Summary

  • Delta Air Lines offers a superior booking process with feature-rich options for frequent flier miles and upgrades.
  • Flying the A220-300 provides a modern and comfortable experience, with touchscreen controls, spacious bins, and free Wi-Fi.
  • Baggage tracking by Delta Air Lines is seamless, ensuring peace of mind during travel with the latest tech features.

I attended the Oregon International Airshow and needed a flight back to Washington State, so I took a Delta Air Lines Airbus A220-300 flight, namely DL 2849, in first class. I felt I’d use Delta Air Lines’ first class offering on a mainline jet – namely, the Airbus A220-300, as I found while browsing Delta’s offerings.

Previously flown on Delta Air Lines for multiple reasons

I have flown on Delta Air Lines before – twice on Delta Connection’s Embraer E175 regional jet and twice on the Airbus A220. For instance, last year I compared Alaska Air Group’s Horizon Air and Delta Connection’s Embraer E175 first class offerings between Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) and Boise Airport (BOI).

Related

Comparing The First-Class Products On Alaska Airlines’ And Delta Air Lines’ Embraer E-175s

Comparing the Alaska Airlines and Delta Air Lines E175 first class products by flying the Seattle-Boise route and back.

I also compared Alaska Airlines’ mainline Boeing 737-700 and Delta Air Lines’ A220 mainline main cabin offerings. This allowed me to compare airlines and aircraft to write a unique trip review.

Related

Flight Review: Alaska Airlines 737-700 Main Cabin vs. Delta Air Lines A220 Main Cabin

Booking is one place where the two airlines provide dramatic contrasts.

I have found Delta Air Lines booking process more feature-rich than Alaska Airlines. For instance, I can transfer frequent flier miles to seating class upgrades – although I did not use that fantastic feature on this flight, I have done so in the past and will in the future. See #5 of below for details:

Related

5 Clever Ways To Use Delta Skymiles?

There are various ways to redeem Delta’s loyalty program miles.

Then there is the matter that Alaska Airlines’ flight attendants’ union president publicly shared on February 13 that after the strike authorization and any further unsatisfactory mediation session, the union could seek authorization to strike from the National Mediation Board. Alaska Airlines’ situation has become a deterrent to booking tickets – I prefer knowing my flight will depart on time and is staffed by appropriately compensated pilots, mechanics, and flight attendants so I can make my transit connections. I also hope Delta Air Lines flight attendants can have their unionization election sooner rather than later.

Pre-flight

On this flight, I could tap with my debit card onto a bus operated by Trimet, Portlandia’s transit provider from Hillsboro, to transfer to Trimet MAX light rail directly to the airport terminal with my two bags. As you can see below, the Trimet MAX goes right to the airport.

SF_18 MM look at PDX and Trimet Station - 16x9_JAK

Photo: Joe Kunzler | Simple Flying

I decided on a whim to use my first class perk of two free checked bags and check my overnight bag at the PDX gate. However, the PDX gate bag ramp was broken, so Delta Air Lines staff made alternative arrangements with a bag drop-off just before security. My bag would be tracked throughout its journey, giving me peace of mind – something Alaska Airlines does not provide currently.

However, going through the PDX security line left much to be desired. Not all lines were staffed that Saturday afternoon and the time thru security was noticeable. Additionally, unlike with SEA, there was no “spot saver” to reward those who make appointments to go through security, as you can learn about below:

This is a place for Portland International Airport, not Delta Air Lines, to improve. Additionally, I wish there was a bit less of a walk to my gate, but once I got to my gate, I had a nice place to recharge my phone and watch flight operations. Some of the seats were even branded with the Delta Air Lines logo. I was too enthralled by the flight operations to test the PDX WiFi – my apologies. I also was excited at learning I would have a lady pilot watching her do the walk-around of the A220-300 – with more potential for fun.

Flying first class in a newish Canadian-designed Airbus airliner

I was already excited to fly in a Canadian-designed airliner again, as I was excited to fly in a De Haviland Dash 8-400 (aka Q400) and an A220. Without an overlong review of the entire history of the A220, the A220 was originally designed and designated by Bombardier as the C-Series. However, development troubles made Bombardier sell the program to Airbus in 2018 and rebranded as the A220. One can watch a Simple Flying YouTube history of the matter:

The A220 does come with a super modern cockpit and incredible fuel efficiency. Some of Delta Air Lines’ A220s, like the one I flew on in N325DU, an Airbus A220-300 model, were assembled in Mirabel, Quebec, and some in Mobile, Alabama. Below is an Airbus infographic about the A220:

A220 Family - Generic kakemono (Feb 23)_1 - Airbus A220 Infographic

Graphic: Airbus

Additionally, the A220-300 comes with a fuel burn of between 10.11lb/mile and 11.01lbmile. Which is much better than the 737 family. As you can see, the A220 is a suitable aircraft for the SEA-PDX route when demand exceeds the 76-seat Embraer E175. For all of these reasons and more, the A220 is incredibly popular with Delta Air Lines as you can watch below.

Additionally, the A220 comes with a photogenic exterior design and an interior with the latest in comfort. For instance, there is a touchscreen for flight attendants to adjust lighting. There are also bigger luggage bins and free wi-fi available without a minimum altitude – unlike Alaska Airlines, which requires 10,000 feet sometimes, and Alaska Airlines seatback in-flight entertainment. However, I had difficulty this flight working the seatback equipment to track my flight, unlike with previous flights. Additionally, the Spotify option on the IFE only allowed for pre-curated playlists – no Sophie Ellis-Baxtor available!

But even though the flight boarded early, our fantastic lady pilot reassured us that we were delayed due to air traffic control capacity issues. Regardless, we landed ahead of schedule.

I also liked the big 11 by 16-inch window to take pictures from taxing to landing, especially more significant than the nine by 12.5-inch window on Boeing 737s. To be honest, I would not want to fly without a window seat, as I enjoy aerial photography. But I would recommend fellow window seaters refrain from photographing vertically, as you will see throughout this story this caused problems. I also used a silicone lens hood one can get from Amazon or a camera store to reduce glare.

While waiting in my pictured first class seat, I got to enjoy Coca-Cola in a refrigerated can. During the flight, I got a nice Coca-Cola in a glass while enjoying the flight. Sadly, clouds blocked the view of Mt. St. Helens on the 44th anniversary of her May 18, 1980 eruption. One can review the events of that eruption via the below Twitter/X account, with tweets like one covering then-President Jimmy Carter’s flyover post-eruption:

But instead, I had a fun ride with some light chop/turbulence. It was safe enough for me to use the clean, spacious, first class restroom and wash my hands. Sadly, the first class restroom lacked a window, but one is supposed to use the washroom quickly and return to their seat anyway. See I also really appreciated feeling the turbulence. As a flight simulator hobbyist, I like feeling the actual flight but I also acknowledge that some readers would prefer silky smooth. Simple Flying also documented that the stronger feelings of turbulence is towards the back of the aircraft.

With that, the flight was flown in a manner that felt like the cloud-surfing I watch fighter pilots do on YouTube. We then had a fun descent through cloud and then a solid landing concluding with some water kicked up by the landing, which was a rad thrill to photograph from seat 03D. Some passengers cheered and clapped at landing, and a few gifts were left for the pilots and flight attendants. I also got to visit the very modern cockpit before getting some last gate photos, as one can see above.

Baggage tracking by Delta Air Lines

Finally, this review should note that Delta Air Lines bag tracking worked throughout the flight. I was able to retrieve my luggage at the stall where I was told it would be. This is just another nice tech touch matched by the grit and professionalism of many Delta Air Lines employees involved.

Yes, your phone can get push notifications also advising of your bag’s status.

Bottom line

If you want a quality experience with seatback IFE, the best app, and a state-of-the-art new ride in the A220-300, you cannot go wrong with booking a Delta Air Lines flight in an A220. Additionally, the A220 is an environmentally friendly ride operated by an airline with a road to sustainability alongside a strategy to get to net-zero emissions.

Does this review make you want to fly in a Delta Air Lines A220? Please share your thoughts in the comments.


  • rsz_airbus_50th_years_anniversary_formation_flight_-_air_to_air

    Airbus

    Stock Code:
    AIR

    Date Founded:
    1970-12-18

    CEO:
    Guillaume Faury

    Headquarters Location:
    Toulouse, France

    Key Product Lines:
    Airbus A220, Airbus A320, Airbus A330, Airbus A340, Airbus A350, Airbus A380

    Business Type:
    Planemaker

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