What to Expect?
 

Something very odd is happening in a few weeks: I'm flying somewhere.

No, really, for me this is highly unusual. Due to a mix of OTP issues on the western LD trains (Amtrak #6 has about a 50/50 chance of connecting with #30 right now; such a misconnect would foul up my week, and I would prefer not to have to repack for a flight on the fly if I can help it since packing for Amtrak is a bit more "relaxed"). So I ended up booking an A-ticket from SLC-ATL-MCO on an overnight flight (I leave at about 0100 and get into MCO around 0930).

(1) What should I expect? No, really...I've never flown first class before and haven't taken a commercial flight actually going anywhere in about four or five years.

(2) Should I even bother with SkyMiles? The program seems to be in a mess, the odds of me getting any sort of status are laughable; if the program has an expiry date on points/miles, it is more likely that I'd end up with the points just expiring unused.

1. Domestic first class is an experience I'd consider borderline humane and not a whole lot more. You'll get a seat that is actually properly sized for a human being, free beverages and snacks, no meals, free checked bags, and priority check in, security, and boarding. And you get from A to B. That's about it.

2. You might as well sign up. The miles don't expire. And if you pay for First Class when you fly anyway, the lower Medallion tiers won't get you much anyway, so don't worry about status.

Thanks. I'll go ahead and get that in this evening...

Honestly, part of the reason I didn't blink at the price for First is that I've become very used to paying for a sleeper on Amtrak. When you're used to paying $750-2000 for a transcontinental ticket, paying $550 for First (with the added bonus of not having to screw with baggage fees) doesn't seem as insane...or, as I told a few friends, my idea of a "reasonable" fare didn't get deregulated. Then again, Coach on the same flight was over $400, so it wasn't that much of a stretch.

There's no doubt Amtrak is more comfortable. Even the regular Amtrak seats are better than Delta's First Class seats... except for the part where you have to spend two and a half days in them to make a trip you could fly in 8 hours. Some people enjoy the journey and some people just need to get where they're going, but air is often a quite reasonably priced way to travel compared to driving or taking the train (especially if you're used to paying for sleepers).

It depends on which version of Amtrak coach you're talking about:
-With Amtrak's LD seats I'll agree (I'm reminded of Amtrak having a serious discussion about there being so much legroom on the Superliners that folks were having trouble using their laptops on the tray tables and that moving seats in a bit would actually improve the passenger experience...something I would actually concur with).
-If you're thinking NE Regional coach seats (i.e. the ones I go through insane acrobatics to avoid for want of recline)...well, let's just say that if that turns out to be the case my interaction with the airline industry may remain rather sporadic for cause. There are some very good reasons I am excessively careful about which train I pick on certain routes.

At least with me, it's one part enjoying the journey, one part the lack of a humiliation conga to go through (not having to worry if there's a bottle of water in my bag, for example), and one part, in many cases, a lack of "lost" time: I live in Virginia, so taking an overnight train to Florida really only "loses" either a few hours the evening of departure or the morning of arrival and quite possibly saves a night in a hotel one way or both (on my return I can usually get a late enough train that I can have most of a day at Disney before boarding).

Edit: As a sincere question, how does Delta Domestic First compare with American, United, and/or Virgin? I really have no benchmarks for comparison on this front.

Actually on OP's ATL-SLC leg he should get a meal I think.

I think I'm shafted by the clock. I looked at a direct flight at about 5 PM SLC-MCO (which would have had dinner), but that didn't quite work schedule-wise (I'd have had to cut out even earlier from my conference).

One thing that was a pain was trying to avoid a connection in Texas (which would have zapped meals on both legs) or getting stuck on a "DBA flight" to Denver.

OP is flying the other direction - SLC-ATL - on a red-eye departing at 1 in the morning. I don't see any mention of a return, but the SLC-ATL-MCO flights won't have a meal.

In my opinion, third, behind Virgin America and American, but ahead of United. Virgin America is really in a league of their own compared to the other three when it comes to domestic first class (the notable exceptions being the legacy carriers' premium service routes like JFK-LAX/SFO). Way better seats - a recliner with 55" pitch like the ones you used to see in international business class before flat beds became all the rage - better food, etc.

There is no return (or, more properly, this is the return). Basically, the flying leg was wedged into an otherwise all-rail trip due to calendar issues. My outbound leg is on Amtrak from VA all the way to Salt Lake City. When coming back, flying became inevitable due to timing; the question was really one of what I was going to do...and that slowly became a case of "What will I enjoy doing most?" since the cost between a bunch of options (I considered DC, New York, and a few others) was hovering in the same general range ($450 give or take for flying, though it did rise as booking came closer).

In the end, flying to FL was a compromise on cost (against taking Virgin, period; having to fly into somewhere like New York and likely do an overnight there or in DC; and dealing with a "DBA flight") and enjoyability (I have a friend I can visit with, I can justify a night there as insurance against lost luggage and the like, and I get a night on the Silvers on my way home as compensation for not being able to take the train all the way). It did not help that flying into one of my local airports was going to be absurdly expensive (i.e, $600+ for PHF and ORF for the most part, and not much better for RIC).

Out of curiosity, what do you have against Virgin? They wouldn't likely have been an option for this trip as they don't fly out of SLC, but I'm curious nonetheless.

DL's F is decent, but not excellent in any way. Depending on your aircraft, you may or may not have any entertainment. Meals are acceptable. Crews are hit or miss, with pre-merger DL crews being significantly better than the NW ones.

On your ATL-MCO leg, service will be pretty limited due to the short duration of the flight.

Now DL has IFE via Studio Delta on any aircraft with wifi. You just need to bring your own device and figure out how to install the GoGo video player.

Cost. I actually hit on a possible Virgin routing (I looked at taking the train to Oakland and then catching a flight), but it would have cost close to twice as much. It's not so much that I have anything against them (I want to take them at some point, and that's saying something for me)...it's simple cost.

Well, I took my Delta flight(s) last night. The good news is that I got to watch Snowpiercer on the IFE system (I wanted to see it over the summer but never got the chance). The bad news is that...well, on my SLC-ATL flight the First Class lavatory was out of order. I had decent seatmates on both flights, but the recline in First on both was less than I'd get on a NE Regional on Amtrak (and no footrests were available). The snack service wasn't bad...

...unfortunately, I spoiled myself last week with an IAD-SFO flight on Virgin and the price issue has sort of melted away. I'll check the reward tables on Delta to see if there are any awards I'd actually use, but failing that I'll probably just give my miles away to a friend.