Airplanes (and hotels) are king. Especially for only a three-night trip, they’re the royal backbone of what makes a travel destination a comfortable experience. Time, which we seem to not have enough of… is the most important luxury after all.
So we head to Delta One @ LAX, arriving with nothing more than a carry-on, to embark on our short (but sweet) New York trip.
I wander across the check-in, past the crowd, and notice the security guard in front of the Delta One signage.
“Hi excuse me, we’re a little late. Our flight is leaving in 30 minutes. Is this the shortest way to our gate?”
“I can escort you to TSA-Pre,” the security kindly grabbing our bags, “this way, it’ll be faster through this check-in lounge”
We go through this secret corridor, pass the hallway into a “staff only area”, and arrive to our expedited security screening. In no more than five minutes, we are in the Delta terminal. A stunning record time for LAX!
Since Miki & Paul are traveling together, we decide opt for the middle seats 1B & 1C.
For a transcontinental flight, the seat is acceptably comfortable.
Domestically, Delta provides the best amenity kits. Each passenger is gifted with a Tumi bag. Inside has the usual travel essentials (sleep eye mask, toothbrush, mouthwash, Kiehl’s lotion, etc.)
Delta provides a seamless service as soon as we’re in the air. Almost on-par with other international airlines, the quality of service feels very personalized.
For the wine, Paul unexpectedly sees the flight attendant presenting an unopened bottle before pouring into his glass. It’s something that you only expect from a First Class flight.
The appetizers, entrees, and desserts are great too.
After finishing our lavish meal, watching a movie, and brushing our teeth, we have arrived to begin our New York adventures. What a great way to cross-country.
In a blink of an eye, it’s time to fly back to La La Land… sigh, time is never on our side when we travel 😦
Just for fun, we opted for the window seats on the front right side of the plane. Additionally to our pleasant surprise, the Tumi amenity kit out of JFK is different than our LAX one.
Instead of a mini-handbag, it’s a hard case that can have a complimentary monogram when you take it to any participating Tumi store.
Besides that, the flight back was purposely uneventful. After a busy New York trip, all of us just wanted to take a lonnnnnnng nap home.
Overall, Delta One is a great way to travel cross-country. From beginning to end, this short round-trip adventure was a pleasant one.
Until this flight, my expectation for domestic flights were honestly very low. Thus, it’s nice to see American airlines like Delta finally upping the ante these years on luxe transcontinental travels.
While the product is nowhere near the standards for international business class flights (e.g. Cathay Pacific, China Airlines, EVA Airlines), it still does its job in where we arrive comfortably to our destination.
The comfort in turn, maximizes time…. a time well spent in New York City 🙂
Chai Bear World 