THE ROUTE: Puerto Vallarta to New York John F. Kennedy International Airport (flight time 4 hours 27 minutes) — code share with Aeromexico
Check-in time: The ticketing area at Puerto Vallarta International Airport. |
THE DEPARTURE: I found it efficient how Delta Air Lines divides the check-in lines based on flight and destination. It’s not Delta’s fault, but the Puerto Vallarta airport needs to be expanded and the gate area was rather crowded. Boarding was a rushed, crowded experience as well. I appreciate that Delta gives its American Express SkyMiles members “Zone 1” boarding, but gate agents weren’t turning away Zone 2 and 3 when they should have been.
Screening process: The entertainment system aboard the Delta Air Lines Boeing 737-800. |
THE PLANE: Economy-class seats have no individual entertainment system, other than a plug-in and volume control for the public video screens, but headphones were distributed for free. Seats have no “wings” in the headrests, which is something I normally find really helpful when trying to nap in coach.
I did not quite understand why I could choose, in advance online and for no extra charge, an aisle seat toward the front of the coach cabin on this flight (my preferred seat), while on the outbound flight a week before, I had to pay $29 at the airport for the same privilege. (I’m a fairly recent convert over to Delta, thanks in large part to the big slot swap they did with US Airways, so I’m still trying to get a handle on things like this work with Delta.)
Personally, I’m a big fan of Delta’s safety video, which stars a charismatic blonde flight attendant who looks a bit like Karen Black and wags her finger wonderfully when warning against smoking on board (the sparkle added to the smile of the male flight attendant is also a fun touch).
Free food: Delta Air Lines offers free snacks and drinks on its USA – Mexico flights. |
THE SERVICE: Cabin staff was cheery and pleasant throughout the flight, and distributed free peanuts, pretzels and cookies (I’m also a big fan of the addictive, cinnamon-inflected Biscoff cookies that Delta serves). Heftier snacks were available for purchase, although later in the flight when I asked, they’d sold out of everything but the $3 trail mix and chocolate-covered peanuts (If you have a gold Delta Skymiles American Express card, be sure to use that for purchases, as you’ll get a 20 percent discount). GoGo WiFi was available for a fee once we entered U.S. airspace, although I didn’t use it.
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