SpinzCity

I'm sorry I have to post it. A decade or two of Flyertalking and finagling and carping aside, it has to be said:

Delta is a GREAT airline.

Oh of course I miss the easy perks on Northwest, and suffered through the bitter bean counting battles in the transition to DL; of course I've lived through FCM and miles mayhem and the teething pains of online Delta Dumb - - but the ultimate take is this:

Delta is a GREAT airline. The staff are (by and large) supremely positive, helpful, smart, enjoyable, engaging. The hard product is comfy, smart, sleek, constantly improved. The shift from easy upgrades to a differentiated Delta Comfort plus nice exit row seating somehow balances itself out pleasantly, for elites. As a Million Miler I really do feel honored through subtle, non-policy-promoted, but somehow palpable dimensions.

The Delta product is EXCELLENT, and I thank my lucky stars that I am participating in it to the extent that I have and continue to.


[okay, flame away] =:-O

KDCAflyer

I live in VA, with hubs for AA, UA, and WN all nearby. I choose to fly Delta almost exclusively.

That should say it all right there.

nineworldseries

Southwest loyalist here, but I've certainly enjoyed my handful of Delta flights over the last couple years. WN has three major advantages for me:

Companion Pass
No regional jets
Way more nonstops from CMH

Next year, I'll lose the first (and biggest) advantage and will thus probably fly DL more. Hate the RJs and connecting through ATL all the time though.

javabytes

Delta has its strengths. Delta has its weaknesses. As much as we pick apart every little thing here on FT, at the end of the day, there is little difference between what all the major US airlines do: provide transportation from point A to point B.

gretchendz

Every time I get a bit frustrated with Delta, and I then fly AA or United, I comeback singing the praises of Delta. When things are messed up, they TELL you. The employees are almost uniformly NICE. (Recently had a pilot come out of cockpit preflight to welcome us and thanks us for our business. It was very sweet.)

ON the competition, best I can hopeful is basic competence.

appleguru

Ok, this is maybe just a litttttle bit too exaggerated. I think you may have some slightly too rosy colored glasses on

All things considered though, I do prefer DL over just about anyone else.

rickg523

I think I agree.
Flew Delta for the first time in years recently. SMF-LAX-JFK. In steerage. But it wasn't steerage.
On all 4 segments, flights were comfortable, staff friendly and professional. Return long-haul was on a recently updated Airbus. That seat was actually good enough to make me rethink my standard refusal to fly Economy cross-country. (This was a last minute business trip. Couldn't swing the J fare.)
Oh and there was an IRROPS on the first segment. Plane held in SMF for a 2 hour fog closure at LAX, which had me miss my cxn. GAs were excellent, bringing out a cart with juice, coffee, fruit, yoghurt (it was 7 am).
Delta Help line sorted me out in 5 minutes. Good job all around, Delta.
I'm going with Delta domestic a few more times. If they perform this well, I'll try a US carrier for TATL for the first time in 30 years of overseas travel.

Bowgie

A friend flew EK LAX-Dubai-Tehran in middle seat coach. He's a small guy and said the experience killed his back.

Outside of 777's and a very few 747's & 757's, the bulk of Delta's overseas airplanes have 2-seat benches by the windows in coach. (Only the middle bench has middle seats.) This make is pretty easy for people to snag decent coach seats when flying long-haul Delta.

Coach on any airline is no joy, but if you carefully pick your plane type, it can be bearable on Delta.

readywhenyouare

I would have to disagree about the being honest about delays. I've been told some pretty far fetched lies by Delta employees. A few months ago while flying MEM-ATL it was 15 minutes past boarding time and the plane hadn't even arrived yet. I asked the gate agent about my tight connection given the delay. She insisted the flight was on time despite there being no aircraft at the gate and a delay posted on delta.com!

inthecloud

I think both OP's point and the post youre replying to are commenting on the overall quality of experience as compared to other airlines. Of course everyone has bad experiences (I had one Sunday) but I'd invite you to spend a month flying AA or WN and report back on your notes.

We spend most of our time on FT complaining about bad experiences and OP wanted to bring it back to earth and remind everyone that we're still in good shape.

flyerCO

Was it showing delayed for arrival into ATL? DL is bad about padding their schedules. Thus a flight can take off 30mins late and still land early. It's really aggravating when you're counting on someone to pick you up. My last flight into SIN got in nearly an hour before schedule, and had to sit and wait for the car driver to get to the airport.

ty97

I would call Delta a good airline, maybe even a quite good airline. Sadly, I don't think we have any great airlines in the US, but as you and others say, compared to UA/AA, it's the pretty much the best we've got.

Depending on what type of RJs those are, I think you might find them quite acceptable. E175s are great planes. CR9s not as nice, but still two class decent size planes with 2-2 seating in coach.

Now if you are getting hit with 50 seaters, yeah, that's not good.

EditingFX

Not putting forth an argument either way, but I wonder if it's even possible to have a great domestic airline in the US, given all the competitive forces and lack of state sponsorship?

DLATL777

Delta is definitely the best of the worst (the worst being the US legacies). Nothing compared to the international carriers I prefer, but fine for domestic travel.

HelloItsMe

I agree with the OP. I have always loved air travel and flew UA for many years. I found towards the end of that relationship that I was stressed out beginning a few hours before leaving for the airport and that stress lasted until we were well in the air.
Now that I've switched to DL I enjoy travel again and feel like an excited kid as I prepare for the flight.