San Francisco Delta Minneapolis San Francisco –
My wife is attending a meeting in San Francisco so we decided to take a few days and explore wine country as well as San Francisco. It is always nice making a work trip into am mini vacation.
The trip report is organized in the following posts:
San Francisco and Wine Country Trip Report – Introduction
San Francisco and Wine Country Trip Report – United Club at MSP
San Francisco and Wine Country Trip Report – Delta Minneapolis to San Francisco
San Francisco and Wine Country Trip Report – Silvercar at SFO
San Francisco and Wine Country Trip Report – Hyatt Vineyard Creek Hotel
San Francisco and Wine Country Trip Report – Hotel Nikko San Francisco
San Francisco and Wine Country Trip Report – Sightseeing in Wine Country
San Francisco and Wine Country Trip Report – Sightseeing in San Francisco
San Francisco and Wine Country Trip Report – Using Uber Pool
San Francisco and Wine Country Trip Report – Delta San Francisco to Minneapolis
San Francisco and Wine Country Trip Report – Delta Minneapolis to San Francisco
Date: March 10, 2016
Flight: Delta 2305
From: Minneapolis – MSP
To: San Francisco – SFO
Aircraft: 737-900
Seats: 23B & 23C
My wife is attending a meeting in San Francisco so we decided to go a few days early so that we could explore wine country before heading into the city for her conference.
We purchased our tickets about two months before the trip. The flight cost about $320 per-person.
Our flight was scheduled to depart at 9:15 AM so we arrived at the airport about two hours before at 7:15 AM. The flight took place during the Spring Break season and there has been a lot of press about delays with security. We assumed it would take a while to check in.
Due to the length of the trip, my wife and I elected to check bags. We approached the Delta check-in via the transportation shuttle drop off area. There were a few people waiting to check bags; however, there were several open podiums so we approached one and used the computer to print our baggage tags. An agent greeted us quickly and verified we were traveling to San Francisco before reviewing out driver’s licenses. The agent thanked us and she placed the tags on our bags.
My wife and I were both given Pre-Check. We approached the security line near the Delta check in area. There was a line of about 40 people waiting for Pre-check and about 150 in the general line.
We joined the line and we waited for about 20 minutes before clearing security.
Once we exited security, we had breakfast before making our way to the gate area.
The flight departed from the G gates. When we arrived the area was completely full and there were no open seats available. The G gates have limited seating, as there are large retail areas directly in front of the gates as well as a selection of iPads at seats near the gates. In addition, the majority of the area is contained by a restaurant.
Initially, we were unable to obtain seats. We stood in the area before receiving notification via the Delta App that the flight would be delayed for about an hour and 30 minutes. A gate agent made an announcement a minute later and they asked everyone to wait in the boarding area as the delay may be reduced.
My wife and I departed the area and went to the United Club to relax prior to the next scheduled time.
About 10 minutes before the revised boarding time, we returned to the gate area. At this point the gate area was still completely full. We located a seat in the restaurant area and waited.
The gate agent made an announcement that the flight received another hour or so delay. The delay was due to weather in San Francisco. We waited for an hour in the restaurant.
Once boarding began, we waited for our boarding group to be called and then proceeded to the line.
When we reached the front front of the line, the gate agent greeted us and asked us to scan our boarding passes. Once we did that she thanked us and invited us to board.
We joined the line in the jet way and after about 10 minutes we reached the entrance to the plane where a friendly flight attendant welcomed us aboard the plane.
We were assigned seats in row 23 which was located three rows behind the exit row.
The aircraft was a 737-900 which offered a standard economy seat with a large AVOD screen with USB power. Two regular outlets were available in the set of three seats.
We took our seats and relaxed before the flight was ready to depart.
The flight was completely full. Once boarding was completed, the flight departed the gate about 2.5 hours later than the originally scheduled time.
We made a somewhat lengthy taxi before the Captain made an announcement that we were cleared for take-off.
The flight took off and within a few minutes the AVOD screens activated. The flight attendants made a few announcements about the system as well as the beverage service on the flight.
There was a light level of turbulence so the flight attendants delayed the beverage service until the turbulence reduced.
A short while later the flight attendants started the service. When they reached our row, they greeted my wife and I and they offered beverages. I requested a a Coca-Cola Classic and my wife requested a Diet Coke. The flight attendant also offered a choice of snacks. We requested peanuts and they provided it quickly.
Another flight attendant offered a selection from the food for purchase menu. We requested the cheese plate. The flight attendant informed us of the price and we paid with a credit card. The flight attendant showed us the receipt on the screen and thanked us when she presented the cheese plate.
The cheese plate was served chilled and it consisted of three different cheeses with walnuts, grapes and apricots. The cheese was fresh and they had a good taste and flavor. The fruit and nuts were also fresh and they had a good taste. The cheese was served with a package of crackers that were crispy and fresh.
The Coca-Cola and Diet Coke were both fresh and they had a good taste and flavor.
A flight attendant returned to the aisle to pick up the used items about 20 minutes after the initial service. The flight attendant thanked me when she picked up the items.
The flight lasted about three hours and 45 minutes. We watched two movies on the AVOD during the flight. The video quality was excellent. Delta offers an extended amount of movies, TV shows, games and other programming via the Delta Studio. Most of the movies were complimentary. In addition, Live TV was offered complimentary as well.
I was impressed with the extensive options. Movies that were not complimentary were available for around $6. We watched the complimentary options.
About an hour prior to landing, the flight attendants offered an additional beverage service. I requested water and the flight attendant provided it.
Shortly before landing the flight attendants returned to the cabin to pick up the used items and prepare the cabin for landing.
The 737-900 featured sky lighting and the colors were changed slightly as we prepared to land.
The flight landed about three hours later than schedule due to the delay. There was a short taxi to a gate before the flight was parked.
When my wife and I approached the front of the plane, the flight attendant and one of the Pilots thanked us and wished us a good day.
Summary –
Overall I felt the flight was enjoyable. It is annoying that the gate area has limited seating options. It is nice that they offer the iPads, but I feel that there is too much emphasis on the sales area as well as the bar rather then offering a place to sit in the gate area. The flight itself was good. It was comfortable and it was nice that Delta offers all the great Delta Studio content. That made the flight go by quickly. I felt that the flight attendants were friendly and polite.