty. You can view your meal choices at https://www.delta.com/traveling_chec...ite/dining.jsp

If you are unfamiliar with how to work the seat controls or video monitor, ask an FA.

In ATL you will either be flying out of the E concourse or the T concourse. There are 2 lounges on the E concourse, one is right next to TGIFridays and the other is around the corner past the first one. The first one tends to be full almost every time I go there, but it does have showers (towels, lquid soap, shampoo and conditioner are provided). The second lounge is a little bigger and has nice views of the planes. Both will have snacks and drinks, free of charge. These lounges usually have nice snacks because they cater to the BE pasengers. I really like the chicken salad with grapes and walnuts. Usually I use the first lounge to take a shower and then relocate to the quieter second lounge. There is also a lounge on the T concourse, which is very nice but does not carry the same snacks. For some reason, it is not on the map at the top of the escalator when you arrive at the T concourse. I think it is near gate T5 or T7. You can use the lounges upon return too. Just show the agent at the desk your BE boarding pass. This is when I find the showers most beneficial - after an 11 hour international flight waiting for a connection. Note that there are only 2 showers so you may have to wait. Oh, there is free WiFi in the SkyClubs.

Enjoy your BE experience!

all good advice, thanks to our DL members of FlyerTalk for the informative help to this new member.

I would like to say thank you for all the encouragement, advice and good wishes from all that responded to my questions. You have been a great help.

Now if I can only figure out how to get enough miles to do this more often…I’m far too tall for coach!:)

Thank you,

Alan

Swiftone-

It can certainly be done! Stick around Flyertalk and you'll pick up on plenty of miles earning opportunities. Mrs. Andyandy and I flew TATL on BE award seats last October and we've already racked up enough miles to do it again. The VAST majority of our miles come from sources other than paid tickets. Club Bing, TD Ameritrade, Fidelity, Skymilesshopping, Partner Promos, the list goes on and on. Just keep your eyes open and you'll be back up front before you know it. Enjoy your trip!

Andyandy

P.S. Don't forget to watch the hotel forums. It's always nice to follow up a free flight with a free room.

Customs, I believe. If it's cut or opened on the ground, it's tossed right away :(

My understanding is that they can't open a lot of the alcohol. An FA once explained that the alcohol is duty free and, accordingly, can only be served when outside a customs area.

Don't forget the noise cancelling headphones! Saves a lot of room in your carry on when you can use the ones that DL provides.

Enjoy your first BE flight - you'll love it. I have always found BE on DL to be excellent, good food (for an airline) great service and very very comfortable.

Luggage: You will get the same International 70 lb rules that apply so long as the coach segments are booked on the same PNR/itin and not a separate ticket.

Lounge: Enjoy in ATL and they'll likely have a lounge (or partner access) in JNB for your return flight. If you go to the lounge and they give you a problem, make sure they look up your PNR/Itin to confirm you're in Business. I had a recent trip where they saw First on a Domestic segment and said I wasn't elegible, but I had to tell her to look up that we were in Business class on the return.

Flight: If you're traveling solo, try to book seat 7A or 7D, they are the best. If those aren't available, or you're going with someone else book 6B and/or 6C.

Service can be spotty depending on your FA. I've had great service where they are constantly attending to your needs, and I've had them completely ignore you. Just make sure you get someones attention if you want something. If you get an inatentive FA it can be quite annoying. Make sure you get your choice of meals as well. I just did a BE flight where I got a choice for breakfast but my friend didn't. They just handed him the omlette.. I looked over and I said, I thought you would have preferred the pancakes. He said he would but didn't know he had a choice. :( My FA was amazing, his was ignoring him alot and inattentive. I was in 6C he was in 6B which are actually served first, but but by different FAs, so just be on the lookout for that.

At 6'8, I feel your pain... but at my height, even the lay flats are too short. :(