I had an upcoming flight booked, and from the time I booked the flight dropped its price about 4 times. I guess I am not too good at timing when to book flights haha. Thankfully, Delta generally makes it quite easy to get an eCredit of the difference between the price paid and the new price.

If I notice a price drop, I normally go to “Change Flight” on the app, look up the same flight and it will show the new price. Once I click through, I get to a payment screen that will say something along the lines of “Remaining eCredit Amount Due to Passenger”. Click confirm, and you should get a new eCredit that you can use for your future flight!

Issue:

On my last change, I went through the normal prompts and clicked confirm. I got a confirmation email showing the amount applied to be higher than the ticket price, but noticed that at the bottom of the email, there was no eCredit issued. Odd.

Normally when I do these types of changes, I will see this message towards the bottom of the email. This will show that an eCredit has been issued.

Check for this on your changed reservation confirmation email!

I also went to check in my Wallet on my SkyMiles account and did not see any new eCredit. Something was wrong.

Contacting Support:

I first tried via iMessage, but the agent couldn’t see anything and told me to contact support over the phone. I was on hold for about 20 minutes, then spoke with an agent who wasn’t helpful at all. After explaining the situation, she seemed unenthused and said she would transfer me to a supervisor.

After a brief wait, thankfully the supervisor was very friendly and helpful. She did some digging and was confused like myself on why I wasn’t issued a credit for the fare difference. Then, she called ticketing and they issued me the fare difference on an eCredit and it popped up in my account.

The supervisor didn’t really have an explanation for what went wrong, so perhaps it was just a tech glitch.

The Verdict:

I was happy that the supervisor was able to help me get the eCredit, but it did take up time with a phone call. The moral of the story is to make sure if you make any changes due to your Delta fare dropping in price, to check if your Delta eCredit was actually issued! I’m not sure if it was a one-off situation, but it was definitely odd that the system didn’t issue the eCredit.

Have you had tech issues when changing a Delta flight and obtaining an eCredit? Share your experience below!

Cheers,

Ty

So, back in 2019 a friend and I flew on Vueling Airlines from Paris (ORY) to Barcelona (BCN). We were delayed a little over 3 hours, which I recall was the cutoff time back then for EU261 compensation. It seems now in 2023 for flights under 1,500 km, you’re supposed to get 250 EUR if you’re delayed by at least two hours. TL;DR- Vueling rejected my claim for compensation for my delayed flight (even though they shouldn’t have), so I went to AirHelp for assistance, they said I had a strong case and they said they have filed a lawsuit and our claim is in court. Oh, and it has been over 4 years in progress.

Vueling Website:

As of May 2023, the Vueling site states that:

The delay that entitles you to compensation is calculated according to the time of arrival at your destination. If you get to your destination 3 or more hours later than the scheduled time you are also entitled to request financial compensation, except if the delay is caused by extraordinary circumstances like the weather. The compensation amount will vary according to how far your destination is: Up to 1500 km = 250 EUR.

It also adds “Request compensation easily through our website”.

So, I did! After the flight, I requested compensation but was denied as they said the delay was out of their control. I even replied with a screenshot showing the app explaining the delay was due to maintenance (which should be eligible for EU261) but they didn’t budge.

Vueling technical maintenance delay

Where to go next? AirHelp!

After being rejected by Vueling, I went over to AirHelp! AirHelp says they:

We make claiming compensation straightforward for all passengers who are unsure of their rights, lack the time, or lack the expertise to embark on the claims process themselves. We stand up to airlines in court, and we campaign for national governments to introduce fair air travel rights. We’ve helped countless more through our fight for justice.

Sounds good to me! I filed a claim and within a week they said my claim looked strong and wanted all the documents for my flight (tickets, passports, etc).

Good news! Although the airline is not cooperating with us, your claim is still looking strong. We’ve been given the green light to move to the next stage with your claim for compensation for your Vueling Airlines flight. This means we are one step closer to getting you your money.

An additional week later, I got this message on April 30th, 2019:

Thanks for providing us with all of the information we asked for in support of your claim for compensation for your Vueling Airlines flight. You’ve done your hard work, and now it’s our turn. Our flight experts are ready to argue your case and convince the airline to pay you. We’ll be honest, this part can take a bit of time. But remember, you’re in very good hands. We win 95% of claims that reach this stage. So we’ve got a very good chance of winning with your claim.

May 2019 to March 2021:

Then, monthly they would send me a monthly status update, from May 2019 to February 2021. Each message was similar to:

“We know you’re still waiting patiently for some good news on your compensation claim…”

It made sense for the delay, with COVID and everything occurring in between these times. I sent a follow-up email to check on the status and got a more detailed reply in March 2021:

We would like to let you know, that we have already taken legal steps in regard to your case and it is currently in the hands of our lawyers. We have reached out to the external lawyer, who is responsible for handling of your claim, for an update and they have informed us that they are waiting for a hearing date in court.

September 2021:

I got a new update in September 2021 saying:

As you are aware, we are in the midst of legal action against the airline. In the months leading up to the court’s final decision, there are a few more steps to take. Once the preparatory hearing is concluded, both sides prepare for the final court date, which must be appointed within the next 12 months. The date of this hearing is determined by the court’s calendar and, as such, unfortunately, we have no influence over it.

May 2023:

Hmm, I suppose it’s taking a while to actually get a court date…

I just asked for another update in May 2023, and nothing has really changed. My dashboard on the website has been showing this for years now,  that the summons has been set and now we are waiting for a court date.

AirHelp Dashboard

I find it a bit entertaining, and I’m curious how many years it will take 🙂

Payouts + Fees:

For those curious, in terms of compensation and fees, you don’t have to pay anything upfront. Fees are taken out of your compensation. It shows that our flight compensation is $541.90 USD (which is 250 EUR times 2 passengers converted to USD). Then, there is a service fee of $135.47 USD and a legal action fee of $135.47 USD. So, if everything goes through we stand to get about $270.96 USD ($135.48 per passenger). So the fees are a little more than half the EU261 stated amounts.

The Verdict:

Overall, it’s been an interesting process so far using AirHelp. My claim had been accepted, and it’s been sent to court. The process started in April 2019, and we passed the 4-year mark in May of 2023. I’m in for the ride, and interested to see how it plays out…

Have you used AirHelp before? Has your claim gone through and did you get paid? Feel free to share below!

Cheers,

Ty

Have any questions? Comment below or email me at takeofftotravel@gmail.com. I’ve also started working with a travel agency, Fora Travel, and can assist in booking hotel stays or planning trips. You can also view all my other posts here! Thanks for stopping by!

I needed a flight back to New York City from Portland and I wanted a non-stop flight. Additionally, I didn’t want to leave at 7am, or take a red-eye back. So, the only flight option leaving in the afternoon from Portland and arriving in the evening in New York was Flight 18 aboard the Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-9 MAX. So, the flight was booked!

After booking, I was monitoring the price of the flight and noticed that the price went down twice from when I originally booked it. Luckily, it was easy to chat with Alaska and request a future flight credit for the fare difference each time it dropped. I definitely think one should monitor the prices of their flights in case it drops!

Flight Details:

Alaska Airlines Flight 18
Portland (PDX) to New York (JFK)
Seat: 9C
Cabin: Premium Class
Aircraft: Boeing 737-9 MAX
Date of Flight: April 2023

American Airlines and Alaska Airlines Reciprocal Elite Benefits:

As an American AAdvantage Gold Member, I got benefits on Alaska Airlines which is a major plus. You can check the full list of benefits here, but highlights I like include:

• Priority check-in and boarding
• Preferred seating (except on Saver Fares)
• Upgrades to First Class
• Premium Class Seats 24 hours prior to departure (Y, B, or H fares after ticket purchase)
• 2 free checked bags

Online Check-In:

At T-24 to my flight, I went on the app to check-in for my flight. When I got to the seat map, I noticed that Premium Class seats were still showing as $89. I called Alaska to clarify which only took a few minutes, and apparently there was a bug in the app, and I should have been allowed to choose the seat for free. The very helpful agent assigned me to the premium class seat of my choice.

In terms of First Class upgrades, I ended up 5/5 on the waitlist for a First class upgrade. I was actually a bit surprised there were only 5 people on the list for this sunday transcon.

At the Airport:

The Portland Airport is quite nice and not too crowded. Unfortunately, with AMEX Platinum and Priority Pass, there aren’t really any lounge options to visit unless you have a Chase Sapphire Reserve or Citi Prestige. Priority Pass has a few restaurant options, but those aren’t available for AMEX Platinum and Capital One Venture X members (which are the cards I have). I ended up finding a nice quiet gate to sit at to relax before my flight.

About an hour before our flight was supposed to depart, the gate announced that due to thunderstorms at JFK, our flight departure would be pushed 2 hours and 15 minutes later. It was a bummer, but we cannot control the weather.

I decided to have a “lite” dinner at McDonalds before the new departure time of 4:20PM.

Boarding:

We commenced boarding at 3:40PM, and I boarded in Group B alongside Mileage Plan MVP members and those in Premium Class seats. The first thing that I noticed was that our plane was quite new, only having been in service for half a year!

The pilots apologized for the delay and said our flight time would be 4 hours and 52 minutes in the air. We ended up pushing back from the gate 2 hours and 30 minutes behind schedule and took off 2 hours and 45 minutes behind schedule. Our flight was completely full.

The Seat: Alaska Airlines Premium Class

On the Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-9 MAX, Premium Class can be found between rows 6-9 for a total of 24 seats in a 3-3 configuration. They offer 35 inches of pitch, versus 31-32 inches in the standard economy cabin.

Premium Class Seating

I found the seat to be relatively comfortable and it had good legroom. The seat had USB charging, a power plug, and a tablet holder since there is no seat back entertainment.

Alaska 737-9 MAX Premium Class Legroom

In-Flight Entertainment:

WiFi was available during the flight and it was free for T-Mobile customers or $8 for a flight pass. The WiFi worked pretty well during the flight and I didn’t have any issues with connecting.

If you didn’t want to pay for WiFi, you could use certain texting/messaging apps for free to stay connected. You could also stream movies and tv shows to your device for free.

In Flight:

Once reaching cruising altitude, there was a beverage service + snack service with pretzels.

First Beverage + Snack Service

About an hour later, flight attendants came with water and were very good about coming down the aisles to pick up trash and check-in on us. They were also very friendly and welcoming.

Being in row 9 towards the front of the plane, it is quite a trek to the economy bathrooms in the back of the cabin. I felt like a penguin hobbling past row 33. I noticed some Premium Class passengers deciding the trek was too far to the back and they ended up using the first-class lavatories. I wonder if they should have added a middle cabin lavatory.

About an hour before landing, another snack and beverage service was provided which was great as I was getting thirsty. This time instead of pretzels, they gave out Biscoff cookies.

Second Beverage + Snack Service

Right before landing, we had some delays with our landing slot due to the limited visibility and rain. As I looked out the window, I didn’t see the runway until about 5 seconds before touching down. We were scheduled to arrive around 12:30am, but ended up getting to the gate around 1:10am. Nonetheless, I was just very happy to be home, and glad they were still able to get us to JFK with the bad weather.

THE VERDICT:

Overall, flying on the new Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-9 MAX from Portland to New York was a decent experience. The good service was the highlight of the flight and I would not hesitate in flying Alaska again.

Have you flown on Alaska Airlines recently? How was your visit? Comment below!

Cheers,

Ty

Have any questions? Comment below or email me at takeofftotravel@gmail.com. I’ve also started working with a travel agency, Fora Travel, and can assist in booking hotel stays or planning trips. You can also view all my other posts here! Thanks for stopping by!

For my visit to Portland, Oregon to attend a friend’s wedding, I needed a hotel in the Portland area. I stumbled across the Duniway Portland, a Hilton Hotel as part of AMEX’s Fine Hotels & Resorts (FHR). Rates were just a bit above $200 per night including taxes, which is one of the lowest-priced FHR properties that I’ve seen so I booked a 2 night stay here. On the AMEX Platinum card, you also get $200 towards a Fine Hotels & Resorts (FHR) property (1 night minimum) or The Hotel Collection properties (2 night minimum) each year.

The Duniway Portland, a Hilton Hotel is named after Abigail Scott Duniway, who helped to pave the way for women to have the right to vote in the state of Oregon. The hotel is considered a boutique-style property and contains 327 rooms.

Exterior of the Duniway Portland

TAKEOFF POINTS:

Date of Stay: April 2023
Room Type: Two Queens City View
Pros: 5-star level beds at a 4-star property, great breakfast options, friendly staff.
Cons: The bathroom could be a bit more luxurious.

Benefits with AMEX Fine Hotels & Resorts:

At the Duniway Portland, when booking with AMEX FHR you’ll receive:

• Noon check-in, when available
• Room upgrade upon arrival, when available
• Daily breakfast for up to 2 guests ($30 per person, cannot be used for alcohol or combined with the $100 Hotel Credit)
• 4 PM late checkout, when available
• $100 Food and Beverage Credit (can be used at Mayrose in the Duniway, or Hop City across the street at the Hilton)
• Premium Wi-Fi

A major plus with booking through AMEX FHR at the Duniway Portland is that you don’t have to pay the destination fee ($26 per day). Also, I did earn Hilton points with my stay which was great!

Do you get the Hilton Gold/Diamond Daily Food and Beverage Credit Too?

I called before my stay to see if you would still get your Hilton Diamond daily food and beverage credit as well. I confirmed that you can’t double dip, so you won’t get your standard daily food and beverage credit of $15 per night per person (up to $30 for 2 guests per night).

Pre-Arrival:

I was upgraded to a City View room a few days prior in the Hilton app. Since my flight was delayed and I missed my connection on the way into Portland, my friend was going to arrive at the hotel before me. I messaged the hotel to see if she could check in first, and they were happy to allow it. They just requested I stop by the desk to show my AMEX Platinum Card when I arrived, which was not a problem at all.

Lobby:

Once you enter the Duniway Portland, you’ll see a small lobby seating area and reception off to the right. There’s a small business center with a couple of computers to the right of the front desk. I liked the vibe of the lobby as it felt very cozy.

Lobby Seating

Next to the lobby seating area, you’ll see a bar and the Mayrose restaurant, which is the main restaurant for the property.

The Room:

The hotel takes up the higher floors of the building it is in, so while the lobby is on street level, the hotel is on floors 11-20. Our room was located on the 18th floor.

As soon as you entered the room, you had a closet to the left with a safe, two bathrobes, and iron/board. I really liked the wallpaper selection for the closet. The whole vibe of the room is definitely better than your run-of-the-mill Hilton.

Closet Space

To the right was the bathroom. It was a bit on the tighter side but it got the job done. The towels were of good quality, and the shower/tub combo had both a shower head and a wand. Toiletries were provided by Badgley Mischka, and I liked the scent. Overall, the bathroom was fine but was not the major selling point of the room.

Bathroom

Shower/Tub Combo

The Bedroom + Best Beds:

There was a coffee machine, plus a mini fridge outside the bathroom. Entering the bedroom, there were two queen-sized beds and a large 65-inch television. The bedding was advertised on the website as Waldorf Astoria beds and I believe them. The Duniway Portland had the best 4-star hotel bed I’ve been to recently! Major plus there, and I got great sleep from them. Definitely the selling point for the hotel.

2 Queen Beds (Same Ones at the Waldorf Astoria)

Large TV and Sofa

There was a small sofa towards the window, as well as a dresser/seating bench along the window. At the bedside table, the vintage and upscale Tivoli Audio radio and speaker was a nice touch.

Tivoli Speaker

View-wise, we could see the city and we got blessed with sunny weather. It was nice and nostalgic to spot the Nines, a Luxury Collection hotel, that I stayed at back in 2017.

City View

Overall, the room was perfectly comfortable for our stay, with the Waldorf Astoria beds being the major highlight.

Dining:

The on-site restaurant is the Mayrose and during my visit, it was open for breakfast daily and dinner Tuesday-Saturday. For something quick, the coffee bar is open in the morning daily and the bar and lounge section is open nightly daily.

Mayrose Restaurant

Breakfast:

We ate at the Mayrose for breakfast on our first morning, and I tried the AM Banh Mi. It was delicious, and the prices were very fair. My friend liked her pancakes as well.

AM Banh Mi ($13), Wild Blueberry Pancakes ($12)

We had lunch and breakfast on our last morning at the Hop City Tavern across the street in the Hilton Portland. The Hop City Tavern is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and also has a little market and grab-and-go section.

Hop City Tavern

For breakfast at the Hop City Tavern, we opted for the full buffet, and it also came with an a la carte item of eggs your way or omelet plus coffee and a juice. It was $25, which worked out perfectly with a 20% tip (and no sales tax in Oregon) to utilize the $30 per day breakfast credit.

The buffet was pretty decent, with very delicious thick-cut bacon, scrambled eggs, sausage, fruit, cold cuts, and pastries. I also liked the a la carte omelet that it came with.

Overall, it was nice to be able to try both the Duniway and the Hop City Tavern for breakfast to get some variety. But if I had to choose just one, I would go back to the Mayrose for that AM Banh Mi as it was delicious and unique.

Lunch + Snacks:

For lunch at Hop City, we tried buffalo wings, crab cakes, and Hop City Burger. All the items were quite tasty!

Hop City Burger ($21), Chicken Wings ($16)

Crab Cakes ($19)

We had a bit of remaining credit from our $100, so we got some snacks from the Hop City Market.

Hop City Market

Amenities:

The 11th floor of the hotel contains most of the amenities. The fitness center was quite small but looked very zen and an adequate place for a workout. It did have Pelotons, and when I took a peek at it there was no one working out.

Fitness Center

I didn’t get any pictures of the small indoor lap pool as there were people using it, but it was nice to have it in case.

The coolest amenity was Abigail’s Hideaway, which is a large rooftop seating area. It had a giant chess game set up and seating areas. It was very nice, but I do think they could have added some more aspects to spruce it up a bit as it seems a bit barren in certain areas.

Abigail’s Hideaway

Service:

Housekeeping service is provided by request or automatically every 4th-night stay of a reservation. I just messaged on the Hilton App the morning of, and they provided an afternoon service which worked for me.

The front desk associates were friendly, but where the hotel really shines is the restaurant staff. Our waiters and waitresses at both Mayrose and Hop City were delightful.

Location:

The Duniway Portland is in a solid location in the Portland city center. Pioneer Square is a block away, the famous Powell’s City of Books is a nice 15-minute stroll which we went on, and the Portland Japanese Gardens are about 2 miles away and a quick Uber ride.

The Verdict:

Overall, I had a great stay at the Duniway Portland. Highlights included the luxurious 5-star beds and excellent breakfast options. I would not hesitate to stay here again if my travels bring me back to the Portland area, especially with AMEX FHR benefits.

Have you stayed at the Duniway Portland before? How was your experience? Comment below!

Cheers,

Ty

Have any questions? Comment below or email me at takeofftotravel@gmail.com. I’ve also started working with a travel agency, Fora Travel, and can assist in booking hotel stays or planning trips. You can also view all my other posts here! Thanks for stopping by!

Due to delays on my first leg from Washington D.C., I missed my connection at Salt Lake City. I was thankfully rebooked on the next flight (which was 4 hours later). There was only one seat left on the entire flight which happened to be in first class, and I appreciate the agent confirming me in that seat on this flight. In terms of milestones, I’ve never flown Delta First Class domestically on a narrowbody, so I was excited to check that off my list!

Flight Details:

Delta Air Lines 2631
Salt Lake City (SLC) to Portland (PDX)
Aircraft: Boeing 737-800
Cabin: First
Seat: 1D

At The Airport:

Before my flight, I relaxed at the Delta Sky Club. The Salt Lake City Sky Club is one of the nicest Sky Clubs (and domestic lounges) that I’ve been to. So, I highly recommend a visit if you have time!

Boarding + The Plane:

Boarding commenced 40 minutes prior to the scheduled departure time. I boarded along with the First Class passengers and didn’t have to walk too much as I was in the first row of the aircraft.

Delta 737 Row 1 First Class

The Boeing 737-800 serving this flight had 16 First Class seats spread out in a standard 2-2 configuration across rows 1-4. According to SeatGuru, first class offers 38 inches of pitch and 21 inches of width.

Row 2 Delta First Class Boeing 737

When given a choice, I don’t generally gravitate towards bulkhead seats and this was no exception. The legroom was fine, but a bit restricted with the wall in front of me. Additionally, there is no under-seat storage, so you’ll have to put any backpacks/personal items up in the overhead. If provided the choice on future flights, I would probably rather move back a row or two.

As I arrived at my seat, a small water bottle was waiting for me. Shortly after getting settled, the flight attendant introduced herself and provided welcome drinks in plastic cups.

It was going to be a quick flight today, as it was scheduled for 2 hours, and the pilot announced it would be just 1hr and 28 minutes in the air. The boarding door closed 15 minutes early and we actually left the gate 10 minutes early, taking off a minute before our scheduled departure.

In-Flight Service:

Once we reached cruising altitude, the flight attendant took drink orders. After, she came out with a snack basket that had numerous items that were premium for first-class passengers, as well as snacks offered in the main cabin such as Biscoff cookies.

I opted for pistachios and chocolate chip granola minis. Both were quite good! The tray table comes out from the armrest and has a half setting which is good for drinks and snacks, and a full setting for meals.

Snack + Beverage Service

In-Flight Entertainment and Wi-Fi:

The seatback in-flight entertainment was nice and featured movies, tv shows, and music. I didn’t use it much for this short flight, but it’s always aesthetically pleasing for me to keep it in map mode.

Power plugs and USB charging were available on this aircraft.

Map View

Wi-Fi was complimentary which was a major plus, and it worked pretty well for me.

Before I knew it, we were entering our initial descent, and we ended up getting to the gate about 25 minutes early which was nice!

The Verdict:

Overall, the quick hop from Salt Lake City (SLC) to Portland (PDX) in the Delta First Class cabin on the 737 met expectations. With the delay and missed connection, I do appreciate Delta confirming me on this last seat which happened to be in First Class.

Have you flown in First Class aboard Delta’s Boeing 737-800? How was your experience? Comment below!

Cheers,

Ty

Have any questions? Comment below or email me at takeofftotravel@gmail.com. I’ve also started working with a travel agency, Fora Travel, and can assist in booking hotel stays or planning trips. You can also view all my other posts here! Thanks for stopping by!

Since I had a connecting flight, I flew into Salt Lake City (SLC) for the first time ever. I ended up having about 4 hours to spend at the airport due to a delay and missed connection, making it the perfect time to visit the relatively new Delta Sky Club Salt Lake City.

Access + Arrival:

The Delta Sky Club Salt Lake City is located near gate A25 in Concourse A. Due to the layout of SLC, it could be a 15-20 minute walk to your gate if it’s in Concourse B, so make sure to take that into account during your visit.

As of my April 2023 visit, the hours are from 4:45am to 11:30pm daily.

There are numerous ways to access the Delta Sky Club and you can check this full list if you would like, but some highlights include:

• AMEX Platinum or Centurion- if flying on Delta
• Flying on Delta One
• Sky Club Members

You will be able to access Delta Sky Clubs anytime within 3 hours of their scheduled departure time (or connecting customers can access at the connecting airport at any time prior to departure).

Arrival:

When I arrived at the lounge on a Friday around 11:30am, there were no lines, and the lounge was quite empty. As my visit carried on, however, it got more and more crowded. By the time I left the lounge around 3pm, it was quite packed  inside the club and there was a small line outside for those waiting to come in.

Entrance

As you enter the lounge, you’re greeted by receptionists as well as self-service kiosks. What I love about the lounge is the ease of accessing it. I can just scan my boarding pass and I’m in. I have access from my AMEX Platinum Card, and since my card is saved under my wallet in my Delta SkyMiles profile, it’s all linked when I scan my boarding pass. How nice!

Similar to the Los Angeles (LAX) and New York (LGA and JFK) Sky Clubs, after you pass reception, you head up the large escalators to take you to the lounge itself.

The Delta Sky Club Salt Lake City is one of the largest Sky Clubs in the network, at more than 28,000 square feet.

The Lounge:

Once you arrive at the top, you’ll see two help desks for flight questions and rebooking. There’s also a kiosk where you can join a virtual queue to request a shower or speak to an agent.

Once you turn left, you’re in the lounge itself. You’ll walk into the main dining area, and there are two bars to the left and right, as well as two buffet areas for food.

Bar and Dining Area

Food Selection:

With regards to the food options during my lunchtime visit, the hot dishes consisted of creamed corn, mashed potatoes, beef stew and green beans. There were also salads, sandwiches and potato chips. The food selection was quite good for a domestic lounge, but a bit lower in quality than what I’ve seen at the LaGuardia Sky Club that I’ve recently visited.

Buffet Area #1

Buffet Area #2

Beverage Station

Seating:

If you head to the right side of the buffet and bar, you’ll encounter plenty of seating and also see the outdoor Sky Deck.

Seating

The outdoor Sky Deck was quite nice, and the good weather made it a nice place to hang out. There was high-top seating as well as sofa-style seating available.

Sky Deck Seating

Sky Deck Views

Near the Sky Deck, there is some seating in the back that was quieter, and I ended up lounging here for most of my visit. There were also cubicle style desks back here. My seat had plenty of power ports for charging my devices which was great.

Seating I Enjoyed

I did find it quite funny that every so often a recorded message would go off over the loudspeakers that stated “Please keep feet and shoes off our furniture to maintain our club”. I don’t think I’ve heard that at other Sky Clubs that I’ve been to, or maybe I haven’t been paying attention.

One set of bathrooms was located in this area, and I was impressed with how large and clean they were! Also, it’s really touch-free which is nice as you just have to wave your hand to open the door.

Bathroom

More Seating:

If you head back to the entrance and venture to the left side, you’ll pass by a nice seating area with a fireplace.

Cozy!

You’ll also pass an area with private phone booths if you need to work in some peace and quiet, as well as unique desks with reclining chairs.

Office Seating

There are an additional set of bathrooms out here, as well as a candy station set up. At the end of this area, are the two shower rooms. Since I had a very early start to my day, I decided to take a shower and freshen up. I visited the kiosk around 1pm and I got a text stating that I was next in line and my estimated wait time was 18 minutes. In three minutes it ended up being ready and the text told me to head over to the shower service desk.

I was quickly helped when I got to the shower service desk and was assigned the first room. I immediately was struck by how nice it was! It was definitely in the leagues of many international first-class lounges I’ve been to.

Showers at Delta Sky Club SLC

Shampoo, lotion, and body wash were provided by Grown Alchemist, and also an amenity kit provided deodorant and toothbrush/toothpaste. On top of a towel set, a shaving kit, vanity kit, and comb was also provided which was very nice. The toilet even had a mechanism where it would spray out foam to clean the seat.

In terms of the shower, the water pressure was also quite good.

Sky Club Salt Lake City Shower

The shower room was very clean, and a great amenity to have to freshen up on those longer travel days.

The Verdict:

Overall, I truly enjoyed my visit to the Delta Sky Club Salt Lake City. It made a delay/missed connection a lot more bearable, with food, a place to grab a shower, and relaxing lounging areas. While the food wasn’t up to par with the LaGuardia Sky Club, I still rate this Sky Club as one of the best domestic lounges I’ve visited.

Have you visited the Delta Sky Club Salt Lake City? How was your visit? Comment below!

Cheers,

Ty

Have any questions? Comment below or email me at takeofftotravel@gmail.com. I’ve also started working with a travel agency, Fora Travel, and can assist in booking hotel stays or planning trips. You can also view all my other posts here! Thanks for stopping by!

I needed a flight to get to Portland, Oregon from Washington D.C. after attending the Freddie Awards. Unfortunately, all the non-stop flights from Washington Dulles to Portland leave in the evening, and I needed to be in Portland before dinner for a wedding rehearsal. So, I booked a Delta flight leaving Washington Dulles at 7am, connecting in Salt Lake City, and arriving in Portland at 1pm. Sounds easy enough right? Mix that with the fact that there was good weather, and my plane had been sitting at the airport the night before, things were looking good. Also, looking at the historical data for the Washington Dulles flight, it was pretty reliable and on-time. Well, it looks like I got unlucky as I had a Delta delay and then ended up missing my connection. Honestly, it seems like the current theme with me and Delta.

Flight Details:

Delta Air Lines 1290
Washington Dulles (IAD) to Salt Lake City (SLC)
Aircraft: Boeing 737-800
Cabin: Main Cabin
Seat: 19C

Before the Flight:

A month or so before my flight, they moved the flight time from 7:30am to 7:10am. This schedule change allowed me to change my flight to any available flight that day, which was nice of them. Nothing really worked out better for me, although there was this tempting flight option connecting in Minneapolis but it left at 6:30am. I decided an extra 40 minutes of sleep would be helpful, but if I knew about the delay and missed connection that was to come, I would have taken the earlier flight.

Medallion Upgrade Waitlist:

I’m a Silver Medallion, and there were a ton of elites on this Friday morning flight. I ended up 18 out of 21 passengers for a Delta Comfort Plus seat, and 43 out of 46 passengers for a First Class seat. So, Main Cabin for me it was!

Airport and Boarding:

Delta leaves from Concourse B at Dulles Airport, which worked out nicely as I was able to visit the British Airways Lounge before my flight.

Boarding commenced 40 minutes before the flight’s departure, and it was a pretty full flight. We completed boarding in about 25 minutes, and things were looking good for an on-time departure. The plane looked nice, even though my specific aircraft was over 23 years old. It had newer seatback screens and easy access for charging your devices. Legroom was alright, and the Main Cabin offers 31-32 inches of pitch.

Main Cabin Seating

Main Cabin Seatback on Delta 737-800

It was nice to see the flight attendant hand out complimentary headphones to all passengers, even though I happened to bring my own on this trip.

Delta Delay:

The pilots announced a 3 hour and 51 minute ride while in the air. At first, they said there would be a slight delay due to a row of oxygen masks not working, but it ended up taking longer than they expected. They ended up just moving the passengers to the remaining empty seats on the plane. So, we were on the ground for a while and the boarding doors eventually closed 50 minutes after our scheduled departure.

But we had a new delay, as one of the maintenance carts working on the engines had a malfunction, and they needed to call a new one. So we didn’t actually leave the gate until about 1 hour and 30 minutes after our scheduled departure. And of course, since we missed our takeoff slot, we were on the runway for quite some time. We ended up taking off just shy of 2 hours after the scheduled departure time. Yikes.

Since obviously most people were connecting in Salt Lake City, passengers were getting jittery. The FA’s made an announcement that they were aware most people were connecting but they couldn’t do anything and that everyone should just go to a help desk once we land in Salt Lake City. Seems like not the most hospitable or proactive way to be handling the situation if you ask me.

In-Flight Service:

Shortly after reaching cruising altitude, a beverage and snack service commenced, and halfway through the flight the FA came over with coffee and water which was a nice touch. For snacks, they had small bags of Sun Chips, almonds, and Biscoff cookies. 

And, before our initial descent, they came by with another beverage and snack service, which was appreciated.

IFE and Wi-Fi:

The seatback entertainment system was nice and clear. There were plenty of movies, live tv, and Spotify playlists to get you through the flight which was a major plus.

My Flight

Additionally, since this was a domestic plane, Wi-Fi was available for free which was nice. It was helpful as I could check for options regarding other flights/possible routings while in the air to plan for the high chance of a missed connection.

Rebooking Options for the Delta Delay:

On the Delta App, it offered to move me to a flight 6 hours later than my original flight, as the next one which was 4 hours later was showing that it was sold out. I contacted the Twitter Team, and they said they could put me on standby for the flight 4 hours later if I wanted. I decided to test my luck just to maintain my seat on my existing flight and hope that I make the connection. Or hope that something opened up on the next flight (4 hours later) by the time I landed.

We got to the gate with about 15 minutes to spare for my connection and I immediately ran to a gate agent. I asked if she could check with my gate if they were still boarding. She was unhelpful and said that it was probably too late. I then ran a few gates down to try again, and a more helpful gate agent called my gate for me. Unfortunately, they had just closed the boarding door. Rip.

It was so frustrating in the moment, as I missed the connection by minutes. I’m not sure if it’s rational, but missing the connection by an hour would have made me feel better.

And so we were off to the Delta Help Desk. Seems like most of my flight ended up there along with me. Thankfully, I was helped by a friendly agent, and I asked if I could be put on the next flight. She said there were no seats left in the Main Cabin, but gave me a confirmed ticket in First. I appreciated her efforts, as it would be a lot more stressful to be on standby. Thankfully, the Sky Club in Salt Lake City is new & nice, and I was able to hang out there for 4 hours.

The new connecting flight was on time thankfully. So, I missed the wedding rehearsal but made it to dinner at least.

The Verdict:

Overall, the flight itself aboard the Boeing 737-800 on Delta was pleasant with seatback in-flight entertainment, free Wi-Fi, and multiple drink services. But, the Delta delay and the missed connection were annoying due to the issues upon departure of this flight. I wonder if they could have been more proactive in the air on assisting with rebookings and possibly assisting more with the tight connections? I know, too much to ask. But, I have definitely been on a few flights where we waited for people that were late due to a connection. Maybe only if there are a ton of passengers? Or if you have top elite status?

Have you had a Delta delay recently? How was your experience? Or have you had a plane waiting for you since your inbound flight was late? Comment below!

Cheers,

Ty

Have any questions? Comment below or email me at takeofftotravel@gmail.com. I’ve also started working with a travel agency, Fora Travel, and can assist in booking hotel stays or planning trips. You can also view all my other posts here! Thanks for stopping by!

I was flying out of Washington Dulles on Delta for my early morning flight to Salt Lake City. Thankfully, there was a lounge I could access with my Priority Pass membership in the same concourse I was leaving from. The British Airways Lounge Washington Dulles (IAD) is located in Concourse B and opens at 6 am for Priority Pass. Perfect!

Hours and Access:

As of my April 2023 visit, the British Airways Lounge Washington Dulles (IAD) is open for Priority Pass members from 6am to 2pm daily. It then reopens for Business + First Class and Sapphire Tier + Emerald Tier members flying on a oneworld airline from 2:30pm to 10pm.

The lounge is located right outside of the escalators from the AeroTrain of Concourse B. You’ll see the lounge, and take an elevator up to the second floor.

The terminals at Washington Dulles are connected to each other by the AeroTrain, so you’ll be able to access the lounge regardless of the terminal you are leaving from. Concourses A and B are also linked by walkways, and so are Concourses C and D.

Outside of Lounge

My Visit:

Since my flight was at 7:10am, I didn’t have much time to visit the lounge. I got to the lounge area around 5:50am, and there were a few people waiting outside the elevator. Around 6:05am, a lounge attendant came down the elevator and welcomed us up to the lounge. We were then quickly checked in once inside.

Seating:

I found the lounge quite nice and sleek. Once you walk in, you pass the glass window that overlooks the terminal area and there is seating along it. The chairs were nice and comfortable and had power ports to keep your devices charged up.

Lounge Seating

There are QR codes at each seat, which I assume is for ordering food when it’s a full-service British Airways lounge in the evening. I tried scanning the code for fun, and it said that the menu was unavailable at this time.

QR Codes for Food Ordering (Not During Priority Pass Hours)

Towards the middle of the lounge on the right side, there is the buffet area. There was a pretty basic spread of whole fruit, bagels, cereals, and some pastries. There were also canned sodas, as well as coffee and tea. I ended up snacking on a chocolate croissant and a banana during my visit. 

Buffet Area

Additionally, there is more seating in the dining room areas alongside the buffet that overlooks the runway. But, those areas were closed off during my visit.

Bathrooms:

I was quite impressed with both the size and cleanliness of the bathroom. Definitely better than using one of the airport restrooms. Elemis soap and lotion were provided.

Bathroom

Showers were also available in the lounge, but I didn’t get a chance to visit them.

After a quick 30-minute visit, I headed to the gate to catch my flight.

The Verdict:

Overall, the British Airways Lounge served as a nice place to grab a quick snack and settle down before boarding a flight via Priority Pass. I was glad my early flight departure aligned with the opening of the lounge so I could try it out for half an hour.

Have you visited the British Airways Lounge Washington Dulles (IAD)? How was your experience? Comment below!

Cheers,

Ty

Have any questions? Comment below or email me at takeofftotravel@gmail.com. I’ve also started working with a travel agency, Fora Travel, and can assist in booking hotel stays or planning trips. You can also view all my other posts here! Thanks for stopping by!

I attended the Freddie Awards that was taking place this year at the Hyzy Museum near the Washington D.C. (Dulles) Airport. So, I decided to fly into Dulles and preferred to leave from LaGuardia. I noticed flights were all in the mid $100s, but also saw that there was United award space for 6,400 miles. I had just about that many miles sitting in my Mileage Plus account, so I decided to book that. In any event, I could cancel for free and get my miles back.

Online Check-In: 

I currently do not have any status with United, and booking my award ticket in Economy allowed me to choose any standard seat. However, during online check-in, I noticed that the Preferred seats generally reserved for elites opened up for me to choose complimentarily. That was a nice touch!

United Same Day Standby:

United offers free same-day standby for all customers (even basic economy!) which is a really helpful feature. I ended up wanting to be in DC as early as possible to catch some shut-eye at the Hyatt Regency Dulles Airport, which I have reviewed here.

There happened to be a flight one hour earlier than mine, and the seat map looked quite empty.  Also, I felt that I was able to make it to the airport in time. I wasn’t able to add myself to the standby list from the app (even though the website says you can). Either I did something wrong, or the app isn’t working with the United same-day standby feature. So when I arrived at the airport, I went to a kiosk and a friendly agent showed me that I could join the standby list from the kiosk. Easy!

Exactly one hour before the departure of the new flight I wanted to standby on,  I received a text message that I had been assigned a seat. Better yet, it was in Economy Plus. Yay!

Flight Details:

United Express by Mesa Flight 6145
New York (LGA) to Washington Dulles (IAD)
Status: On Time
Seat: 8A
Cabin: Economy Plus
Aircraft: Embraer 175

The Plane:

The United Express (operated by Mesa) Embraer 175 has 4 rows of First Class (Rows 1-4) in a 1-2 configuration for a total of 12 seats. Economy Plus and Economy have a 2-2 configuration, with Economy Plus taking up rows 7-10 while Economy takes up rows 11-24.

Economy Plus seats offer 3 inches of extra legroom (34 inches of pitch) versus standard Economy seats (31 inches of pitch).

Boarding:

Boarding started 25 minutes before the scheduled departure time, and the aircraft door closed 5 minutes before our scheduled departure.

The flight was probably only 30% full, which was really nice. Originally I was assigned 7B, which is an aisle seat in the first row of Economy Plus after First Class. That seat can be considered a blessing or a curse. There is a lot of legroom since there is no seat in front of it. But, it means no storage in the seat in front of you, and during boarding, you’re right in the action of the aisle and will get smacked by people’s luggage and or feet.

Row 7 Economy Plus

Seat 7B: Endless Legroom, but “bumping” central.

Given that the E175 is for short hops, and I’m not tall, I wouldn’t need or want that extra legroom due to literally being in the aisle. So, I saw on the seat map that row 8 behind me was empty and asked the FA if I could move, and he said yes.

I preferred the “normal” 8A/B more. The legroom was solid, and there was a lot of space underneath the seat. The E175 is one of my favorite planes as it is quite comfortable for a smaller commuter-type plane. 

Row 8: “Normal” Economy Plus

The Flight:

We left the gate at the scheduled departure time and took off shortly after. United blocked out 1 hour and 34 minutes for this flight, which did seem quite long for such a short distance. I suppose it’s mainly for ground delays at either LGA or IAD.

Once we were in the air, the flight attendants let us know that there wouldn’t be an in-flight food or beverage service due to the short flight. Also, due to relatively strong turbulence, the fasten seat belt sign stayed on the whole flight.

Intelsat Wi-Fi was offered on board, and you could buy a full flight pass for $8, or there was free messaging for iMessage, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and Messages by Google. Movie and TV options were available for streaming as well.

We ended up arriving at our gate 25 minutes early which was nice.

The Verdict:

Overall, I had a solid flight on the United Express E175 from New York LaGuardia (LGA) to Washington Dulles (IAD). I liked how the United same-day standby worked, the on-time arrival, and getting a surprise present to an Economy Plus seat. I do wish they still served some snacks though.

Have you flown on this route of aircraft recently? How was your experience? Comment below!

Cheers,

Ty

Have any questions? Comment below or email me at takeofftotravel@gmail.com. I’ve also started working with a travel agency, Fora Travel, and can assist in booking hotel stays or planning trips. You can also view all my other posts here! Thanks for stopping by!

I booked a room at the Hyatt Regency Dulles Airport as I was looking for a place to stay at the airport to attend the Freddie Awards that was taking place nearby. The Hyatt Regency Dulles is a Category 1 property under the World of Hyatt Program and was pricing at peak pricing for my two-night stay. During off-peak pricing its 3,500 World of Hyatt Points, standard award rates are 5,000 World of Hyatt Points, and 6,500 during peak. Cash rates were going for about 250 USD, so I thought it was a solid redemption!

Complimentary Shuttle Service:

So, I had an evening arrival into Dulles Airport, and the timing worked out nicely to where the shuttle came 5 minutes after I got to the hotel shuttle pick up area. Shuttles from the airport to the hotel leave the airport at the 15 and 45 minute marks of the hour, and it is 24/7. On the other hand, shuttles from the hotel leave at the 00 and 30 minute marks of the hour. They do want you to reserve your shuttle at the front desk back to the airport one day in advance. I did like the fact that the hotel had its own shuttle, and that it was not shared with another hotel.

Hyatt Regency Dulles Shuttle

Lobby and Check-In:

I was quickly checked-in, and headed to my room on the 10th floor. The previous day, the app notified me that I was upgraded to a “High Floor” room. I already saw my room assignment on the Hyatt app, but needed to check-in to get the physical key (and have the digital key on the app activated).

Front Desk

The lobby was quite nice, and ample seating for lounging around. Connected to the lobby is the 29,000 sq. ft. Executive Meeting Center onsite.

Lobby Area

The Room:

I was in a High Floor King Room, and all rooms at the hotel are like mini-suites. First, as soon as you entered, you had a desk and chair on the left, a coffee maker + a mini fridge for individual use, and a living room with sofa. 

High Floor King Room

Next, there was a large TV separating the bedroom from the living room, and on the other side of the TV, there was a nice built-in luggage rack.

Living Area

King Bed

Finally, the bathroom had an open concept with no door to the sink area. The sink was quite large, updated, and had ample counter space. To the left of the sink was a place to hang clothes, a safe, iron and an ironing board. To the right of the sink was a toilet and stand-up shower. Toiletries were the standard Hyatt Regency brand, Pharmacopia. Unfortunately, the drainage in the shower was a bit slow, so if you left the shower on for a few minutes, it would start a puddle.

Bathroom

In terms of other pet peeves of the room, one quirk of the room was the AC. The fan blew right to the face of the bed, which was annoying. But, also turning off the unit made the room a bit stuffy. Additionally, noise levels were very good the first night, but the second night there was either someone above or beside me, and you could hear every time the toilet flushed. Lastly, some of the sheets and towels had minor stains on them.

Nonetheless, the room was quite nice for an airport hotel and falls on my list of one of the better airport hotels I’ve stayed in.

Amenities:

There’s a fitness center on the lobby level, that is open 24/7. It’s a decent sized fitness center, and even has a Peloton Machine.

Fitness Center

Behind the fitness center is an indoor pool that is open from 6:30am to 10pm.

Indoor Pool

Dining:

In terms of dining, there is one main restaurant called Flight’s Bistro. It’s open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Breakfast is served from 6:30am-11am daily and as of my April 2023 stay, offers a buffet breakfast for $22, as well as an a la carte menu. Lunch is served from 11:30pm-2pm daily, and dinner is served from 5:30pm-9pm daily.

I grabbed lunch one day, and got the Globalist Burger. It was pretty good with avocado and onion strings. I liked that it could come with either fries or a salad. I opted to be healthier and go for the salad, but they ended up bringing both out which was nice of them.

Globalist Burger

Side Salad

The Flights Bar connected to the bistro is open from 5pm-11pm Sunday-Thursday, 3pm-11pm Friday and Saturday, and it serves dinner between 5pm-10:30pm. There’s a “late night” menu from 9pm-10:30pm. It seems after the Freddie’s there was a mini after party at the bar and it stayed open past 11, so perhaps it’s flexible depending on the vibe in the lobby.

Additionally, the Grab and Go Market is open 24 hours at the front desk and has snacks, nonalcoholic beverages and also pre-packaged pastries, salads, and sandwiches.

Freddie Awards:

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the Freddie Awards, they were introduced in 1988 by InsideFlyer magazine’s Randy Petersen. The name of the “Freddies” is named in honor of Sir Freddie Laker and the goal of the Freddie Awards is to provide a voice to the frequent flyers out there and honor the industry of frequent travel programs.

This year, the event was hosted at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, which is right next to Washington Dulles Airport. I had the great pleasure to attend and meet with industry professionals and fellow BoardingArea teammates.

Freddie Awards 2023

It was a bittersweet moment, as Randy Petersen announced his retirement from the Freddie’s. Randy is an amazing person and he’s been very helpful and supportive in all of my pursuits, as well as being an industry icon in the frequent flyer industry. 

If you’re interested in seeing all the winners from the event, you can do so here!

Some highlights in the Americas included Air Canada Aeroplan winning Program of the Year and American AAdvantage winning Best Elite Program. On the hotel front, Marriott Bonvoy won Program of the Year and World of Hyatt won the Best Elite Program.

Congrats to all the Winners!

Internationally, TAP Air Miles and Go took home 4 awards in different categories, and newcomer Xiamen Air won a “210 award” having the best average ranking among programs that were ranked by fewer than 10 percent of the voters.

The Verdict:

Overall, I had a solid stay at the Hyatt Regency Dulles Airport. I enjoyed the large room and efficient hotel shuttle. I also had an amazing time attending the Freddie Awards, and hope I can do so again!

Have you stayed at the Hyatt Regency Dulles Airport before? How was your experience? Comment below!

Cheers,

Ty

Have any questions? Comment below or email me at takeofftotravel@gmail.com. I’ve also started working with a travel agency, Fora Travel, and can assist in booking hotel stays or planning trips. You can also view all my other posts here! Thanks for stopping by!