To GRU and Back In J [LA(TAM) and DL]
 

Heading to GRU tonight for a few nights for work. My company has several manufacturing plants dotted throughout São Paulo (the state, not the city), due to Brazil’s high external trading barriers, whereas we serve most of the rest of LATAM with US-made product (LOL given the recent news).

Tonight, I’m flying JFK-GRU on TAM8181, which departs at 6:15 P.M. There’s very few reports (if any) on FlyerTalk of the new LA J product, so looking forward to sharing that. I’ll also do a bit of JFK T4 lounge hopping (DL One, VS Clubhouse, maybe a SkyClub) which I’ll throw in for good measure!

On the way back, I’ll be flying DL, whose J product is well documented here on FT. However, I think I’ll get some time in the LATAM VIP Lounge so I will certainly share my impressions of that.

I am getting married in May, and today was our final walkthrough of the reception venue prior to the big day. We wrapped that up and I was picked up from the venue on the east end of Long Island at about 14:00. No traffic this afternoon and was into JFK at 15:30, about 2:45 before my departure. Much to my chagrin, my SO has me picking up a “haul” of clothes and cosmetics for her while I’m there so I was forced to check a larger suitcase. Nonetheless, I was checked in by a gracious agent and off I went to the special Delta One TSA checkpoint.

I entered the D1 Lounge without a hitch and was immediately seated at the bistro (previous trips here I haven’t used the Bistro, opting for the buffet and/or bar).

Here is the latest menu (not sure how often it changes):


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I went with the Short Rib Agnolotti to start, accompanied by the “Summer is Coming”:

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The short rib agnolotti was tasty, but served lukewarm, which took away a bit of its appeal. The cocktail tastes very similar to the “Virgin Redhead” in VS Upper Class, which is a favorite of
mine (don’t question my masculinity!).

For my entree, I went with the scallops. Unlike the agnolotti, I was very pleased with this dish. It was served warm, the scallops were cooked perfectly, and the sauce complemented them well.

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Last but not least, a slice of NY cheesecake to finish the meal off…
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Great report - thanks for the contribution. Congratulations on your upcoming nuptials. Now you can be as miserable as the rest of us :)

Sorry for the delay on the second piece of this report…

After dining at the bistro, I hit the showers to rinse off before the flight to clear my sinuses out before the long flight (I’ve been dealing with seasonal allergies). The D1 Lounge has the nicest shower suites that I’ve seen. Spacious, impeccably cleaned, and all kinds of amenities/toiletries available upon request:

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Unfortunately, the shower seemed to activate my allergies even more, and soon enough, I was sneezing, coughing, and otherwise feeling miserable. Upon leaving the D1 lounge, I decided against going to the VS lounge, instead retreating to the B-Gates SkyClub directly across from my gate. I drank two cups of tea and soon enough, we were ready for boarding.

The boarding process was painless and I was soon at my seat, 1A. It’s a very nice seat-my only complaint is the lack of privacy doors. However, the width/shoulder room seemed better than my typical AF A359 routine. Below, you can find a few photos of the seat:

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Given my meal in the D1 Lounge and my allergies, I declined dinner, instead opting for a few more cups of tea. I took photos of the menu anyway!:

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I “tossed and turned” until we were somewhere around Puerto Rico, which is when I fell asleep for the duration, woken up by the FA as we were on final approach to GRU. I would certainly fly LATAM again on this route-and anticipate I will again soon!

It was a great week in São Paulo. We stayed in Campinas as it was most centrally located to our plants/offices. On Monday night we had Japanese food, on Tuesday night had pizza, and on Wednesday night, we went to a traditional steakhouse. The only bummer was that the colleague who was hosting me didn’t drink, so I had to limit my caipirinha consumption to one per meal out of respect!

This afternoon, I left my office in São Jose Dos Campos at the 16:15, and was at T3 at GRU a couple minutes before 17:00. My colleagues warned me of terrible traffic, but we buzzed down with no issue.

Upon arriving at the terminal, I originally went to the LATAM VIP check-in, thinking they would be able to handle my DL ticket given that the curbside sign said “Delta Platinum and Diamond.”

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Unfortunately, they were not able to handle my check-in. As such, I ended up in the D1 line in the main terminal. Thirty frustrating minutes later, my bag was checked:

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Security and immigration was a fiasco, with a 15 minute line for immigration, and a “random” secondary screening at security. I ended up getting to the LATAM lounge a few minutes past six…

My first stop was to the showers, which weren’t quite D1 level, but certainly better than other lounges (I’m talking to you, VS LHR arrival lounge). Sorry, no photos this time.

Once I freshened up, it was off to the main section of the lounge. It was very spacious, but lacked the premium feel that you would expect at a flagship hub like GRU. Felt like a SkyClub with a slightly better wine selection.

I enjoyed several heavy pours of two solid Chilean wines:

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I headed to the gate at 19:40, a bit later than the announced boarding. I got “stacked up” in the jet way, loitering for 15+ minutes.

My initial impressions of the seat on the A339 (my first time on an A339 with DL) are negative-super narrow for my 6’10” wingspan and 240lbs weigh-in!