An opportunity to review the Delta Airbus A220 in First Class between New York LaGuardia and Chicago O’Hare was too good to pass up. With the A220 yet to fly in Australian skies and a brand new Terminal C at LGA for Delta, it would be a chance to experience the best of non-trasncon domestic travel in the US.
In this post:
New York LaGuardia (LGA) Check In & New Terminal
For many years, New Yorkers accepted the trade off between the convenience of LaGuardia and the abysmal facilities offered, including reliance on buses to get to/from the subway. A US$8 billion project has been in progress since 2016 to transform La Guardia (LGA) into a world class airport.
Having mainly used New York Kennedy (JFK) and once Newark Liberty (EWR), I was interested to see how the new Terminal C at LGA compared. First impressions were extremely positive with clean lines, natural light and plenty of space for people to move about.
The check in desks were well staffed and queues well marked and marshaled. Thankfully, I already had my boarding pass via the Delta app so headed directly for security screening.
Wayfinding was clear with Sky Priority, the SkyTeam term for priority security and boarding, clearly marked.
Security screening was painless with the latest generation CT scanners, meaning everything could stay in your bag. Though shoes still had to be removed and scanned separately.
Heading out to the gate, and with remnants of the old terminal visible, it was clear that the new LaGuardia is world class.
Boarding was called on time and priority boarding was clearly marked and enforced.
Delta A220 First Class Review
Delta 2961
New York LaGuardia (LGA) – Chicago O’Hare (ORD)
Wednesday, June 21
Depart: 12:59PM
Arrive: 02:50PM
Duration: 2hr49min
Aircraft: A220-300 (A223)
Seat: 3B (Domestic First Class)
The lead cabin crew, Alyssa, was at the door to greet passengers and set the positive and processional tone for the flight. Seat 3B is in the third and last row of First Class, which has a total of 12 seats.
Seats in First Class feature large 13.3inch screens with a full suite of inflight entertainment for the sub-three hour flight.
Pre-departure beverage (PDB) service is a bit hit and miss on domestic US flights, so it was great that they were offered on this flight. I opted for the cranberry juice, which was refreshing.
Takeoff today provided some great views over New York including a flyby of Central Park.
Overall the A220 has a great cabin that feels like a mainline jet like the A320 and Boeing 737 with overhead lockers that can hold an IATA sized roller bag (important for those who like to travel hand luggage only and want to avoid gate checking), full sized bathrooms (including the famous one at the back of the plane with a window) and inflight entertainment.
Delta A220 First Class Inflight Catering
Flights under three hours on Delta tend to be limited to a snack basket and beverage service. While not ideal for a lunchtime departure, the snacks were a bit of empty calorie fun and advance notice meant the opportunity to have some ramen in the terminal beforehand.
A full bar was offered with drinks like Bloody Marys available. I went with a cup of tea, a cookie and some gummy bears (which were surprisingly Made in France).
Delta A220 First Class Service
Prior to take off the cockpit door was open when I went up to use the lavatory and so I had a look in. The pilots were kind enough to invite me in for a brief visit and chat about the A220 and how this was my first flight on the type as Qantas are only taking delivery in late 2023.
Later in the flight, the lead flight attendant brought a Delta A220 trading card which was a gift from the pilots. I had actually never heard of these but they are apparently a ‘thing’ and a real ‘surprise and delight’ moment with the card going straight to the pool room.
In terms of cabin service, the three flight attendants were great with the lead flight attendant ensuring all twelve First Class passengers had multiple rounds of drinks and snacks, then heading back to help the other two flight attendants working Main Cabin.
I wandered back to see the famous rear bathroom with the window later in the flight and stopped to see if they had any Delta Biscoff biscuits left, and the gentleman was most generous.
Summary
The Airbus A220 is a winner and easily the best regional jet flying today. Combined with the new Delta Terminal C at LaGuardia and great inflight service, my flight was about as perfect as domestic US air travel gets.
