With 24 million passengers passing through its doors in 2010, LaGuardia Airport (LGA) in New York City is the busiest airport in the U.S. that doesn’t provide non-stop service to Europe.  Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) is the world’s busiest, with 88 million passengers. On a typical day, Delta Airlines has 32 or more flights going between the two airports.

Since I printed my boarding pass at home, I proceeded directly to the security line at Delta’s terminal at LaGuardia. Shortly before noon, there was no one in line (Although there was a separate SkyPriority queue which would have typically reduced my wait time had there been a line.) The Delta Sky Club at LaGuardia reopened a few weeks (separate review to come) at the beginning of June so I stopped there for a snack and beverage since I had more than an hour before my flight would take off.

BOARDING

Boarding was fast and first class passengers were permitted to board first and also via the SkyPriority queue at any time during the boarding process. Once on board, a flight attendant offered to hang up my jacket and brought me a glass of water. Individual water bottles had also been placed on the armrest tray at each first class eat.

The flight was nearly full but the door was closed at ten minutes before the scheduled departure time and we were soon pushing back.

SEAT COMFORT
The Boeing 757 had six rows of first class seats for a total of 24 seats. I was in 4D (window). Pitch between seats was 37” and the seat itself was 20.5” wide. I found the seat itself quite comfortable, although the pitch was less than on some other airlines with similarly-configured 757s.

Overhead bin space was more than sufficient for passengers flying in the first class cabin.

IN-FLIGHT SERVICE
Shortly after take-off, flight attendants offered refreshing hot towels and a choice of beverages. They then took orders for lunch. I chose the chicken sandwich on pretzel bread, which was tasty.  It was accompanied by a bowl of fresh fruit and potatoe chips. A brownie (wrapped in plastic) was served for dessert.

Throughout the flight, the cabin crew was in the aisle refilling drinks and checking on passenger comfort.

This aircraft had Gogo in-flight Internet on board and I was able to surf the Web on my iPad, check mail, and chat with a few friends and colleagues during the flight.

ARRIVAL
Despite a 20-minute wait to take off, we arrived early at 3:13 p.m. (scheduled arrival was 3:30 p.m. Since I had no checked baggage, I went directly from the gate to the SkyClub in Atlanta just to freshen up and was soon on my way.

BOTTOM LINE
Flights to New York to Delta’s main hub in Atlanta flights are – sooner or later – part of almost every business traveler’s itinerary. Many passengers transfer to outbound domestic or international destinations once in Atlanta.

The flight was quick, the service was good, and the ride was smooth. What more could a road warrior ask for?

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