AntonS

I think that DL overall is the best domestic airline, but after recent experience on 757 flying SEA-OGG I am not sure why Delta drops ball so much on HI flights.

The 757 was the oldest I probably seen on DL with weird configuration that had 5 rows of F and 2 rows of C+ behind F in front mon-cabin. I was in row 16 behind F an C+ legeoom seemed the smallest of any C+ I previouslfy flown. Why on earth DL has so many 757 configs?

The plane definitlety seen better days. l understand and that poor interiors do not mean that aircraft is poorly maintained and while I have full trust in Delta maintenance and safety, it was the first time in many years when I felt uncomfortable on the plane in the middle of the ocean.

Entertainement did not work until mid flight when they finally figured out how to fix it.

WiFi was not working the entire flight.

The food options in Y were pathetic for 6 hour flight, especially comparing to SEA-JFK I flew recently. I purchased turkey sandwiches which was not the freshest and came in a doggy bag and was missing mustard / mayo / salt. Then it
​took 1 hour and 20 minutes to collect the trash.

There was no tea/coffee service after main food/drink card until about mid flight when FA from first class offered coffee to C+ but no tea. Given that some passengers were doing BOB, an extra run with tea/coffee would be appreciated after main service.

No water or anything else until second drink service prior to landing.

Prosecco was really bad (forgot which brand) and I quite like prosseco they usually serve on international and transcon flights. Well, at least it was free in C+.

Did I say that I was not upgraded? As a recent diamond I was #5 out of 10 pax for 1 seat. Only 10 people on upgrade list and at least half diamonds or with miles / upgrade certificates? Elites are clearly avoiding HI flights (and for good reason) or its just a pure leasure price driven market?

To be honest I do not see myself flying Delta HI flights anytime soon. There is no reason to fly anything besides HA 330s to the islands, in any class, unless there is significant price difference. Even AS new 737s start looking good compared to DL 75s in Hawaiian configuration and service.

btonkid12345

Regarding the 757 plane's configuration - that configuration with a mini C+ cabin behind F is actually quite common for DL. I haven't noticed any legroom difference in C+ on this plane.

Regarding the problems with food/drink - did you bring the concerns with the sandwich up with a FA or the purser? I'm sure they would have been happy to try and replace it with whatever else they had available, or at least offer a refund. You also could report it a Red Coat upon landing - I'm sure they would offer you a small meal voucher to make up for it (assuming you are nice).

Regarding the problems with service - particularly drink options, frequency of service, and trash pickup - it's C+, and some crews are just lazy. Did you use the FA call button? That would be an easy solution to needing beverages. Also, I would never sit there with unneeded trash for over an hour. There is a lav behind the last row of that mini C+ cabin, and if nothing else it would take 2 seconds to get up and chuck it in the lavatory trash. There is a mini galley there too, and I've found FAs usually leave a plastic trash bag hanging off a cart for pax to throw garbage in.

Regarding the upgrade list - people often use RUCs to/from Hawaii, and are often flying with a companion. So if you had 2 DMs/PMs with an RUC applied, and each had a companion, it's easy to see how you would wind up #5 . Having said that, I also would have called the DM Desk and have them verify your position is correct when you're that low out of a 10 person UG list.

xliioper

The 757's have all been refurbed in the last few years and the number of configs have been greatly reduced. Here is the mod tracking thread -- The Official 757-200 Interior Mod Tracking Thread
As you can see, the mod's are now all compelete.
Other than the D1 75S, the C+ mini cabin behind behind F is the standard for the 752's. You don't seem very familiar with DL's fleet.

AntonS

True I was not aware of 757 refubs / config changes because recently I usually get D1 version on transcons. But seatguru still shows 5 different 757 configs and I had hard time figuring out what is a good seat for my config.

And if my plane was recently refurbed... sorry but judging by the state of the cabin it has definitely seen better days. Maybe it was one off and I was unlucky.

BenA

LoganFlyer

And SeatGuru is, not surprisingly, wrong about this. DL now has just 3 seating configurations for its 757s. Not excusing DL from the rest of the points you brought up, though.

CPMaverick

If you really have full trust in DL's maintenance and safety, then why were you uncomfortable over the ocean?

3Cforme

US-48 to Hawaii has five carriers, soon to be joined by a 6th. Those low yields you mention are a direct function of that competition. The aircraft config and amenities are typical for a non-transcon/premium domestic flight, be it on Delta or AS/UA/AA.

Maybe the OP felt a need to get in a plug for Hawaiian.

Often1

There is no need to sit and suffer in silence. If you want something to drink, either hit your call button or go to one of the galleys yourself. If the FA offers coffee and you want tea, just say so.

As to the hard product, welcome to the world of PRASM. HI is low on the ladder and the "best" aircraft go to routes where DL can charge a high premium and it can't do so on the West Coast-HI routes. But, the aircraft are safe.

indufan

[QUOTE=AntonS;30466508]weird configuration that had 5 rows of F and 2 rows of C+ behind F in front mon-cabin]/QUOTE]
Nothing weird about this at all. Quite common.

BearX220

Hawaii is high-competition, low-yield, lots of infrequent flyers, lots of FF award redemptions. There's no incentive for any airline to try very hard.

ab2013

DL primarily targets the 75S for high-yield domestic transcon and TATL D1 service. That said, I'm pretty surprised that DL's experiment with free meals in Y on domestic transcons has survived for this long. Lots of those routes are pretty low-yielding. For example, plane tickets for SEA-BOS/JFK are selling for $129/$159 one-way in Y around mid-January. In my mind, they're probably losing money selling those plane tickets too.

enviroian

Sure you weren't on American?

ethernal

They're definitely losing money on that route, no doubt about it. But they are offering meals in an attempt to differentiate (probably unsuccessfully) against its competitors on these routes (Alaska, JetBlue, American). Obviously this one may not be sustainable, but this is what competition looks like and it's good for consumers.

For what it's worth, a colleague of mine flying ex-JFK commented positively on the meals she got. She preferred flying Delta instead of Jetblue because of it (although I'll note that schedule was of course still the primary impact).

ab2013

Re: Wifi - In my mind, this is a GoGo problem. GoGo customer service as always been good about helping with these problems - I've had them give me free hour or day passes for severely disrupted paid sessions.

The prices I pay for SEA-DTW are far higher than most of the other domestic routes out of SEA. I flew DTW-LGA earlier this year and the prices were higher compared to JFK-SEA, which is clearly a lot farther. The PRASM in MSP/DTW/ATL must be insanely high; those fortress hubs are totally cash cows funding DL's coastal ops.

DL seems to make a conscious effort in investing in the customer experience - generous comp snacks in Y and PTVs. I think you get more in W compared to economy plus on UA as well.