Introduction: Spring Break in Florida
Review: American Airlines (ERJ-140) Economy Class – Wichita Falls to Dallas
Review: The Club – Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport
Review: American Airlines (A321) Economy Class – Dallas to Tampa
Review: The Café by Mise en Place – Tampa International Airport
Review: The Lure – South Tampa
Review: Delta Airlines (A321) Economy Class – Tampa to Atlanta
Review: The Club – Hartsfield Jackson/Atlanta International Airport
Review: Delta Sky Club – Hartsfield Jackson/Atlanta International Airport
Review: Delta Airlines (737-700) Economy Class – Atlanta to Fort Walton Beach
Review: The Crab Shack – Fort Walton Beach
Review: Mama Nu’s Kitchen – Fort Walton Beach
Review: American Airlines (CRJ-900) Economy Class – Fort Walton Beach to Charlotte
Review: Admirals Club – Charlotte International Airport
Review: Admirals Club – Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport
DL1074
ATL – VPS
Departure: 0828
Arrival: 0835 (-1 hour)
Flight Time: 1 hour 7 minutes
Seat: 19D
March 9, 2019
Boarding was scheduled to begin at 0748, a full 30 minutes prior to pushback. I thought I had more time to make it to the aircraft, but I guess not. 0748 means 0748, not 0800 or 0805. Imagine my surprise when I showed up to the gate and no other passengers were around. The situation had apparently reached critical mass as the gate agent was paging me for the second time. Oops, must have overstayed my welcome at the lounges (anything for the blog, right?). Oh well, I made it to the aircraft in time.
A 737-700 operated the one-hour flight to Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport. This was the first time flying on the -700 series.
As I made my way down the jet bridge, I decided to ease the tension of the waiting passengers by joking with the flight attendant as soon as I made first contact. Luckily, the flight attendant was waiting at the door, but she beat me to the joke. She told me the plane was full and I should return to the counter for rebooking. I stated if Delta gave me a $500 USD voucher, I would gladly make the change. She laughed a bit and offered me a drink…the other passengers were not amused.
As I settled into my seat, I could not help but notice the age of the interior of the aircraft. The mood lighting helped this a bit by being vibarnt…
The lighting did not help the overhead panel…
…or the older tray table…
…or the small amount of space between seats.
The seatback entertainment was dull, but the software was up to date.
We began the pushback immediately after I was seated. After a short taxi, we were airborne.
There was only a water service provided due to the short duration of the flight and turbulence along the route. We began our descent into northwest Florida 30 minutes after takeoff.
Final Word
The short flight was uneventful, if you look past the part where I almost missed it. I was excited to check out a 737-700, but was disappointed with the age of the interior. At least Delta’s mood lighting and updated software on the inflight entertainment smoothed everything over. For a flight under an hour, this was not too bad.
