WolfieG

Hello again everyone and Shalom! Since my last trip report to Walt Disney World in January 2016, a lot has changed in my life. While I am still studying to go into healthcare (albeit still taking non-matriculated courses at a nearby university to make up for courses I did not take undergrad due to majoring in Sociology), I am now living in beautiful Delray Beach, FL with my mother as of eight months ago. Before that, I lived in Westbury, NY, about 40-50 minutes outside of New York City. From June 19th, 2017 to July 2nd, 2017 (July 3rd adding in the flight from JFK-FLL), I had the amazing opportunity to go on Birthright to Israel, which was very important to me as not only is it truly an amazing nation, I am spiritually connected to it due to my Jewish heritage. What is Birthright you may ask? Also known as Taglit Birthright Israel, it was started in 1999 and founded by Charles Bronfman and Michael Steinhardt. The program is a non-profit, so it enables participants ages 18-26 to enjoy a free (well, almost due to a $250 refundable deposit) 10-day trip around Israel to see this fantastic nation and further discover their Jewish heritage. There are many different organizers based on interest (i.e. outdoor activities) as well as Jewish denomination (such as Orthodox and Reform groups). I opted to travel with Orthodox Union-Israel Free Spirit, as I wanted to go with a group that was slightly more religious as Judaism means a lot to me and my Rabbi, who is an Orthodox-outreach Rabbi and did my Bar-Mitzvah 12-years ago gave them high-praise. Initially, I was a little worried I would feel a bit like a fish-out-of-water as I do not keep Shabbat perfectly and opt to not keep Kosher outside the house (though I refrain from eating pork, meat and milk mixed together, and do not eat shellfish often). However, this was not the case as the many people in my group were not perfectly observant either. Another question some may ask would be how the title is connected to my trip? Well, thanks to my first name being Wolf, there were a lot of “Wolfpack” references from “The Hangover” and well, during our trip, we referred to our group as “the Wolfpack,” as we all took a liking for each other and well, we were part of a pack. Not only did I absolutely love Israel and want to return ASAP, I am also blessed to have been with the most amazing group of participants and staff! L’Chaim and onto the report!

*Before trip:
In December 2016, I received an email from Israel Free Spirit that early registration for Spring/Summer 2017 trips would be opening up in February 2017. I made sure to put my name on the email list and on February 6th, 2017, I applied for my trip. About two weeks later, Adina, one of the very sweet employees at Israel Free Spirit called me in order to do my phone interview, which is done to gather information about potential participants, such as your Jewish background and health issues. We talked for about thirty minutes and I was a little concerned about my food allergies to all grains except corn and rice as well as eggs. She took that information down and told me not to worry, as they have dealt with many food allergies and dietary needs before. Relieved, all was well and I was anticipating getting accepted on the trip. I also had a Passport, which I got in April 2016, as I thought I would go on Birthright earlier. Needless to say, my dream came true and about one month later on March 2nd, 2017; I received an offer for a trip geared at participants ages 22-26 departing from New York on June 21st, 2017 and returning there on July 2nd, 2017. Since I had time off from my studies for the summer and I really wanted to go to Israel, I accepted and was giddy to finally have the chance at going to Israel.

Since the flights to/from Israel were not confirmed, they advised participants traveling from other U.S./Canadian cities to New York to wait until the next email, which would contain our group’s confirmed flight information. That email followed on March 28th, 2017. I found out that leaving the United States, I would be flying with the group on El Al Israel Airlines (LY) Flight 28 from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) in Newark, NJ to Tel Aviv’s (well, technically Lod, a city in Israel’s Central District) Ben Gurion Airport (TLV) at 1:30PM and that we would arrive there the next day at 7:15AM. Coming home, we would be flying on El Al Israel Airlines (LY) Flight 11 from Ben Gurion to New York-John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) departing at 7:15PM and arriving at 11:55PM. It also instructed me to join the Facebook group for my trip, which was OU-IFS-161. Via Facebook, I met our amazing group leaders Dory and Spencer as well as all the amazing participants. We all got to know each other a little bit and exchanged any questions we had before the trip. Now that I had my flight information, I was also able to book my flights from Florida to NYC. All I had to do until June was be excited!

*Part 1: Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport-New York-John F. Kennedy International Airport (6/19/2017):
a) Before Airport:
With the green light given to book flights for people who needed to fly from other U.S./Canadian cities, I started looking for flights at the end of that week. I decided to leave Florida two days before on June 19th, 2017, as I wanted to allow a buffer to make it to New York, as I did not want to let any potential delays cause me to miss making my flight to Israel. In addition, if all went well avoiding delays, these two days in New York would give me time to catch up with family and friends who still live in the NYC-area. There were options for extending my trip, which quite a few people did, as they wanted to see more of Israel or other places (like Europe) and would be reimbursed, I did not parktake even though I wanted to as I did not want to leave my mom, three small dogs, and three guinea pigs alone for too long. With that in mind, I made my date to come home July 3rd, 2017, as my flight from Israel would be scheduled to arrive at JFK five minutes before midnight on July 2nd.
I started my flight search by checking flights from PBI/FLL to JFK. One of the nice things about where I live is that I am fairly equidistant from West Palm Beach (PBI) and Fort Lauderdale (FLL) Airports. From where we live, it is about a 35-minute drive to FLL via the Florida’s Turnpike (FL-91) southbound and I-595 eastbound or a 25-30-minute drive to PBI via the Florida’s Turnpike (FL-91) or I-95 northbound. In my search, mainly Delta and jetBlue flights showed up, as those carriers have many flights between South Florida and JFK, which works well as I like both Delta and jetBlue. In my search, Delta from FLL-JFK and back won price and schedule-wise, beating all of the jetBlue fares as well as Delta from PBI-JFK and back by $70. While I do prefer PBI to FLL as I feel that it is a nicer airport and easier to get through, I did not want to pay $70 more for those perks, as FLL is still fine. I chose DL2286, departing FLL at 12:00PM and arriving at JFK at 2:55PM and going home, I chose DL2324 departing JFK at 8:10AM and arriving at FLL at 11:15AM. I also noticed the aircraft operating both my flights would be an Airbus A319, which would be exciting, as I had never flown on one, despite flying with other members of the Airbus A320 family many times on Delta, jetBlue, and once on Spirit. In addition, I learned that it had the latest iteration of Delta’s IFE, so that would be cool! I booked Seat 13F in Economy due to good reviews on SeatGuru and I was ready to go.
The next step was to book accommodations for the two nights in NYC. I did not plan on staying anywhere too fancy, but since Mom recommended it, I decided to book at the Hilton Times Square, as my Mom deemed the hotel and location excellent based on her experiences. I used some Hilton Honors points and also paid out of pocket, so I was good to go!
However, as I was checking my flight randomly on April 11th, 2017, it seemed that luck was with me as a Comfort+ seat on both flights was priced at a mere $18 round trip, when normally it is higher than that (I think about $40 each way). While I do not usually fly Comfort+ on shorter routes, I could not pass up this excellent price, so I upgraded from Economy to Comfort+. Based on the SeatGuru reviews, I opted for 10F, as the lack of a bulkhead meant even more room for my legs.
After my classes ended in early May, I took the time before my trip to enjoy time off. In addition, I also prepared for my trip by buying anything that was necessary and packing. Like they always say, time flies when you are having fun and before I knew it, it was June 18th, exactly one day before I would leave for my trip. I woke up that morning at about 8 AM. I got ready and ate breakfast in the usual way. I then logged into the Hilton app and chose Room 3206, as that was the highest room that was available and my mom recommended that side of the hotel based on her previous experience.





Since it was the last day before the trip and I wanted to give my mom a great Father’s Day, as since I do not have much of a relationship with my dad and my mom did the job of two parents, as she was by and large a single parent. We first went to the gym in our community, where we did the elliptical and chatted with some of our wonderful neighbors, who wished me a fantastic trip to Israel! After our workout, I noticed a notification from the FlyDeltaApp on my iPhone 7 Plus that it was time to check in for my flight. Since I had a minute that was exactly what I did!





After that, me and my mom drove up to the Whole Foods in Wellington via Atlantic Avenue (FL-806) westbound and US-441/FL-7 northbound, as she needed to pick up a couple of things that she could not get in Publix. Next, since I was nearby, I called the second location of Mississippi Sweets BBQ Co. in Lake Worth, which is my favorite BBQ restaurant and I ordered a Paddlewheel, which consists of two grilled chicken breasts in barbecue sauce and for my two sides, I opted for Mississippi Sweets or fried sweet potato slices and green beans. We then ate lunch and I saved the other chicken breast and some Mississippi Sweets for the next day, as they would make for a fantastic in-flight meal! Next stop was to DSW (Designer Shoe Warehouse) in Boca Raton, as my mom wanted me to buy her shoes. With that in mind, we drove southbound down US-441/FL-7. While we were driving, my Great Uncle Meyer called. He knew I was coming to New York for a couple of days before I left for Israel and we both agreed that we wanted to meet, possibly for dinner. I told him that I would be leaving FLL at 12:00PM and arriving at JFK at 2:55PM assuming all went well. I predicted that if baggage came out fast, I would be on the AirTrain to the Jamaica LIRR at about 3:15-3:30ish, having me at Penn Station by 4:00PM, meaning that after about 4:10-4:15ish, I would be at the Hilton after walking. This would mean that I would have the rest of the evening to be with him. We both looked forward to seeing each other, as we are very close and even share the same birth month and day, which is awesome! After chatting on the phone via my car’s Bluetooth, we arrived at DSW and I got to buy my mom the shoes she wanted. After that, we headed to Planet Fitness in Delray Beach on Military Trail and Atlantic Avenue (FL-806), where we did weights. The workout was great, but I got concerned after I received a text from Delta that they were issuing a weather waiver due to imminent storms on the East Coast. Concerned, I checked Delta.com on my phone and checked to see if there were earlier flights to JFK from FLL or PBI. Sadly, just like DL2286, all the Delta flights from FLL and PBI to JFK were booked. On my mom’s advice, I decided to risk it, as the weather was looking worse on Tuesday.
After our workout, we headed home. We enjoyed dinner and then relaxed for the night, mostly watching TV such as reruns of My 600-Lb Life, which is one of our favorite TV shows. I got ready for bed, did some last minute packing, and put my iPhone 7 Plus into charge for the night. Things went a little later than expected, so I went to bed a little before midnight. After a good night’s sleep, I woke up at 6:30AM, ready to go to New York! After waking up and getting ready, I took my phone out of its charger and packed the charger into my backpack. I also packed my electric toothbrush and its components, my Tefellin, my tallis, and my Canon A590IS point and shoot camera, because I still love to take photos on a digital camera, though I must admit my iPhone 7 Plus takes amazing pictures! After that, I printed my boarding pass and I had a couple of pieces of bread with melted cheese, coffee with milk and two Splendas, a glass of orange juice, and a banana for breakfast. Also, I checked my flight status and was scheduled to depart on time from Fort Lauderdale. I then spent time with my dogs and guinea pigs until about 8:55AM.

**Flight Information**
Origin Airport: Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL), Fort Lauderdale, FL
Destination Airport: New York-John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), New York, NY
Airline and Flight Number: Delta Air Lines (DL) 2286
Aircraft: Airbus A319-100
Registration: N371NB
Cabin, Seat: Comfort +, 10F
Scheduled Departure/Actual Departure: 12:00PM/1:47PM
Scheduled Arrival/Actual Arrival: 2:55PM/4:07PM
Origin Airport Terminal, Gate: Terminal 2, Gate D6
Destination Airport Terminal, Gate: Terminal 2, Gate C65

*SPECIAL NOTES:
-First time leaving Florida for a trip since I moved.
-First time experiencing the New York Metro Area from the perspective of a traveler, as opposed to a resident.
-First time flying on an Airbus A319

b) Getting to Airport:
At about 8:55AM, I took my suitcase out to our car and loaded it into the trunk. As she was walking by, my sweet neighbor Esther wished me a wonderful trip! Five minutes later, my mom was behind the wheel of our Subaru Legacy 3.6R and pulling out of the driveway. We left our beautiful community and soon enough, we were turning right to go onto Atlantic Avenue (FL-806) westbound. Two minutes after we left, we were at the entrance for the Florida’s Turnpike (FL-91) southbound towards Miami. The weather was beautiful and traffic was light as we drove down the Turnpike, passing through the rest of unincorporated Delray Beach and Boca Raton in Palm Beach County and then crossed into Broward County, passing through the cities of Coconut Creek, North Lauderdale, Tamarac, and Plantation. Soon enough, we were in Davie near Exit 54: I-595/FL-84/US-441-Airport. We exited at Exit 54 for I-595 east and were soon on our way to FLL.

Thirty-four minutes after we left our driveway, we were already approaching Exit 10A-B for I-95 north towards West Palm Beach and I-95 south towards Miami.

By about 9:36AM, we were already at Exit 12A: US-1 south-Dania Beach, International Airport. We entered the airport and because mom was confused about the ramps leading to the Palm Garage, so we missed that first ramp. Thankfully, there was another ramp leading to the Palm Garage and we found a space fairly close to the walkway for Terminal 2. I then unloaded my suitcase and by now, the fact that I would be leaving for this big trip was becoming real!

c) At Airport:
After crossing the street from the Palm Garage to Terminal 2, me and my mom found ourselves inside. We first went to the elevator, however, it was very slow. We decided to use the escalator to go upstairs to the check-in area. By the time we got there, we noticed the check-in line was a little long, but I was not surprised as FLL tends to be a busy airport as it is close enough to MIA to be a low-fare alternative to it, helping FLL to grow considerably and even have many more international flights over the years, like Norwegian, Emirates to Dubai and British Airways to London-Gatwick. The check-in area looked like it was recently renovated, as the majority of it had a white concrete floor instead of carpet like in the past. However, I find that FLL’s Terminal 2 looks kind of tired, dated, and not quite as clean as other airports I have used in Florida, such as Palm Beach International and Orlando International Airports. One example of this was that I found the restrooms to not be as clean as the other airports I mentioned and I saw duct tape around the part of the panel surrounding the elevator button. Hopefully, more renovations will make FLL’s Terminal 2 nicer in the future. We entered the check-in line, where we waited about ten minutes, which was not terrible. Kennie, the check-in agent, who was quite perky, printed me another boarding pass and checked my bag. Thanks to my DL Skymiles Gold Card, the bag was free! Unfortunately, my bag was over the weight limit on DL by one pound, but thankfully, she did not charge me, which was excellent! She also informed that due to air traffic delays, DL2286’s scheduled departure time would be pushed back to 12:28PM from 12:00PM, which did not concern me too much as I would still make to New York in a relatively timely fashion and I would have a little more time to spend with Mom. We took a seat by the entrance leading to the security checkpoint.

We spent the time chatting with each other about various topics as well as how much we missed each other and spent about half an hour, until I had to clear security. Before I lined up, we gave each other huge hugs and said our good-byes. I then went to the security line, where I waited a short ten minutes. I dealt with TSA Officers Millan and Jeremiah, who I found to be thorough and friendly. As I was clearing security, Officer Millan admired my t-shirt, with The Genie from Disney’s “Aladdin” and “I am here. What are your two wishes?” Officer Millan said “great movie man!” and I happily agreed, as “Aladdin” happens to be one of my favorite movies. Excited to be traveling, I found myself in the secure area of Terminal 2 by 10:37AM.



Since I had two hours until boarding, I decided that there was plenty of time to plane spot. I first spotted N315NB, a Delta Airbus A319 at Gate D2 operating as Delta 1722 to New York-LaGuardia.
Across the way I spotted N76516 parked at Terminal 1, Gate C2, operating as United 1885 to Newark.
As depicted below, FLL was quite busy and there were many seats by the gates that were taken.
At Gate D5, I spotted N904DA, a DL Boeing/McDonnell Douglas MD-90 that arrived from Detroit as Delta 1604 and would be heading back there as Delta 1604.
I then spotted a Delta aircraft taxiing, an American Airlines aircraft, and a Spirit aircraft.
I then spotted N904DA pushing back for its departure to Detroit as Delta 1604 with N347AG, a Silver Airways Beechcraft plane in the background.


To be continued in FLL-JFK Part 2

Check out my other trip reports:
-Walt Disney World 2016 with air on B6 JFK-MCO and back January 2016
-Enjoying South Florida in Summer! JFK-FLL and back in C+/Y August 2015
-JFK-PBI and back in Delta Y January 2015
-JFK-MCO on Delta in Y January 2014 (part 2 going back in another thread)

WolfieG

After spotting the American Airlines aircraft taking off, I saw N904DA pushing back for its departure to Detroit as Delta 1604 once again along with a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 in the background.
I then witnessed N315NB push back for departure as Delta 1722 to New York-LaGuardia.

My mother then called to let me know that she got home OK, but that the rain was heavy for a little bit. Even still, it took only 40-minutes to the Boynton Beach Blvd (FL-804) exit on the Turnpike, which she took as she needed to stop at Target at Boynton Beach Blvd (FL-804) and Hagen Ranch Rd in Boynton Beach for a couple of things. We talked for a little bit and while I was talking, I took the selfie below and texted it to her.

After going to Target, I stayed on the phone with my mom until she got back to the house about seven minutes later. Since I was feeling hungry, I told my Mom that I would eat my leftovers from Mississippi Sweets BBQ Co. and call her back right after I boarded the plane. I found my lunch to be fantastic thanks to the tender grilled chicken enrobed in a sweet and tangy barbecue sauce along with crispy, salty and sweet Mississippi Sweets and a red and ripe tomato. At that time, an announcement was made that due to air traffic control delays and another plane needing to use Gate D5, the departure gate for Delta 2286 was moved to Gate D6. On my way over, I bought a bottle of water at the CNN Newstand Ft. Lauderdale store. A friendly and polite young lady assisted me and I paid a little under $3.00 for a bottle of Dasani, which was not terrible considering I was in an airport. Time was ticking by, so I continued to plane spot. On the other side of Terminal 2, I spotted two Fedex McDonnell Douglas aircraft, a jetBlue Embraer E-190, and a Southwest Boeing 737.

The side of Terminal 2 where I was now waiting was a little less crowded than the other side.

Along with this Delta McDonnell Douglas MD-90 at the gate, I spotted N121UW, an American Airlines Airbus A320 that was arriving from Charlotte as American Airlines 1708.
I went a little closer to Gate D6 and I spotted N76516 again, a United Boeing 737-800 in Star Alliance livery preparing to take off as United 1885 to Newark.

Next, I saw N371NB, the Airbus A319 that would be operating Delta 2286 to New York-JFK on arrival as Delta 2324 from New York-JFK (note that this is the flight I would be taking home for the last part of my journey).


This was followed by N225NV, an Allegiant Airbus A320 operating as Allegiant 1704 to Memphis.

Next I saw N68843, a United Boeing 737-800 operating as United 1822 to Washington, D.C.-Dulles.

Finally, N371NB was approaching Gate D6.


As N371NB finally parked at Gate D6, I saw N553NW, a DL Boeing 757-200 operating as Delta 2026 to Atlanta and the nose of N7849A, a Southwest Boeing 737-300 operating as Southwest 583 to Montego Bay, Jamaica.


Here is N371NB awaiting departure to New York-JFK as Delta 2286.


As I was spotting, an announcement was made that due to the delayed arrival of Delta 2324, the departure time for Delta 2286 would be pushed back to 12:44PM. At the same time, I also received a notification on my phone that the departure time would be pushed back to 12:44PM. While I was waiting, I texted a good friend to let him know that I would be departing soon and then called my Uncle Meyer, to let him know that even with the delay, I would still be meeting him for dinner that night as planned, even with the delay. By about 12:30PM, the gate agent announced that boarding for Delta 2286 would begin. Once they called the Sky boarding zone, I made my to Gate D6 and was greeted by Sharif, the gate agent, who was polite and professional. While I was in line, I met a very nice young lady. We chatted for a little bit and I told her that in two days, I would be traveling to Israel on Birthright and I could not wait! The young lady told me she was visiting various U.S. cities and loved them and added that I would love Israel, as she said it is a beautiful and amazing country. She said she would be flying back to Tel-Aviv that night via JFK on DL. Since she was further ahead, she wished me a great time in Israel and I wished her a safe trip back to “The Promised Land”!

d) DL2286: FLL-JFK:
After talking to the nice young Israeli lady, I made my way further down the jetway, entering the aircraft via Doorway 1L. As I was making my way onboard, Onique, a very friendly and young flight attendant greeted me. My first impression of this aircraft was that it was very clean and in excellent condition. I could not help but notice how spiffy the current DL cabin design looked, with some mood lighting and newly covered seats. I settled in Seat 10F, which had more than ample legroom and plenty of width.


After I got seated, I met my seatmates, who were a nice middle-age couple from Boca. We talked about where we heading. They said that they were heading to Berlin later that night. I told them that I was flying to New York to meet my Birthright group in two days and that I was looking forward to it. The couple said that they knew a couple of the heads of Birthright and that it is an amazing program. They also added that they are looking into extending the maximum age of participants to 29 from 26, which would be great! While we were waiting, the other two young male flight attendants came to greet us and they were very polite and professional. As this was happening, passengers continued to board this flight, which was full.

At this time, I spotted N316DN, a Delta Airbus A321 arriving from Atlanta as Delta 1827 along with N121UW parked at the gate after arriving from Charlotte as American 1708.

By 1:00PM, the plane was loaded and the safety video commenced as we began to pushback from Gate D6.


Since Row 10 does not have the IFE on the seatback, we watched the video from the overhead TVs, as we could not take out our monitors during takeoff and landing, as they come from an aperture in the armrest. By 1:03PM, we passed the Embraer hangar. I then spotted N632JB, a jetBlue Airbus A320 arriving from New York-LaGuardia as jetBlue 971.

At 1:10PM, Captain McKenny delivered the unfortunate news that due to the upcoming stormy weather along the East Coast and air traffic delays, we would be experiencing a hold of 1:04 until we could take off. He said that the amount of time we would have to wait could decrease and that he would update us. He added that he would also turn off the engines and allowed us to get up and use our phones until we were ready to take off again. As this was happening, Onique did an abbreviated version of the pre-departure beverage service for First Class and she then distributed headphones to First and Comfort+. I must say that even with the irregular operations, the Flight Attendants worked hard and always had a positive attitude! Seven minutes later at 1:17PM, Captain McKenny announced that our time to wait for takeoff shortened, as the new estimated time for takeoff would be 1:43PM. While we were waiting, I called my mother again and let her know that I would be delayed until about 1:43PM due to air traffic and weather. We both agreed that I would get there when I get there and that I would be in New York in plenty of time to make it to Israel. I also asked if she could call Uncle Meyer to let him know that I still wanted to see him, but I would be later than expected due to the delay. She happily agreed and at the same time, which was 1:30PM, the captain announced that we were cleared to taxi for takeoff. I was relieved, as while we would be late, at least I would be a little less late than expected. While we were waiting to taxi, I spotted N916AN, an American Airlines Boeing 737-800 operating as American 2265 to Chicago-O’Hare.

At 1:32PM, we began to taxi to the runway. Since there were a few planes ahead of us, we waited about fifteen minutes until we were able to takeoff.



To be continued in FLL-JFK Part 3

​​​​​​Check out my other trip reports:
-Walt Disney World 2016 with air on B6 JFK-MCO and back January 2016
-Enjoying South Florida in Summer! JFK-FLL and back in C+/Y August 2015
-JFK-PBI and back in Delta Y January 2015
-JFK-MCO on Delta in Y January 2014 (part 2 going back in another thread)

Annalisa12

Very detailed.

WolfieG

Thank you Annalisa12! Putting in all the details is definitely my favorite part of writing my TRs. Welcome and stay tuned for more!

supermintyfresh

Very detailed indeed. Looking forward to the actual birthright portion ^

Also, you also forgot to cross out your last name in one of the screenshots

WolfieG

Thank you super mintyfresh! Same here, but I think it will be a little bit as getting to it was half the fun if you know what I mean. Still, it will only get more exciting from here . Thank you I will take care of that right away . Welcome aboard and thank you for joining me for my TR .

Update: I fixed the screenshots . Thank you!

WolfieG

WolfieG

As we were taxiing past Terminal 4, I spotted (from left to right) an El-Al Israel Airlines Boeing 747-400, a Thomas Cook Airlines aircraft, a Singapore Airlines Airbus A380, an Emirates Airbus A380, a Virgin Atlantic Airbus A330, and a Virgin Atlantic Airbus A340.
Taxiing further past Terminal 4, I spotted many Delta aircraft in the background save for the lone tail of an El Al Israel Airlines Boeing 747-400. Closer in the photo I spotted a bunch of Delta Regional Jets featuring N304PQ, a Delta Bombardier CRJ-900 parked at Gate B55 that arrived from Nashville as Delta 3875 and would have departed for Indianapolis as Delta 4136, but it was cancelled.

Next (from background to foreground), I was able to see the following aircraft: PH-BQI, a KLM Boeing 777-200 at Gate B24 that would be departing for Amsterdam as KLM 642, XA-AMC, an AeroMexico Boeing 737-800 at Gate B26 that would be departing for Mexico City as AeroMexico 403, and many Delta aircraft including N902XJ, a Delta Bombardier CRJ-900 at Gate B46 that arrived from Pittsburgh as Delta 4081 and was supposed to depart for Richmond, VA as Delta 4155, but was cancelled. I also saw N836AY, a Delta Bombardier CRJ-200 at Gate B48 that was supposed to depart for Washington, D.C.-Dulles as Delta 4153, but was cancelled.
On the tarmac between Terminals 4 and 2, I first spotted N823NW, a Delta Airbus A330-300 taxiing to Gate B30 on its arrival from Rome as Delta 445. That same aircraft would depart from Gate B30 later that night for Athens as Delta 414. It was followed by N173DZ, a Delta Boeing 767-300 that arrived from Los Angeles as Delta 763.

I spotted more Delta aircraft including N845MH, a Delta Boeing 767-400 in BCRF livery that arrived from Nice, France as Delta 212.

I also spotted N839MH, another Delta Boeing 767-400 that arrived from Dublin as Delta 45.
By 4:15PM, we were already near the tarmac between Terminals 4 and 2, where I spotted more DL aircraft and the AirTrain, a people mover that connects JFK’s terminals to long term parking, Howard Beach for the A subway line into Manhattan and The Rockaways, and Jamaica Station for the Long Island Railroad (LIRR) as well as the E, J, and Z subway lines to Brooklyn and Manhattan.

As we turned to taxi to our gate, I spotted N722TW, a Delta Boeing 757-200 in Skyteam livery arriving from Seattle as Delta 2218 taxiing to Gate C63. It would depart from there for San Francisco later as Delta 477. Getting closer to the gate I spotted N366NB, a Delta Airbus A319 that arrived from Denver as Delta 1693 along with N722TW.
On the final approach to our gate, I called my Mom and let her know that I arrived safe and sound. She wished me a wonderful time and offered to call back when I was on the LIRR to the city, as she wanted me to focus on getting from JFK to the LIRR. We parked at Gate C65, where this aircraft would later depart for Denver. As I deplaned, I thanked Onique and Captain McKenny, who were stationed by the exit of the aircraft, for an excellent flight and they wished me a great trip! Despite the minor delay, I enjoyed this flight on Delta due to the ample legroom, excellent service, and fantastic IFE, which made for a great start to my trip!

e) Arrival:
After I disembarked at Gate C65, I made the short walk to the Baggage Claim downstairs. The terminal was fairly busy, with many flights arriving and departing.
Along the way, I spotted some aircraft. In the first picture below, I spotted F-HP JB, an Air France Airbus A380 that arrived from Paris-Charles de Gaulle as Air France 6 and would be departing for Paris-Charles de Gaulle later as Air France 7 along with N3771K, a DL Boeing 737-800 taxiing for departure to Phoenix as Delta 2209. This was followed by F-GSPP, an Air France Boeing 777-200 that would be departing for Paris-Charles de Gaulle as Air France 23 and HZ-AK39, a Saudia Boeing 777-300 that would be departing for Jeddah, Saudi Arabia as Saudia 20.



I made my way downstairs to the baggage claim, where my bag would be coming off of Baggage Claim E2.

A very quick two minutes later, I had my suitcase and I was ready to go!
As I left the terminal, I called my Uncle Meyer to let him know I arrived in New York and would be at the hotel around 6:00PM. He said not to worry and that he could not wait to see me, so I was excited! I crossed the street outside of Terminal 2 and made my way to the AirTrain station, taking the elevator up to the platform. Outside, the weather was beautiful, with temperatures at about eighty degrees and sunny skies.
About three minutes later, a Jamaica Station bound AirTrain arrived and I boarded. We first passed the tarmac in between Terminals 2 and 4, where I spotted a lone Alitalia aircraft and many Delta aircraft, including N368NB, a Delta Airbus A319 that arrived from Minneapolis as Delta 1310 and N826MH, a Delta Boeing 767-400 that arrived from Frankfurt as Delta 400.
As the AirTrain approached Terminal 4, I spotted some aircraft I saw as I was taxiing, including PH-BQI, a KLM Boeing 777-200 at Gate B24 that would be departing for Amsterdam as KLM 642, XA-AMC, an AeroMexico Boeing 737-800 at Gate B26 that would be departing for Mexico City as AeroMexico 403, and an aircraft that I did not see earlier, which was G-VGBR at Gate B28, a Virgin Atlantic Airbus A330-300 that arrived from Manchester as Virgin Atlantic 127.

We stopped at Terminal 4, which is notable as that is the only AirTrain station at JFK built within the terminal, as Terminal 4 was built during the AirTrain’s construction to allow for the station to be positioned right inside the terminal. By contrast, the other AirTrain stations are across from the terminals.


We then stopped at Terminal 5, where I saw some jetBlue action and many other aircraft, as depicted below, including the nose of a British Airways Boeing 747-400, an ANA aircraft, a Delta narrowbody and widebody, and two jetBlue aircraft.


After leaving Terminal 5, I got another picture of a British Airways Boeing 747-400 taxiing for its departure to London-Heathrow.

As we were approaching Terminal 7, I caught a glimpse of more aircraft, including a Cathay Pacific Boeing 777-300 taxiing for departure to Hong Kong, two British Airways Boeing 747-400s, and F-HAVN, an OpenSkies operated by British Airways Boeing 757-200 operating as British Airways 8006 to Paris-Orly.

While we were stopped at Terminal 7, I spotted G-EUNA, a British Airways Airbus A318 operating as British Airways 2 to London City (this is an all business class service), XA-GAC, an Interjet Airbus A320, and EC-JCZ, an Iberia Airbus A340-600 that arrived from Madrid as Iberia 6251 and would be departing for Madrid as Iberia 6250.

We then headed for Terminal 8 and I spotted A7-BAK, a Qatar Airways Boeing 777-300 that arrived from Doha, Qatar as Qatar 701.


To be continued...

WolfieG

After stopping at Terminal 8, we made our way to Federal Circle, which serves as the stop for rental cars, hotel shuttles, and cargo area shuttles.

From there, I spotted some American Airlines action and two Kalitta Air Boeing 747s.

After Federal Circle, we made our way to Jamaica Station and I spotted this neat and fitting topiary.

We passed along on the elevated rail that runs parallel to the Van Wyck Expressway (I-678) in the Jamaica neighborhood of Queens and while traffic was not terrible, it was still nice to be getting towards Manhattan a little faster, as the Van Wyck can be a nightmare at times! I caught a picture of the interchange off of the Van Wyck for Exit 3: Linden Blvd.

Soon enough, we were getting closer to Jamaica Station and over time, sunny skies gave way to dark and cloudy skies. Would the skies make for a rainy trip to Manhattan? Who knows? Anyway, we were getting closer to Jamaica Station.

A little under fifteen minutes from the time I boarded the AirTrain at Terminal 2, we were on approach to Jamaica Station.

After we arrived at Jamaica Station, I disembarked the AirTrain, ready to head over to the Long Island Railroad (LIRR) to get a New York-Penn Station bound train. Since I had previously used the AirTrain to the LIRR once before when I used it to head home to Westbury after my trip to Walt Disney World in January 2016, I knew exactly what to do and found it just as easy to use as I did when I used it in 2016. I went to a nearby Metrocard machine, where I was able to get a $5 ticket in order to exit the AirTrain system to access the LIRR and NYC-Transit Subway portions of Jamaica Station. I paid the fare, then making my way through the turnstiles with ease. As I entered the LIRR portion of Jamaica Station, I checked the monitors for a Penn Station bound train and there was one departing five minutes later on Track 2. Since I used the LIRR’s Mobile Ticketing App to buy a ticket, there was no need to purchase a ticket on my way to the train. By about 5:00PM, I was onboard a Penn Station bound train. I was thankful to be onboard, as it began raining heavily and there were even a couple of lightning strikes. My phone confirmed this, as it alerted me that there was a flood warning in the NYC area for the next few hours. The train left Jamaica Station and we made our way to Penn, first crossing a trestle over the Van Wyck Expressway (I-678).

A very nice and funny conductor came by and seeing the FLL airport code on my luggage tag, recognized that I was from FL. He teased me about why I would visit New York when Florida was so beautiful. I told him that while I love Florida, I would be visiting New York to catch up with family and friends before I left for Israel in a couple of days. The conductor congratulated me and wished me a great trip! As we headed for Penn, I also noticed the train was fairly empty, which was not surprising as we were going the opposite of evening rush hour on the LIRR. I called my mom and let her know that I was enroute to Penn Station. She asked how I found the AirTrain and I told her that I loved it, as it worked well, was fast, and was not expensive. She agreed with me that she loved the AirTrain for all those reasons when she used it to get from JFK to the City, preferring it to a car service as it was cheaper and helped her avoid traffic along the Van Wyck (I-678) and Long Island (I-495) Expressways. We agreed to talk again at the hotel, as she wanted me to stay focused. About fifteen minutes after we left Jamaica, we stopped at Woodside, our only stop before Penn. After Woodside, I soon knew we would be entering the tunnels leading to Penn, as we were passing Sunnyside Yard, a rail yard for Amtrak and New Jersey Transit.

After passing Sunnyside Yard, we descended into the tunnels leading to New York-Penn Station. The ride was smooth and soon enough, I had arrived at Penn. At Penn, I disembarked and headed up the stairs to the concourse, where I would get the escalator to the street. By the time I reached the exit to 7th Avenue, my plans to walk to the Hilton were dashed, as it was pouring torrentially. I tried to summon an Uber to reach my hotel, but this plan was also dashed as surge pricing was in effect due to high demand. Since that was the case, I got a cab to the Hilton and despite a little bit of gridlock up 8th Avenue; I was at the Hilton about twelve minutes later. I could not believe I made it to New York and how much closer I was to heading on Birthright! It was not even a full day and so far, my trip was off to an excellent start!

f) DL2286 Impressions/Ratings:
Once again, Delta did not disappoint! Onique and the two male flight attendants who worked this flight provided excellent service, as they were friendly, polite, and hardworking. The Airbus A319 that operated this flight, N371NB, was very clean and in near-perfect condition. 10F, the Comfort+ seat I chose on this flight was excellent and almost felt like a First Class seat, thanks to its more than ample legroom and width. The Comfort+ snacks such as pretzels, Kind Bars, bananas and beverages definitely added to the flight. Also, the latest iteration of Delta’s IFE proved to be fantastic, as the system was intuitive, easy-to-use, and had a lot of content in the form of many movies, TV shows, music choices, and games, so it was hard to be bored. While there was a delay, the crew did a fine job at handling it by keeping us as informed and as comfortable as they possibly could (like doing an abbreviated pre-departure beverage service for First Class) and worked hard to get us to JFK as close to schedule as possible. Overall, it is many flights on Delta like this one that make Delta one of my U.S. airlines of choice when available!
Service: 20/20 (Flight attendants were friendly, polite, and hardworking)
Plane Cleanliness/Condition: 20/20 (Plane condition and cleanliness were perfect!)
Snacks: 20/20 (Excellent selection of free snacks and beverages)
Seat Comfort: 20/20 (More than enough legroom and width! I thought I was in First Class!)
IFE: 20/20 (Excellent selection of content and the system was intuitive and easy-to-use.)
**Overall Grade: 100/100 (A)

Yoshi212

Interesting start. Hope you enjoyed Israel. I spent 2-3 months there each year until I was 16 and have been back a few times since.

The Silver Airways plane should be a Saab 340B. My two experiences on Silver both planes smelled like feet. They're louder than the ATR-72s and Dash-8s.

peasant

LOL, so the cliche about jewish boys being close with their mothers is based in fact!

roadwarrier

Looking forward to the rest of this TR!!

WolfieG

Thank you Yoshi212! Israel was absolutely amazing and I truly felt at home there, not unlike the way I feel in the U.S. (it's a special spiritual connection). That is pretty amazing that you spent so much time there, as you can experience even more than I did! I hope to return to Israel soon and I know I will be back many times!

I think you are right about the Silver Airways aircraft and it is a Saab 340B. Eeewwww that is pretty gross . I have no doubt that they are louder than the ATR-72s and Dash-8s, but I have not been on those planes or other types of regional jets. So far, the smallest plane I have been on was a Delta Boeing 717-200, which holds about 110 passengers, so it kind of straddles the line between a small/medium-sized jet. Thank you very much for your kind words and insight and looking forward to writing more of the report!

WolfieG

You could say that again peasant! Especially with my mother . Where would I be without my mother?

WolfieG

Thank you roadwarrier! I am looking forward to writing more of the TR and don't worry, it only gets better from here!