When I had originally planned this trip, I had anticipated either going to Boston before returning to the UK or to just buy a separate, one-way ticket to JFK airport from Richmond. The Boston part ended up not happening, and American Airlines had cancelled its RIC-JFK service (which never has been a very big hit anyway, given it’s been served with ERJ-140s). I ended up taking this Delta flight to LGA (DL5801) on election day (Nov 3, 2020) for an overnight layover before continuing to Europe from JFK on AA.
Richmond International Airport is probably the airport I’ve been to the greatest number of times (Los Angeles International Airport is probably second). Like most small US airports, there is no lounge available, not that I would have had access anyway. SkyTeam (of which Delta is a part) does not give lounge access to its elite members on domestic-only flights across the network. I booked a first class ticket for this trip exclusively for the baggage perks. I actually would’ve preferred to sit in economy on this flight because Delta is blocking seats (both in first and economy), but first was more densely populated than economy. Delta’s EMB-175s have 4 rows of 1-2 configured first class seats (out of 70 total seats), so pretty much everyone eligible will get an upgrade, much like on equivalent AA flights or UA flights.
Richmond airport was not particularly busy (not that it ever really is). I had access to the Delta SkyPriority check-in from my first class ticket, but the line was empty anyway. I’ve always found Richmond airport a bit interesting because it has one central waiting area (with a small Applebee’s) and then two concourses that form a Y shaped terminal, with terminal B being larger. Each concourse has a separate security zone, but it seems like to me given the reduced flight schedules they could have combined everything into concourse B only. I’m not complaining though because it meant that airside was very calm and empty.
Boarding started for the flight on-time, I think? I don’t actually know because the screen never said that boarding had begun and no announcement was ever made. I moseyed over to the gate and was told that I needed to board right then… OK. So I did, and then sat there for 10 minutes before anything else happened… Definitely not the most ‘first class’ of welcomes.
The seat on the plane was standard for domestic, regional first class in the US; seats were arranged in a 1-2 configuration. One of Delta’s big selling points is that they block adjacent seats for solo travelers. The empty seat was a nice perk, but my logic for selecting Delta was that it was the only airline on the route. The plane was overall only about 1/3 full, with 24 people on board, so I think the blocked adjacent seats didn’t cause any revenue to be lost. Like with all flights during the pandemic, there was no pre-departure beverage service.
Like on all the flights of this trip, no pre-departure beverage was offered. The extent of the first class service on this flight was the handing out of the bag of pre-packaged snacks and water. I’m a big fan of cheez-its and almonds, so this bag was a step up from the United flight’s bag (and definitely a step up from the no service on the American Eagle flight).
WiFi and personal device streaming were available, which is the standard offer for domestic US flights these days. It definitely makes sense; almost everyone already has a WiFi-enabled device with them, and it limits the amount of refurbishing needed for the aircraft.
This short flight to LGA is by itself, perhaps, not really long enough to be worth an entire blog post, but I feel it was noteworthy because in order to meet my travel obligations, I ended up taking all three major US carriers.
On the ground, the experience was uneventful, as most flights from Richmond are. There was no lounge, but one wouldn’t have been expected. I enjoy the 1-2 configuration in regional aircraft first class in the US. Normally, I take the single aisle/window seat, but since Delta blocks seats in first class because of the pandemic, the 2-side seemed to make more sense to me (5/5). The in-flight service was a step up from the American Eagle flight and on par with the United flight, but there was no alcohol on the flight (the person behind me in row 2 asked) (4/5). This flight crew was much more proactive about making people wear their masks than the American crew on my last flight (5/5). The in-flight entertainment was the same as on other regional aircraft, with WiFi and streaming entertainment (3/5). Overall the flight gets a (17/20), which is great given how short the flight was.
From a points perspective, this flight netted me 750 Delta Medallion Qualifying Miles (which will roll over into 2021); 750 is actually the minimum for a first class flight. In addition, I earned 660 (off a $132 ticket price) award miles. I don’t fly Delta often (maybe once per year on average). My previous Delta flight was actually an award ticket from the miles I’d accrued since I was about 8. The miles never expire, so why not.
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