Flying first class on Delta isn’t what it used to be. A lot of that is because of the coronavirus, but a lot of it is because of cost-saving due to the pandemic. Gone are the drinks to drink as the rest of the plane boards. Gone are the warm towels. The seats are still spacious and soft, but that’s about the only thing that’s the same. Not only were we never asked what we wanted to drink, but there were no drinks at all. Instead they gave us a ziploc bag with goldfish crackers and a 4 ounce bottle of water. We were disappointed, but I think Charmaine was really upset. If I read her reaction correctly, I think she was somewhat upset that we had spent the money (miles) to fly first class only to have this extremely downgraded experience. Her entertainment system was broken, so she couldn’t watch anything and she seemed so frustrated after fighting with her entertainment system for an hour that she almost seemed to be holding back tears. We had the flight attendants reboot the system and it eventually started working, but it was definitely not a great experience.
The Delta Sky Club experience was also disappointing. When we arrived at the airport in Salt Lake, we headed up to the Delta Sky Club. In the past, anyone flying first class could go in. Not anymore. Entrance now requires either a purchased club membership (I can’t imagine anyone actually buys a membership) or a Delta Reserve credit card (like Brett). After that it gets complicated. If you’re a Gold (or higher) Medallion and hold a Delta Platinum (or higher) credit card and happen to be flying First Class that day… then you can get in. For us that meant only two of us would be allowed in. Anyone else who wanted to come in would have to pay $40 (and be our guest). So Brett and I went in and ate a few things and then brought a few things out to the rest of the family.
The club in Salt Lake is brand new (as is the entire terminal) and really pretty, but the club at LAX is just sad. The food offerings were mediocre and every chair was designed to be uncomfortable (and to keep you from staying too long).
A five hour layover is never fun, but it’s especially bad in LAX Terminal 2 after dark. Nothing is open other than the Delta Sky Club, Starbucks, and Slapfish. We couldn’t get people in the Delta lounge, and you can only do so many visits to Slapfish and Starbucks. After that you just sleep because you’re so bored.
