Delta Airlines Minneapolis Lansing Christmas Flight

This article is Delta Airlines Minneapolis Lansing Christmas Flight. It is a review of my experience flying Delta during the holiday travel season on a quick hour flight.

The review of Delta Airlines Minneapolis to Lansing flight is part of my Christmas Holiday Travel Trip Report.

Delta Airlines Minneapolis Lansing Christmas Flight Flight Board

Trip Details

Date: December 22, 2017

Flight: Delta 3835

From: Minneapolis – MSP

To: Lansing – LAN

Aircraft: Crj-200

Seat: 2D

Booking

My Delta Airlines Minneapolis Lansing Christmas Flight was purchased for $355 using cash.

$355 for an hour flight is a bit high, however, it is the holidays so higher fares are expected.

You could also redeem miles for it, but I prefer to save them for longer trips or for booking into a premium cabin.

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Arrival

I arrived at the airport about two hours before the flight. The traffic for arrivals was pretty heavy, which caused delays getting to the terminal.

Delta Airlines Minneapolis Lansing Christmas Flight Check In Area

Once I arrived, the activity level in the check in area was moderate.

I had a bag to check for the flight so I approached the Sky Priority check in area and joined a line of about 10 other guests.

After waiting five minutes, I reached the front of the line and an agent greeted me and processed the check in within two minutes. The agent provided bag claim checks and she wished me a pleasant flight. The agent also provided the gate number.

I utilized CLEAR and there was no waiting for security. I also had Pre-Check and it took about three minutes to clear security.

The regular security line had around 30 guests waiting and the Pre-Check line had 10 other guests.

Overall it was a slow evening for the holiday season.

Gate Area

I arrived at the gate area at the scheduled boarding time. Upon arrival, I noted that no aircraft was present at the gate.

A few minutes later, the gate agent made an announcement that the plane was being brought in from the maintenance area and it would be a few minutes.

A few minutes later another airplane arrived, but it was a CR9 not a CR2 so I knew that was not the plane for my flight.

Delta Airlines Minneapolis Lansing Christmas Flight Aircraft

At that point, I know the flight would be delayed, as it was nearing departure time, so I returned to the lounge for a while.

While I was at the lounge, there was a gate change noted.

I returned to the new gate and saw the aircraft was still not present.

About five minutes after the scheduled departure time, there was an announcement and the flight was delayed for about 20 minutes.

I find it a bit annoying when airlines do not announce a delay until the last minute. It was obvious the flight would be delayed, but when they do not announce it until the last minute, it forced you to have to wait in the gate area rather than spending more time in the lounge or in other parts of the terminal.

Ultimately the plane arrived and boarding began.

The delay was only 30 minutes so it was not bad at all. I just wish they would have noted that delay in advance since the plane was not at the gate so it was clear it would be delayed.

Boarding

I joined the line when boarding began. The gate agent greeted me and processed my boarding pass before inviting me on the plane.

I located my seat at the front of the cabin and relaxed while boarding continued.

Boarding lasted about 20 minutes and the door was closed about 30 minutes later than the posted departure time.

There was a short taxi before the plane made its way down the runway and we were up in the air.

Delta Airlines Minneapolis Lansing Christmas Flight Runway View

Seat

The seat was a standard economy seat on a regional CRJ-200 aircraft.

Delta Airlines Minneapolis Lansing Christmas Flight Seat

The seat was leather and it was of average comfort.

The windows on the plane were low so it was difficult to look out the window during the flight due to the position of the window.

In Flight

Delta Airlines Minneapolis Lansing Christmas Flight Take Off

Delta Airlines Minneapolis Lansing Christmas Flight City View

Shortly after the plane was up in the air, the flight attendant prepared a beverage service.

Biscoff cookies or pretzels were offered to all passengers as well as a selection of beverages.

When the flight attendant reached my seat, I requested a Blue Moon beer and the cookies.

The flight attendant provided the beer and informed me the cost was $7. I paid with cash as Delta only accepts cash on most regional jet flights.

After I paid the cash, the flight attendant also provided pretzels.

Delta Airlines Minneapolis Lansing Christmas Flight Beer

The beer was served chilled and a plastic cup was provided.

The cookies were fresh and sweet and had a good taste. In addition, a package of pretzels were provided as well.

The flight attendant picked up the used items after she completed the service and then prepared the cabin for landing.

Landing

The flight from Minneapolis to Lansing is just under one hour, so it was a quick flight.

The plane landed and ended up making up time and arrived about 10-15 minutes later than the scheduled arrival time.

There was a short taxi to the gate before the plane stopped and the jetway was brought to the plane.

The flight attendant thanked me when I departed the aircraft.

Baggage Claim

I made my way to the baggage claim area and waited for about five minutes before the bags were returned.

My bag was provided without issue.

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Overall

The Delta Airlines Minneapolis Lansing Christmas Experience was good overall. The flight itself was fine. Again, it would have been a bit better if the delay was noted earlier so I didn’t have to sit around the gate area waiting but a 30-minute delay on a holiday weekend is nothing so it’s a small issue. The flight attendant was polite and she provided efficient service.

Have you signed up for CLEAR yet? It can save a ton of time at the airport.