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Since our flight was delayed 18 minutes our connection was cut down from 53 to 35 minutes. On top of that, we arrived at gate G14 and my departing flight DL 1260 was going out of gate D4, the opposite side of the airport. I really enjoy the quirky airport that Minneapolis is, but because of this tight connection I wasn’t going to be spending much time here.
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Interlude: New York
Review: LGA Centurion Lounge
Review: Delta Domestic First Class – New York to Minneapolis
Review: Delta Domestic First Class – Minneapolis to Sacramento
Delta 1260
Minneapolis (MSP) – Sacramento (SMF)
Sunday, January 3rd
Departure Time: 11:15AM
Arrival Time: 1:11PM
Flight Time: 3hr56min
Aircraft: Airbus A320
Seat: 2D, Delta Domestic First Class
Upon deplaning I immediately headed over to D4. As you can see from the map, G14 and D4 are on opposite sides of Lindberg Terminal.
MSP Airport MAP
Typical Delta boarding – Gate D4
I arrived 25 minutes before departure. The gate was a mess and boarding didn’t commence for another 10 minutes.
Jet Bridge
Boarding was eventually called and we proceeded down the jetway and onto the plane. The flight attendant smiled and said hello to the passengers as we entered the cabin. Boarding was also a little rushed and I wasn’t able to take a picture of the seat or cabin. I’ve included a cabin picture from another Delta A320 flight.
Leg room at 3A – Forgot my knees!
Delta first class water
Tight quarters with a reclined seat
Other A320 Delta first class cabin
The Airbus 320 was older and worn, but also clean. The earlier flight on the MD88 felt more roomier than this A320. The A320 has 36″ pitch whereas the MD-88 has 37″. On the flip side the MDs have narrow seats at 19.6″ vs. 21″ as compared to the A320. I think it really comes down to the new quilted style seats that Delta uses (which was on the MD88), because they’re less bulky than the old style seat the cabin feels more open.
Before closing the door, the cabin flight attendant took pre-departure beverage orders and hung coats. I’ve been an elite with Delta for years and I find the airline is consistently good about offering a pre-departure beverage. A few minutes later the door was closed and we pulled back for takeoff.
Overcast day at MSP
This Airbus 320 had only has 12 FC seats in 3 rows of a 2×2 configuration. The A320 cabin tends to be a bit loud in flight and being an older A320 there is no entertainment, but GOGO Wi-Fi works well.
Goofing lighting upfront
Stark winter landscape
For some reason it took us a while to get into position and we ended up taking off about 15 minutes late at 11:30am. About 30 minutes into the flight the cabin crew brought our drink orders and prepared to serve the cabin lunch. It had been a few hours since I had eaten anything and a meal sounded good. The lunch choice was between a cold chicken salad, or a cheeseburger. Easy choice. The friendly flight attendant set my table with the standard issue Delta tablecloth. It’s nice that Delta uses a tablecloth for lunch on a 3 hour domestic first class flight.
Table cloth
Cheeseburger lunch
Included with the hamburger was potato salad (which was excellent), fresh fruit, cheese, and cheesecake for desert. Lunch was delicious and the red wine paired well with the cheeseburger.
It was too bad Susan wasn’t with me on the trip today, she loves hamburgers. After lunch I worked for about an hour and then drifted into sleep until our initial decent was announced. The remainder of the flight was smooth and uneventful. Coming down to Sacramento the weather was mild, somewhat cloudy, and the farmers’ fields were green. We had an easy landing and promptly parked at the gate. My priority tagged bag was the third off the luggage carousel.
Lots of rainfall this year
Crazy baggage-miner art
Priority tag worked
DL 1260 in summary
Despite having a tight connection from my LGA flight, my last flight of the trip (MSP-SMF) went well. The Delta Airbus 320 is one of my lesser favored aircraft as I find the plane to be a little noisy and seating is also a little tight with the 36” pitch. Despite this, the first class cabin is better than coach, and Delta’s soft product for domestic first is consistency good. My favorite part of the flight was the cheese burger lunch paired with red wine.
Once I got home Susan smiled and put her arms around me. She asked how the trip went.
Did you have fun with Scott?
Yes, it was a blast. I really enjoyed the party on the first. Thanks for not making a fuss about me attending.
Did you do behave yourself?
Yes, mostly. (she smiled)
Are you hungry, I was going to make dinner at home tonight?
I ate on the plane, but I’ll be hungry by dinner time. What are you making?
Hamburgers. Sound good?
Wonder dear, wonderful.
