Good-enough refresh of dated jets
As a continuation of my previous Delta 767-300 business class review, this short hop on an MD-88 took me from ATL to MIA in comfort, though I’m not sure about the style. Since this was the second leg of first class award ticket I booked, I credit my butt being in this seat to the American Express Membership Rewards transfer that I made to Delta to book this flight, and in general both of these jets can be found flying into/out of ATL a bazillion times a day, given that ATL is DL’s largest hub. Was it worth it? Let’s get into the details…
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How to Earn More Miles On Delta Airlines
American Express is the issuer all of the Delta branded airline miles cards, but if you’re looking for more flexibility in terms of your redemption options, any of the cards that earn Membership Rewards points will work, as MR points can be transferred to Delta SkyMiles. Also, SPG and Delta are part of SPG’s Crossover Rewards program, which means every eligible dollar spent at SPG earns you a Delta mile, and vice versa.
Cards with no annual fee:
- Blue Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express – new to the American Express card lineup in 2017, this card earns Delta miles with no annual fee, earning 2x on dining, 2x on in-flight purchases, and 2x on Delta flight purchases.
Cards with an annual fee:
- Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express – this card currently offers a whopping 35,000 mile + 5,000 MQM welcome offer! That’s pretty good if you’re an aspiring Delta SkyMiles elite. Other perks include free checked bag and priority boarding.
- The American Express® Gold Card – currently offering a 50,000 point welcome offer (after spending $2k in the first 3 months), and this card gets 3x on travel and 2x on dining, gas, and groceries, all for a $195 annual fee which is waived the first year.
- The Platinum Card® from American Express – my personal favorite card. 60,000 points welcome offer (after spending $5k in the first 3 months), plus 5x on travel, Delta SkyClub lounge access (also Centurion lounges and Priority Pass), $200 Uber credit, and a $200 annual airline fee credit. The $550 annual fee is waived the first year.
- Gold Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express – this card offers priority boarding, a free checked bag, 2x miles on Delta purchases, and currently has a 30,000 SkyMiles welcome offer after you spend $1,000 in the first 3 months, making this a great card for Delta flyers.
Hotel cards:
- Marriott Bonvoy Boundless™ Credit Card – This one’s from Chase, with a 100,000 Bonvoy point welcome offer after spending $5k in the first 3 months. SPG points transfer to Delta at a 3:1 rate with an 8.3% bonus on up to 240,000 points transferred per day, so 260,000 Marriott points (bonus included) = 86,667 Delta SkyMiles.
- Marriott Bonvoy Business™ American Express® Card – same as above, only for small businesses (that means business owners could conceivably have both cards).
This list was updated April 7, 2019, and you can check out the latest offers right here.
Our take on Delta’s MD-88 First Class
This review should really be titled “When Mood Lighting Goes Bad” — I’m not sure if it’s Delta’s attempt to make these aging aircraft feel cool and new, or if this is what we have to look forward to for all Delta One flights, or if a member of the cabin crew hit the wrong button, but the mood lighting on this flight was too intense (and I’m not the only one who commented).
Now that I’ve got that out of the way…these seats are actually quite good — wider and roomier than the classic domestic Delta One seats found in 737’s and the like. So, while I generally dislike flying the MD family of aircraft, the seat goes a long way towards making the flight a comfortable one.
The Cabin
4 rows of standard domestic first class seats with no offset and a curtain behind row 4. That’s potentially bad for those seating in row 4, but excellent for those seated in row 10, which is hands down the best row in economy on the entire plane.
The Seat
At first glance these are standard domestic first class seats, but while they are a dated product (minus the new Delta One seat covers), they are actually quite roomy — probably because they’re a dated product and not designed to cram more people into smaller spaces! The middle armrest is fixed and houses the traytables for each seat, but the armrests on the aisle and window side do not have a “wall” like a lot of other first class seats, so it feels like you get a few extra inches of space on top of the 19 already there.
Working
The traytable comes out of the middle armrest, and it’s adequately sized but not particularly large. a 12″ laptop and a mouse fit fine, but a laptop much bigger than that would be a challenge to use with a mouse. Now back to the mood lighting…this made it almost impossible for me to work on the flight as it is borderline blinding. I really hope Delta does something about this, because it is just excessive. They should take a not from Virgin America whose use of mood lighting is aggressive but not offensive, so it actually adds to the experience.
Lounging:
Standard backrest recline on this seat, on articulation like on Alaska’s Recaro seats (for example). To that end, not much to report here…
The Meals:
This flight featured Delta’s standard snack basket, which has both healthy and unhealthy items to satisfy any hunger needs or cravings. Next time I’m on DL I will snap a photo of the basket, but the items do tend to change with some regularity (even if that only means once a year).
IFE and Video Screen:
No video screen, but Delta offers Delta Studio which is a collection of TV shows, movies, and music that can all be streamed to a wifi device with the Gogo Video Player app. Get more info here.
The Service:
Regional level service for a 2-hour flight, which equals one round of beverage service and 1-2 stops with the snack basket (try the pasta chips, they’re good!).
What else?
Did I miss anything? What’s your experience been in Delta One on the MD-88?
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
With a 60,000 point new cardmember bonus when you spend $4,000 in the first 3 months of having the card, plus 2x points on travel and at U.S. restaurants — all for a $95 annual fee — this card is one of the top rewards card values available. Chase points are transferable to 9 airlines and 4 hotels, giving you the option of booking directly via these loyalty programs for some massively lucrative award redemptions in first & business class or at 5-star luxury hotels & resorts.
